SOCCER PREVIEW: Panthers return four starters

February 24, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Panther soccer team will need to grow up in a hurry.
Returning four starters, Heber Springs, which will return four starters, will debut in a preseason jamboree against Harding in Searcy at 7 p.m. Monday.

Jackson Harrod, who led the Panthers in scoring last season, will be one of the players to watch. Defenders Landon Johnson and Lawrence Baureis return, along with Landon Barbee.

“Jackson scored a lot of goals last season,” Heber Springs coach Jay Bishop said. “He played forward for most of his career and may have to become a midfielder. Lawrence and Landon (Johnson) have played well on defense for two years. We will lean those guys, especially early in the season, until we figure out who will play at the other the other seven positions. We will be young at a lot of positions.”

Bishop said one of the big decisions will be who assumes the starting role at goalkeeper.

“Jackson West is tall with long arms,” he said. “Nathan Poff was the backup last year.”

Bishop believes the younger players will step into their new roles, and he expects a successful season.

“We will be looking for players who can play out wide, like freshmen Luke Greenwald and Owen Phelps, and sophomore Gus Hannah” he said. “They need to take scoring pressure off Jackson. We have others players who do the job.”

Heber Springs has a challenging non-conference schedule. The Panthers will play Vilonia, Morrilton, Conway St. Joseph, Greenbrier, Conway Christian, Cave City and Mountain View.

“We will be learning together and use the non-conference to see what we need to work on,” Bishop said. “We want to be ready for conference play.”
Heber Springs will compete against Southside Batesville, Lonoke, Batesville, Jonesboro Westside, Brookland, Valley View and Wynne in the Class 4A North Conference.

“We will looking to put the players in the right position, so we will be successful,” Bishop said. “Valley View and Batesville will be the teams to beat. We should be in contention. We want to be playing our best once conference play starts.”

HEBER SPRINGS ROSTER
Nathan Poff, Jackson West, Landon Barbee, Julio Rubio, Landon Johnson, Diego Rubio, Gabe Tate, Jackson Harrod, Dalton McCollum, Gil Fernandez, Gus Hannah, Zach Thomas, Carlos Leal, Colt Allen, Mason Harris, Hayden Davis, Luke Greenwald, Harley Bresnahan, Owen Phelps, Kaden Young, Lawrence Baureis, Chandler Webber, Jacob Townsend, Lucas Langster, Kevin Leal, Preston Jones.

Panthers fall to Clarksville on Senior Night

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin looks to get past a Clarksville defender in action at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

February 14, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Panthers finished the regular season with a 77-54 loss to Clarksville at the Panther Den on Friday.

Heber Springs (1-13 in 4-4A Conference, 1-23 overall) and Dover tied for eighth place. The Panthers were awarded the No. 7 seed for the conference tournament by winning a coin toss and now switch their focus to the 4-4A Conference basketball tournament.

The Panthers will play Subiaco Academy in the first round of the tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Wyatt Sanders, Dalton McCollum and Adam Martin were among the seniors recognized between the girls’ and boys’ games.

Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said Sanders tore tendons in his ankle.

Sanders stepped on the court for the opening tip-off and received a pass before returning to the bench.

“We wanted to honor him (Sanders) at the beginning of the game,” Johnson said. “It was very emotional to say goodbye to he and the other seniors.”

Clarksville started the game by making three 3-pointers. The Panthers called timeout and changed from a zone defense to a man-to-man.

Heber Springs outscored Clarksville 9-8 for the remainder of the first quarter and trailed 17-9 going into the second quarter.

“We played the man defense well,” Johnson said. “We ran out of gas during the second half. The players played with a lot heart. This team will never quit and they will play until the end of the game.”

Clarksville defeated the Panthers by five points, but Cole Clark, who scored 17 points in Friday’s game,  didn’t play in the game at Clarksville.

Martin scored 20 points for the Panthers. McCollum had 13 points and Garrett Hudspeth finished with 12 points. Garrett Waddill led Clarksville with 21 points. Braden Payne had 18 points.

