Heber Springs heads into tonight’s 4A-4 junior girls district tournament having lost its regular season finale to Dardanelle on February 4th, but coach Jamey Riddle likes his team’s chances.
The Panthers will open with the host Ozark at 6:15 p.m. as the No. 4 seed. Ozark defeated Heber Springs in the district title game last season.
“We’ve beat Ozark both times this year,” Riddle said. “We just need to show up and play.”
He added that is something that Heber Springs has done on two out of it’s last three conference road trips, a 52-24 setback to Pottsville on January 28th and a 36-20 loss at Dardanelle on February 4th.
“We went over to Pottsville and laid an egg,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t play very well.”
Against the Sand Lizards, the Panthers trailed 10-2 at the end of the first quarter and 19-7 at the half, and couldn’t overcome the deficit.
“We only lost to by three here (to Dardanelle) in a game that we felt like we should have won,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t get it done.”
The Panthers entered what Riddle called a “little slump” after a big 55-52 win over Dover on January 24th. Heber Springs played a good Mayflower team, one that handed Dover it’s first loss of the season before the Panthers beat them for it’s second, on the road on a Monday before traveling to Pottsville the following day.
“They beat us pretty good, but they only beat us by five here,” Riddle said. “We just didn’t play very well, and we had a few that weren’t feeling very with all of the sickness that was going around.”
A win by Heber Springs and the Panthers would get Pottsville in a semifinal contest at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
“I like our chances and where we are at (in the bracket),” Riddle said. “You never know. Practice has been good in the mornings and this is going to be a new week. You just have to show up and play.”
The Heber Springs Junior Girls basketball team pose with the runner-up trophy from the Heber Springs Junior High Tournament on November 23 at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
December 19, 2019
The Heber Springs junior girls basketball team will look to even its 4A-4 conference record on Friday when they host Ozark at the Panther Den beginning at 4 p.m.
It will be the Panthers final game of the year before returning to action on Jan. 7 at home against Pottsville.
Heber Springs (7-4) dropped its conference opener on Dec. 10 at Dover, 43-33, as Sophia Stone finished with 15 points. The Panthers led 21-18 at the half, but were outscored 25-12 in the second half, including 12-3 in the final quarter.
Heber Springs started the season 2-0 before dropping a 60-49 decision to Dover on Nov. 14 at the semifinals of the Marshall junior high tournament. The Panthers also led at the half during that contest, 29-24. Stone had 20 points in a losing effort while Jaylea Hooten finished with 13.
The Panthers bounced back defeating the host, Marshall, in a consolation contest at the tournament, 40-25, on Nov. 16 as Hooten had 13 points in the win.
Heber Springs would down South Side Bee Branch, 44-22, on Nov. 19 and Riverview, 46-13, on Nov. 21 as Stone had 19 points in the win over South Side Bee Branch.
On Nov. 23, the Panthers hosted a one-day junior high tournament at the Panther Den. Heber Springs won its opener, 62-10, over the Cabot South 8th-Grade team as Addison Hudspeth finished with 17 points.
In the championship game, Heber Springs used a 6-0 run to close out the first half to take a 16-15 advantage into the half against Conway Blue, even pushing its lead to 22-16 after a Sophia Stone lay-up with 2:27 left in the third quarter. But Hooten picked up her fourth foul and had to set the remainder of the quarter as the Wampus Cats used their size to re-take the lead and win the title.
Heber Springs dropped a 48-40 contest to Clinton on Nov. 26 as Hooten had 15 points in the loss.
The Panthers won their last game on Dec. 12 with a 52-31 victory at South Side Bee Branch. Hooten had 24 points in the win, including 12 points in the third quarter, while Stone and Rylee Harrod each finished with 10.
HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORES
JUNIOR GIRLS
December 12 at South Side Bee Branch
South Side Bee Branch 2 9 8 12 - 31
Heber Springs 10 12 16 14 - 52
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (31): Walley 21, Smith 3, Thurney 2, Linn 2, Smith 2, Duncan 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (52): Jaylea Hooten 24, Sophia Stone 10, Rylee Harrod 10, Riley Bailey 4, Madison Clemons 2, Molly Smith 2
December 10 at Dover
Dover 14 4 13 12 - 43
Heber Springs 7 14 9 3 - 33
DOVER SCORING (43): A. McCrotty 29, A Reams 12, S. McClendon 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Sophia Stone 15, Madison Clemons 9, Jaylea Hooten 3, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 3
November 26 at Clinton
Clinton 12 14 9 13 - 48
Heber Springs 11 10 12 7 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 15, Rylee Harrod 8, Sophia Stone 8, Madison Clemons 7, Hope Turney 2
November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Conway Blue 10 5 11 9 - 35
Heber Springs 5 11 6 7 - 29
CONWAY BLUE (35): K. Brown 11, A. Corley 6, S. Ingraham 4, K. Beckwith 4, K. Harper 4, A. McMillen 3, B. Ferguson 2, J. Davis 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Sophia Stone 13, Madison Clemons 4, Rylee Harrod 4, Riley Bailey 4, Jaylea Hooten 2, Hope Turney 2
November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Cabot South 8th-Grade 0 2 8 0 - 10
Heber Springs 25 10 11 6 - 62
CABOT SOUTH SCORING (10): Cresswell 4, Stark 2, Dolling 2, Gourke 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (62): Addison Hudspeth 17, Sophia Stone 15, Lindsey Southerland 8, Molly Smith 6, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hailey Poore 4, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 2, Riley Bailey 1
Other November 23 Heber Springs Tournament Junior Girls Results: Conway Blue 52, Batesville 26; Batesville 43, Cabot South 8th-Grade 10.
November 21 at Heber Springs
Riverview 0 7 4 2 - 13
Heber Springs 19 9 12 6 - 46
RIVERVIEW SCORING (13): Hale 9, Munoz 2, Rayson 1, Rojas 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (46): Jaylea Hooten 10, Sophia Stone 8, Hope Turney 7, Lindsey Southerland 4, Marin McKenzie 4, Madison Clemons 2, Riley Bailey 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Hailey Poore 2, Molly Smith 2, Rylee Harrod 1.
November 19 at Heber Springs
South Side Bee Branch 8 6 4 4 - 22
Heber Springs 16 2 12 14 - 44
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (22): E. Walley 11, A. Zimmerson 4, J. Walley 4, B. Smith 2, E. Thornley 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Sophia Stone 19, Rylee Harrod 7, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hope Turney 6, Madison Clemons 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molly Smith 2
November 16 at Marshall Tournament
Marshall 8 9 0 9 - 25
Heber Springs 10 6 11 13 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 13, Sophia Stone 9, Rylee Harrod 7, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molley Smith 2, Marin McKenzie 1
November 14 at Marshall Tournament
Dover 13 11 18 18 - 60
Heber Springs 15 14 14 6 - 49
DOVER SCORING (60): McCrotty 20, Reams 13, Young 13, Hodge 8, McClendon 5, Perea 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (49): Sophia Stone 20, Jaylea Hooten 14, Rylee Harrod 6, Cristina Garcia 3, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Riley Bailey 2
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTSCOACH: Jamey Riddle
OVERALL RECORD: 7-4
4A-4 RECORD: 0-1
November 9 - Heber Springs 27, Greenbrier 16 ^
November 12 - Heber Springs 33, Nemo Vista 27
November 14 - Dover 60, Heber Springs 49 ^
November 16 - Heber Springs 40, Marshall 25 ^
November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 22
November 21 - Heber Springs 46, Riverview 13
November 23 - Heber Springs 62, Cabot South 8th 10 *
November 23 - Conway Blue 35, Heber Springs 29 *
November 26 - Clinton 48, Heber Springs 40
December 10 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 33 #
December 12 - Heber Springs 52, South Side Bee Branch 31
December 20 - Ozark #
January 7 - Pottsville #
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle #
January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola
January 23 - Marshall
January 24 - Dover #
January 27 - at Mayflower
January 28 - at Pottsville #
January 31 - at Ozark #
February 3 - Quitman
February 4 - at Dardanelle #
February 10 - District Tournament at Ozark
(^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament)
(* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament)
(# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game)
Southside Batesville blew open a close game in the second half and cruised to a 48-20 win over Heber Springs in 4A-2 conference play on a rainy Friday at Panther Stadium.
The loss spoiled the homecoming festivities for the Panthers and queen McKenzie Becerra, and put Heber Springs (2-3 in the 4A-2, 2-6) in a must win situation if they hope to make the 4A playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Julio Rubio rushed 11 times for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 84-yarder that gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead with 9:21 to play in the first quarter and a 3-yarder with 6:38 to play in the first half to tie things up at 13-all. The Southerners (4-1, 6-2) used a methodical running game (65 carries for 292 yards) to dominate the time of possession (32:15 to 15:45), passing sparingly but effectively (eight times, completing five of those for four touchdowns – including two on fourth down), to take control of the game and clinch a playoff spot.