“The first game was more of a defensive battle,” Johnson said. “The offenses were clicking for both teams in this game. Clarksville likes to shoot 3-pointers and made 11 for the game.

Hudspeth connected on a jumper and reduced Clarksville’s lead to 17-11 early in the second quarter.

Clarksville regained the momentum and increased the lead to 10 points.

Heber Springs pulled to within 23-18, but Clarksville held on and took a 26-20 halftime lead.

Clarksville dominated the third quarter, outscored Heber Springs 30-17, and led 56-27 going into the fourth quarter.

Johnson said the team will move forward and focus on the tournament.

“We will take the same approach like the regular season for Tuesday’s game,” he said. “The players will battle. We hope to surprise teams at the tournament.”

FEBRUARY 14 BOXSCORE
Clarksville  17  9 30 21 - 77
Heber Springs 9 11 17 17 - 54
CLARKSVILLE SCORING (77): Garrett Waddill 21, Braden Payne 18, Cole Clark 17, Miles Castleman 8, Owen Ashlock 6, John Case 5, Gabe Gregory 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (54): Adam Martin 20, Dalton McCollum 13, Garrett Hudspeth 12, Zach Thomas 8.  

FEBRUARY 11 BOXSCORE
at Morrilton
Heber Springs  6   7   8   7 - 28
Morrilton     16  23  11  14 - 64
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (28): Dalton McCollum 14, Adam Martin 6, Wyatt Sanders 6, Zach Thomas 2
MORRILTON SCORING (64): Devin Foster 13, Riley Wade 12, Nevin Williams 9, Darrius Allison 7, Nate Zachary 6, Keevon Moore 5, Julian Brockman 4, Bugg Rector 4, Markel Swinton 2, B.J. Black 2
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
FINAL RECORD: 1-24
FINAL 4A-4 RECORD: 1-13
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^
January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^
January 28 - Pottsville 68, Heber Springs 49 ^
January 31 - Ozark 60, Heber Springs 29 ^
February 4 - Dardanelle 67, Heber Springs 47 ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy 54, Heber Springs 23 ^
February 11 - Morrilton 64, Heber Springs 28 ^
February 14 - Clarksville 77, Heber Springs 54 ^
February 17 - Subiaco Academy 69, Heber Springs 40 $

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)
($ - Denotes 4A-4 district tournament contest at Dardanelle)

Panthers fall to Subiaco Academy

Heber Springs’ Zach Thomas goes up for a shot against Subiaco Academy Friday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

February 7, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

A second-quarter scoring blitz proved too much for the Heber Springs Panthers against Subiaco Academy at the Panther Den Friday.

After Dalton McCollum’s field goal gave Heber Springs a 12-11 lead early in the second quarter, the Trojans seized control with a 17-4 scoring run and defeated the Panthers 54-23 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

Heber Springs was held to five points during the final two quarters.

The Panthers, who played with five players at Dardanelle in the previous games, dressed out seven players against Subiaco Academy. Gus Hannah remained sidelined because of the flu and Ryan Crocker was unable to play because of a wrist injury. Zach Thomas and Logan Monahan, who missed the Dardanelle game because of the flu, played for the first time in a week.

“We were running out of gas and juice by halftime,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “Garrett Hudsepth injured his knee early in the second half. If we had been a healthy team, it would have been more of a competitive game at the end.”

Heber Springs led for the first time on Adam Martin’s 3-pointer during the opening quarter, 5-4.

Hudspeth scored to increase it the Panther advantage before three consecutive lead changes.

Subiaco Academy led 11-10 going into the second quarter and increased it to 28-16 by halftime.

The Trojans pulled away after going on an 18-2 scoring run and took a 46-18 lead into the fourth quarter.

McCollum scored six points for Heber Springs. Conner King and Matthew Kremers each had 12 points for Subiaco Academy.

Johnson said his team continued the battle against fatigue and lack of depth. He liked how his team played at Dardanelle with only five healthy players.

“The players played with a lot of heart, dug deep and showed a lot of character,” Johnson said. “Dardanelle parents told me how they were impressed how our players competed.”

Heber Springs (1-11 in conference, 1-21 overall) will complete the regular season at Morrilton and host Clarksville on Friday. The conference tournament is scheduled at Dardanelle on Feb. 17-22.

“Both games will be very challenging,” Johnson said. “We lost by five points at Clarksville.”

February 7th
SUBIACO ACADEMY AT HEBER SPRINGS
Subiaco Academy 11 17 18 8 - 54
Heber Springs   10  6  2 5 - 23
SUBIACO ACADEMY SCORING (54): Conner King 12, Matthew Kremers 12, Ivan Martijn 9, Paul Niba 6, Johnathan Mercera 5, John Ho 4, Jude Percy-Allen 2, Justin Luidens 2, Nathan Nguyen 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (23): Dalton McCollum 6, Adam Martin 5, Wyatt Sanders 4, Austin Winchester 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2, Logan Monahan 2, Zach Thomas 1. 

February 4th
HEBER SPRINGS AT DARDANELLE
Heber Springs  9  12  13  13 - 47
Dardanelle    19  14  15  19 - 67
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (47): Wyatt Sanders 18, Dalton McCollum 12, Adam Martin 10, Garrett Hudsepth 5, Austin Winchester 2
DARDANELLE SCORING (67): Blake Chambers 17, Tristan Broadway 12, Sam Williams 8, JT Meling 8, Marteez Jackson 6, Chris Martin 6, Clayton Potter 4, Jordan Metcalf 2, Titus Spencer 2, Nathaniel Griffiths 2

January 31
HEBER SPRINGS AT OZARK
Heber Springs  7  3  10  9 - 29
Ozark         17 17  14 12 - 60
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Dalton McCollum 13, Wyatt Sanders 6, Austin Winchester 5, Gus Hannah 3, Garrett Hudspeth 2
OZARK SCORING (60): Corbin Pelts 12, Jaxson Harris 11, Sebastian Ross 10, Ethan Dorrough 9, Keystan Durning 7, Wyatt Clauson 4,Tanner Bailie 3, Kayden McAnally 2, Kirkland Quinton 2
,              Conference Season
Morrilton          9-3     17-8
Ozark              9-3     16-8
Dardanelle         9-3     22-3
Pottsville         8-4     10-10
Clarksville        6-6     10-14
Subiaco Academy    5-7      9-14
Heber Springs      1-11     1-21
Dover              1-11     5-20  
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-21
4A-4 RECORD: 1-11
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^
January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^
January 28 - Pottsville 68, Heber Springs 49 ^
January 31 - Ozark 60, Heber Springs 29 ^
February 4 - Dardanelle 67, Heber Springs 47 ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy 54, Heber Springs 23 ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Panthers fall at Pottsville

January 28, 2020

Dalton McCollum finished with 21 points in a losing effort as Pottsville defeated Heber Springs in 4A-4 action in Pottsville.

Kade Mainhart scored 20 points in the first half for the Apaches as they led 40-23 at the break. Mainhart would finish with 22 as Pottsville came out of the half by outscoring Heber Springs 20-9.

The Panthers travel to Ozark in 4A-4 play tonight.

Ozark defeated Heber Springs earlier this season.

HEBER SPRINGS AT POTTSVILLE BOXSCORE
Heber Springs 15   8   9 17 - 49
Pottsville    24  16  20  8 - 68
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (49): Dalton McCollum 21, Garrett Hudspeth 7, Adam Martin 7, Logan Monahan 5, Zach Thomas 4, Wyatt Sanders 3, Austin Winchester 2
POTTSVILLE SCORING (68): Kade Mainhart 22, Zach Byrum 12, Trey Thurman 9, Matthew Moore 7, Quinn Lee 6, Jon Francis 5, Trevor Lyles 4, Adrain Hall 2, Drew Rust 1
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-17
4A-4 RECORD: 1-7
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^
January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^
January 28 - Pottsville 68, Heber Springs 49 ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Panthers drop heartbreaker to Pirates

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin dribbles to the basket past Dover’s Robbie Flowers at the Panther Den Friday night. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

JANUARY 24, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Dover’s outside-inside combination of Josh Besterfeldt and Caden Frazier prevailed in the final minute against the Heber Springs Panthers at the Panther Den Friday.