After Rubio’s second touchdown, Southside took possession of the ball and drove to the Panther 27 before the Heber Springs’ defense got a stop on a fourth-and-2 play (the only fourth down stop for the Panthers on the night in five attempts).
Adam Martin completed a 6-yard pass to Martin and Rubio ran for 10 yards for a first down as Heber Springs moved the ball to their own 44, but a holding penalty and a sack stalled the drive and forced a punt with 1:17 left in the half.
The Southerners then marched downfield on an eight-play, 61-yard drive that Braden Jones capped off with an 18-yard scoring pass to Jonathan Shane with 7.9 seconds left.
Heber Springs’s Julio Rubio runs for a short gain in the rain against Southside Batesville Friday night at Panther Stadium. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO
Southside came out of the halftime locker room and marched 64-yards on a six-play drive that featured four penalties (two on Southside and two on Heber Springs) as Jones found Landen Haas for 51-yard scoring strike with 8:35 to play in the third quarter to make it 27-13.
Martin took control on the next drive to pull the Panthers within a score at 27-20 with 7:20 play in the third quarter rushing three times for 43 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, but the Southerners scored 21 unanswered points to take control.
HOMECOMING COURT: Homecoming Queen McKenzie Becerra. Senior Maids Samantha Hilborn and Maddi Vowels. Junior maids Taleah White and Sydney Buffalo. Sophomore maids Natalie Buffalo and Vallie Cantrell. Freshman maids Marin McKenzie and Lauren Presley. Escorts Bryeken Pruitt and Cali McKee.
SCORING
Southside Batesville (4-1, 6-2) 7 13 14 14 - 48
Heber Springs (2-3, 2-6) 6 7 7 0 - 20
FIRST QUARTER
Heber Springs - Julio Rubio 84-yard run (kick failed), 9:21
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Kilynn Dugger 33-yard pass (Skylar Anorve kick), 3:27
SECOND QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Larkin Jones 10-yard run (run failed), 11:24
Heber Springs - Rubio 3-yard run (Jackson Harrod kick), 6:38
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Jonathan Shane 18-yard pass (Anorve kick), 7.9
THIRD QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Landen Haas 51-yard pass (Anorve kick), 8:35
Heber Springs - Adam Martin 18-yard run (Harrod kick), 7:20
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones to Shane 25-yard pass (Anorve kick), 2:05
FOURTH QUARTER
Southside Batesville - Braden Jones 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 7:17
Southside Batesville - Jacob Dunne 4-yard run (Anorve kick), 2:00
OFFENSERUSHING: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 11/133/12.1, Adam Martin 10/35/3.5, Levy Phillips 3/20/6.7, Team 1/(-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 17/88/5.2, Alex Palmer 16/82/5.1, Larkin Jones 13/55/4.2, Brenden Frazier 11/36/3.3, Bryson Duncan 6/25/4.2, Jacob Dunne 1/4, Josh Narramore 1/2.
RUSHING RUNS OF 50+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 40+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 30+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 20+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (1), Adam Martin (1)
RUSHING RUNS OF 10+: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio (2), Adam Martin (2), Levy Phillips (1). Southside Batesville, Larkin Jones (3), Alex Palmer (3), Brenden Frazier (1)
PASSING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 11/19-72-0/0. Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 5/8-140-4/0
RECEIVING: Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 3/19, Matthew Cook 3/15, Hunter Kent 1/10, Dalton McCollum 1/9, Diego Rubio 1/8, Fate Berry 1/7, Julio Rubio 1/4. Southside Batesville, Jonathan Shane 2/43, Landen Haas 1/51, Kilynn Dugger 1/33, Payton Walls 1/13.
TOTAL OFFENSE: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 133, Adam Martin 107, Levy Phillips 20, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 228, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Brenden Frazier 36, Bryson Duncan 25, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2.
PUNT RETURNS: Southside Batesville, Brenden Frazier 1/10
KICK RETURNS: Heber Springs, Levy Phillips 2/23, Jackson West 1/14. Southside Bateville, none.
FUMBLE RETURNS: None
INTERCEPTION RETURNS: None
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: Heber Springs, Julio Rubio 137, Levy Phillips 43, Adam Martin 35, Landon Johnson 19, Matthew Cook 15, Jackson West 14, Hunter Kent 10, Dalton McCollum 9, Diego Rubio 8, Fate Berry 7, Team (-22). Southside Batesville, Braden Jones 88, Alex Palmer 82, Larkin Jones 55, Landen Haas 51, Brenden Frazier 46, Jonathan Shane 43, Kilynn Dugger 33, Bryson Duncan 25, Payton Walls 13, Jacob Dunne 4, Josh Narramore 2.