Besterfeldt made a 3-pointer to give Dover a 51-49 lead with 49 seconds left in the game as the Pirates defeated Heber Springs 55-50 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

Frazier and Ross Laffoon led Dover with 15 points. Besterfeldt had 14 points. Dalton McCollum scored 22 points for the Panthers, followed by Adam Martin with 21 points.

“We did a good job of taking Besterfeldt out of the game until late,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “Dover adjusted and got the ball to Frazier on the onside and we don’t have a players with height that could match up against him. We tried to double-team Frazier, but he would pass the ball back to Besterfeldt.”

McCollum and Martin, who are the team’s leading scorers on the season, each fouled out in the final two minutes.

“It hurt losing them late in the game,” Johnson said. “They always give the team great leadership and they are good ballhandlers.”

McCollum’s field goal started a 12-4 scoring run midway through the first quarter. The Panthers led 18-11 going into the second quarter.

Heber Springs increased its lead to 27-17 late in the first half. Dover responded by scoring two field goals as the Panthers led 27-21 at halftime.

The third quarter remained close and Heber Springs emerged with a 39-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“We played with a lot of intensity throughout the game,” Johnson said. “The players loved the big crowd and the loud student section. They were playing for the crowd, which inspired them. I’m proud of the way they played.”

Heber Springs (1-7 in conference, 1-17 overall) face a two-game road trip. The Panthers will play at Pottsville Tuesday and then go to Ozark on Friday.

“We will be playing two good teams,” Johnson said. “Both games will be tough matchups.”

JANUARY 24, 2020 BOXSCORE
Dover at Heber Springs
Dover         11 10 12 22 - 55
Heber Springs 18  9 12 11 - 50
DOVER SCORING (55): Caden Frazier 15, Russ Laffoon 15, Josh Besterfeldt 14, Leighton Alexander 7, Robbie Flowers 3, Landen Parker 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (50): Dalton McCollum 24, Adam Martin 21, Garrett Hudspeth 4, Zach Thomas 1

JANUARY 17, 2020 BOXSCORE
Heber Springs at Clarksville
Clarksville  11 9 17 1 - 38
Heber Springs 9 9 14 0 - 32
CLARKSVILLE SCORING (38): Braden Payne 10, Garrett Waddill 6, John Case 6, Owen Ashlock 6, Cameron Patterson 5, Miles Castleman 5
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (32): Dalton McCollum 16, Garrett Hudspeth 8, Wyatt Sanders 3, Logan Monahan 3, Zach Thomas 2

JANUARY 10 BOXSCORE
Heber Springs at Subiaco Academy
Subiaco Academy 15 4 18 10 - 47
Heber Springs    4 7  2 15 - 28
SUBIACO ACADEMY SCORING (47): Johnathan Mercera 12, Jackson Frederick 11, Conner King 10, Ivan Martijn 8, Jude Percy-Allen 2, Jeadan Nieveld 2, Justin Luidens 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (28): Dalton McCollum 14, Adam Martin 8, Wyatt Sanders 4, Garrett Hudspeth 2
4A-4 SENIOR BOYS STANDINGS
                 Conference Season
Morrilton            7-1     15-6
Ozark                6-2     13-7
Dardanelle           6-2     19-2 
Pottsville           4-4      6-10
Clarksville          4-4      8-12
Subiaco Academy      3-5      7-12
Heber Springs        1-7      1-17
Dover                1-7      5-16  
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-17
4A-4 RECORD: 1-7
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Rose Bud 68, Heber Springs 65 (OT) *
December 27 - Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60 *
December 28 - Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41 *
January 7 - Pottsville 59, Heber Springs 26 ^
January 10 - Subiaco Academy 47, Heber Springs 28 ^
January 14 - Dardanelle 70, Heber Springs 13 ^
January 17 - Clarksville 38, Heber Springs 32 ^
January 21 - Morrilton 58, Heber Springs 43 ^
January 24 - Dover 55, Heber Springs 50 ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Greene County Tech, Pea Ridge claim Holiday Classic crowns