DEFENSE TACKLES (Shared/Solo/Total): Heber Springs, Landon Johnson 10/3/13, Diego Rubio 10/3/13, Fate Berry 10/1/11, Nicholas Hitchcock 8/1/9, Levy Phillips 5/2/7, Hunter Kent 6/1/7, Jackson West 6/0/6, Matthew Cook 5/0/5, Kaden Hughes 4/0/4, Hunter Griffin 3/1/4, Trevor Weathers 2/1/3, Dalton McCollum 2/0/2, Harley Bresnahan 0/1/1, Nate Dearmond 0/1/1, Harley Hannah 1/0/1. Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 7/1/8, Payton Walls 4/4/8, Zach Howell 4/3/7, Isaac Smith 7/0/7, Larkin Jones 3/4/7, Lucas Nicholson 4/2/6, Jamie Riggs 1/4/5, Caden Clark 3/1/4, Bryson Duncan 2/1/3, Landen Haas 2/1/3, Jace Grigsby 2/0/2, Brenden Frazier 1/1/2, Cole Weaver 2/0/2, Austin Mathis 2/0/2.
TACKLES FOR LOSS: Heber Springs, Diego Rubio 3, Landon Johnson 2, Fate Berry 1, Kaden Hughes 1, Hunter Griffin 1. Batesville Southside, Alex Palmer 2, Lucas Nicholson 1.
SACKS/YARDS LOST: Southside Batesville, Alex Palmer 1/5
INTERCEPTIONS: None
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Heber Springs, Hunter Kent, Diego Rubio.
PUNTING: Heber Springs, Adam Martin 3/100/33.3.
PUNTS INSIDE 20: None
4A-2 STANDINGS
W L CP W L PS PA
Riverview 5 0 49 7 1 288 203
Southside Batesville 4 1 41 6 2 268 196
Little Rock Mills 3 2 14 4 4 165 186
Central Arkansas Christian 2 3 20 4 4 234 208
Lonoke 2 3 15 3 5 232 255
Heber Springs 2 3 14 2 6 197 251
Bald Knob 2 3 8 2 6 127 254
Stuttgart 0 5 0 0 8 204 278
Friday, October 25
Southside Batesville 48, Heber Springs 20
Little Rock Mills 20, Stuttgart 14
Central Arkansas Christian 28, Lonoke 21 (OT)
Riverview 42, Bald Knob 14
Friday, November 1
Bald Knob at Central Arkansas Christian
Riverview at Heber Springs
Stuttgart at Lonoke
Little Rock Mills at Southside Batesville
Thursday, November 7
Lonoke at Riverview
Friday, November 8
Bald Knob at Southside Batesville
Heber Springs at Little Rock Mills
Central Arkansas Christian at Stuttgart
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS
CLINCHED: Riverview and Southside Batesville have both clinched playoff spots.
ELIMINATED: Stuttgart was officially eliminated with the loss to Little Rock Mills, but can still play spoiler the next two weeks.
CAN STILL WIN AT LEAST SHARE OF CONFERENCE TITLE: Riverview, Southside Batesville and Little Rock Mills. Riverview controls its own destiny. If the Raiders win out, they will win their first conference title in football. If they split between Heber Springs and Lonoke, and Southside Batesville wins out, the two teams share the crown with Riverview getting the No. 1 seed. Southside Batesville needs Riverview to lose both while winning both. Little Rock Mills would need Riverview to lose both and the Comets would have to win both to earn a share of the conference title.
BEST SHAPE FOR PLAYOFF SPOTS: Little Rock Mills and Central Arkansas Christian. CAC clinches a playoff spot with a win this week or next week, and owns tiebreakers over Lonoke and Heber Springs.
WIN OUT AND IN: If Lonoke, Bald Knob or Heber Springs win out, they would get into the 4A playoffs. Lonoke owns tiebreakers over Heber Springs and Bald Knob, while Heber Springs owns the head-to-head with Bald Knob.
HEBER SPRINGS: If the Panthers win out, they would get in the playoffs and still potentially get a home playoff game if CAC and Lonoke both lose one game. If Heber Springs wins one of two, then Heber Springs could still make the playoffs depending upon the outcome of other games.
WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS: 1. Riverview, 2. Southside Batesville, 3. Little Rock Mills, 4. Central Arkansas Christian, 5. Lonoke.