The 2019 Steve Landers Cowboy Chevrolet Heber Springs Holiday Classic Champions, the Greene County Tech Eagles. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 28, 2019

GAME 8 – SENIOR BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP

Greene County Tech 79, DeWitt 45

The defending Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic champions, Greene County Tech, used a barrage of 3-pointers to race past DeWitt and repeat as tournament champions with a 79-45 victory at the Panther Den.

Half of the Eagles points came from the behind the 3-point line as Greene County Tech knocked down 15 3-pointers.

GAME MVP Greene County Tech’s Peyton Laubach

Zane Butler, who had 22 points in the first half and 24 in limited second-half action, knocked down six 3-pointers while senior Peyton Laubach finished with 17 points and five 3-pointers.

Jayke Bolen and Dawson Greer each recorded a pair of 3’s and finished in double figures in scoring with 12 and 10 points each.

Greene County Tech (11-1) led 25-13 at the end of the first quarter and 46-30 at the half.

The Eagles didn’t get any points at the charity stripe, going 0-for-3 from the free-throw line, as they led 71-43 at the end of three quarters.

DeWitt (4-4) was 17-of-26 from the line and was paced by Caleb Brown’s 20 points.

Greene County Tech (11-1) 25 21 25 8 - 79
DeWitt (4-4)              13 17 13 2 - 45

GREENE COUNTY TECH SCORING (79): Zane Butler 24, Peyton Laubach 17, Jayke Bolen 12, Dawson Greer 10, Cade Cancilla 6, Cache Burnett 6, Kyler Morris 2, Brendan Chambers 2
DeWITT SCORING (4-4): Caleb Brown 20, Jamarian Kennedy 9, Dax Courtney 8, Johnta Wright 4, Tarence Ticey 2, Seth Courtney 2 
The Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic runners-up, the DeWitt Dragons. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME 7 – SENIOR GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP

The Pea Ridge Lady Blackhawks. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Pea Ridge 48, Southside Batesville 41

Blakelee Winn took over when her team needed it and helped lead Pea Ridge to 48-41 victory over Southside Batesville in the championship game of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic Saturday in Heber Springs.

Winn, who finished with 29 points, watched her team jump out to an 11-0 advantage before Southside Batesville stormed back taking a 13-12 lead with 4:35 to play in the first half after a Reese Gardner 3-pointer.

But from there Winn would score the Blackhawks final 10 points of the second quarter as Pea Ridge (13-2) led 23-20 at the break.

She would then score the Blackhawks first six points of the third quarter to give Pea Ridge a 29-24 advantage with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.

The two teams traded 3-pointers and baskets before Pea Ridge would go on an 8-0 run that continued until just over five minutes to play.

From there, the Blackhawks slowed things down and held off a later Southerner charge.

London Cuzzort (12) and Shelby Warden (10) were both in double figures for Southside while Lauren Wright added 10 for Pea Ridge.

Southside Batesville (11-3) 2 18 11 10 - 41
Pea Ridge (13-2)           11 12 18  7 - 48
SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE SCORING (41): London Cuzzort 12, Shelby Warden 10, Reese Gardner 7, Olivia Allen 6, Kami Jenkins 4, Brett Gardner 2
PEA RIDGE SCORING (48): Blakelee Winn 29, Lauren Wright 10, Ravin Cawthon 5, Josey Goldberg 2, Allisa Short 1, Hayley West 1
The Southside Lady Southerners. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME 6 – SENIOR BOYS THIRD-PLACE GAME

Sheridan sophomore Ashton Branson attempts to hang onto the loose ball as Rose Bud’s Caden Heck reaches in during the second half of the third place game of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Sheridan 84, Rose Bud 44

Future Arkansas Razorback baseball player Tyler Caccatori had a good night on the hardcourt scoring 28 first-half points as Sheridan disposed of Rose Bud, 84-44, to claim third place in the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs.

Sheridan (6-4) led 28-11 at the end of the first quarter and 58-26 at the half as Caccatori was perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the half.

Heber Springs Farm Bureau agent Tracy Hudspeth presents the game MVP plaque to Sheridan’s Tyler Ciccatori

Another starter, Jairus Adams, also finished in double figures for the Yellowjackets with 11.

In the second half, Sheridan coach Joe Scott emptied his bench and Peyton Hill finished in double figures with 10 points.

Sheridan also led 71-33 at the end of three quarters.

Ian Bomar paced Rose Bud with (3-12) with eight points.

Sheridan (7-4)  28 30 13 13 - 84
Rose Bud (3-12) 11 15  7 11 - 44
SHERIDAN SCORING (84): Tyler Cacciatori 28, Jairus Adams 11, Peyton Hill 10, Chris Rowe 9, Chris Crew 6, Seth Alexander 6, Wyatt Register 6, Blake Morris 4, Jacob Hollinger 3, Alden Lucas 1
ROSE BUD SCORING (44): Ian Bomar 8, Dalton Gorham 7, Avery Orman 7, Kayden Sherwood 6, Keaton Bates 5, Kyle Hannah 3, Stetson Nix 2, Caden Heck 2, Michael Campbell 2, Steven Bradley 2

GAME 5 – SENIOR GIRLS THIRD-PLACE GAME

Mayflower’s Hailey Carney and Heber Springs’ Mary Shearer battle for a loose ball during the third-place game at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Mayflower 58, Heber Springs 37

Heber Springs struggled on offense and on finding an answer to Mayflower post player Kamiah Turner.

Turner finished with 10 field goals and 21 points as Mayflower defeated the host, Heber Springs, 58-37, to claim third-place at the Steve Landers Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic.

Heber Springs Farm Bureau agent Tracy Hudspeth presents the game MVP plaque to Mayflowers’ Kamiah Turner

Mayflower (9-3) led 27-19 at the break and continued to feed Turner on the inside as the Panthers had no answer on the boards.

Despite playing with a broken nose, Ellie Riddle paced Heber Springs with 21 points.

Heber Springs falls to 10-4 on the season.

Kennedi Dawn had 8 points for Mayflower, who lost an opening round game in the tournament last season to Heber Springs.

Mayflower (9-3)      17 10 13 18 - 58
Heber Springs (10-4) 13  6  9  9 - 37
MAYFLOWER SCORING (58): Kamiah Turner 21, Kennedi Dawn 8, Jenna McMillen 7, Kierra Fulton 7, Karley Brown 6, Avery Muse 5, Bailey Francis 2, Mason Otts 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (37): Ellie Riddle 21, Jillian Herring 7, Claudia Newberry 5, Libby Stutts 2, Mary Shearer 2

GAME 4 – SENIOR BOYS CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP

Batesville’s J.P. Morgan fights for position in the paint against a pair of Southside Batesville defenders in the consolation championship of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Batesville 49, Southside Batesville 28

Tied at 22-all midway through the third quarter, Batesville went on a 27-6 run to close the game and claim the consolation championship of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs with a 49-28 victory over Southside Batesville.

GAME MVP Batesville’s Caleb Anderson

Batesville (12-3) led 12-9 after the first quarter, but trailed at the half 20-17 before going on the second-half run.

The Pioneers led 34-24 at the end of three quarters.

Caleb Anderson paced the Pioneers with 15 points while J.P. Morgan scored 11 points in the paint.

Southside Batesville (4-10) was led by Trevor Longo’s 7 points.

Southside Batesville (4-10)  9 11  4  4 - 28
Batesville (12-3)           12  5 17 15 - 49
SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE SCORING (28): Trevor Longo 7, Devan Halford 6, Blayne Bufford 5, Jonathan Shane 4, Brycen Sutton 2, Jake Painter 2, Rance Wagoner 2
BATESVILLE SCORING (49): Caleb Anderson 15, J.P. Morgan 11, Logan McSpadden 6, Caleb Blakely 3, Kyrese Johnson 3, Dawson McMahan 3, West Lange 3, Tevan Whitaker 2, J.T. Morgan 2, Gunner Shell 2

GAME 3 – SENIOR GIRLS CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP

Greene County Tech’s Kylie Stokes attempts to dribble past Rose Bud’s Kelsey Taylor on Saturday during the consolation championship of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Rose Bud 46, Greene County Tech 44

Rose Bud withstood a late Greene County Tech rally to claim the consolation championship with a 46-44 win at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs.

GAME MVP Rose Bud’s Hope Hartle

The Eagles has two possessions in the final 14.2 seconds with a chance to tie the game or win the game with a 3-pointer, but both possessions ended with one shot.

Rose Bud (10-5) trailed 23-22 at the half but outscored Greene County Tech 16-11 in the third quarter.

Hope Hartle led all scorers with 29 points. The senior, who has signed to play softball next season at Henderson State, hit six 3-pointers.

Kyndal Rooks finished with seven points for the Ramblers.

Kylie Stokes had 19 points in a losing effort for the Eagles.

Greene County Tech (3-8) 11 12 11 10 - 44
Rose Bud (10-5)          15  7 16  8 - 46
GREENE COUNTY TECH SCORING (3-8): Kylie Stokes 19, Carleigh Hollis 8, Hannah Foster 7, Sierra Floyd 5, Brooke Barnes 3, Emma Bates 2
ROSE BUD SCORING (46): Hope Hartle 29, Kyndal Rooks 7, Kelsey Taylor 4, Emily Norris 3, Briley Chandler 2

GAME 2 – SENIOR BOYS CONSOLATION

Heber Springs’ Dalton McCollum has a shot attempt stopped by a Mayflower defender Saturday afternoon at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Mayflower 66, Heber Springs 41

Mayflower raced out to a 20-8 first quarter lead and didn’t look back in a 66-41 victory over the host, Heber Springs, at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic.

GAME MVP Mayflower’s Braxtyn McCuien

Mayflower (9-4) led 42-28 at the half as Braxtyn McCuien had 17 first-half points, finishing with 25.

Westin Pickell was also in double figures for the Mayflower finishing with 10 points.

The Eagles outscored Heber Springs (1-11) 24-6 in the third quarter to take control.

Garrett Hudspeth paced the Panthers with 14 points.

Mayflower (9-4)      20 22 24 0 - 66
Heber Springs (1-11)  8 20  6 7 - 41
MAYFLOWER SCORING (66): Braxtyn McCuien 25, Westin Pickell 10, Jaheim Cummings 9, Zak Fuggat 6, Tayshun Matthews 6, Trent Long 4, Arian King 3, Caleb Babb 3
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (41): Garrett Hudspeth 14, Adam Martin 8, Wyatt Sanders 8, Gus Hannah 5,  Dalton McCollum 2, Logan Monahan 2, Zach Thomas 2

GAME 1 – SENIOR GIRLS CONSOLATION

Sheridan 59, DeWitt 27

Sheridan dominated from start to finish and claimed a 59-27 victory over DeWitt in a consolation contest from the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs.

Cassidy Henry finished with 16 points while Lauren McGinley added 13 points for the Yellowjackets in the win.

Sheridan (5-6) led 32-8 at the half.

Kassie Padgett paced the Dragons with 9 points.

Sheridan (5-6)  18 14 11 16 - 59
DeWitt (4-6)     2  6 13  8 - 27
SHERIDAN SCORING (59): Cassidy Henry 16, Lauren McGinley 13, Claire Denney 8, Kylie Reed 8, Kaitlyn Howard 4, Carley Strawn 3, Zoie Autrey 3, Emma Patrick 2, Reaggan Harper 2
DEWITT SCORING (27): Kassie Padgett 9, Carrington Holliman 6, Abby Noblin 6, Ellie Cox 4, Kyla Wright 2

Cowboy Chevrolet Heber Springs Holiday Classic – Day Two

December 27, 2019

Rose Bud’s Ian Bomar attempts to drive past DeWitt’s Johnta Wright during semifinal action on Friday at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

GAME 8 – SENIOR BOYS

DeWitt 50, Rose Bud 38

DeWitt trailed by nine at the half but rallied for a 50-38 victory over Rose Bud in the semifinals of the Steve Landers Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs

GAME MVP DeWitt’s Cody Brown

DeWitt will meet Greene County Tech for the title while Rose Bud will play Sheridan in the third-place game on Friday.

The Dragons trailed the Ramblers 24-15 at the break before storming back in the third quarter to take a 38-34 lead into the final quarter.

In the fourth period, Rose Bud was held to a pair of Avery Orman field goals as DeWitt outscored the Ramblers 10-4 in the quarter.

DeWitt’s Caleb Brown led all scorers with 25 points, including 19 points in the second half.

Orman paced Rose Bud with 10.

DeWitt (4-4)    6  9 23 12 - 50
Rose Bud (3-11) 8 16 10  4 - 38
DeWITT SCORING (50): Caleb Brown 25, Seth Courtney 8, Johnta Wright 7, Tarence Ticey 4, Jamarian Kennedy 4, Dax Courtney 2
ROSE BUD SCORING (38): Avery Orman 10, Ian Bomar 9, Keaton Bates 7, Kyle Hannah 4, Robbie Reedy 3, Kayden Sherwood 3, Stetson Nix 2

GAME 7 – SENIOR GIRLS

Pea Ridge’s Aidan Dayberry drives past Heber Springs’ Libby Stutts in the semifinals of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic Friday. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Pea Ridge 49, Heber Springs 44

Pea Ridge overcame a 11-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to claim a 49-44 victory over the host, Heber Springs, in the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic.

The Blackhawks trailed 40-29 heading into the final quarter but slowing chipped away at the deficit as the Panthers couldn’t buy a basket in the final quarter, going over six minutes without a field goal before Jillian Herring scored with under two minutes to play.

GAME MVP Centennial Bank Market Director Don Rodgers presents Pea Ridge’s Aidan Dayberry with her game MVP plaque.

Meanwhile Pea Ridge would get points from five players including 3-pointers by Ravin Cawthon and Aidan Dayberry.

Dayberry was one of three Blackhawks in double figures with 11. Blakelee Winn had 13 while Allisa Short finished with 10.

Heber Springs’ Libby Stutts, who has signed to play next season at Lyon College in Batesville, finished with a game-high 16 points along with Herring.

Pea Ridge will face Southside Batesville for the championship on Saturday while Heber Springs will tangle with Mayflower in the third-place game.

Pea Ridge (12-2)      8 13 8 20 - 49
Heber Springs (10-3) 11 9 20  4 - 44
PEA RIDGE SCORING (49): Blakelee Winn 13, Aidan Dayberry 11,  Allisa Short 10, Lauren Wright 8, Ravin Cawthon 5, Josey Goldberg 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Libby Stutts 16, Jillian Herring 16, Ellie Riddle 5, Claudia Newberry 4, Ashley Spanel 3.

GAME 6 – SENIOR BOYS

Greene County Tech’s Zane Butler drives past Sheridan’s Tyler Cacciatori in semifinal action at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Greene County Tech 46, Sheridan 43

The defending tournament champion, Greene County Tech, punched its ticket to the finals of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic with a hard fought 46-43 victory over Sheridan.

Sheridan led by a point at the half, 24-23, before the two teams traded the lead seven times in the third quarter and had one tie.

The Yellowjackets enjoy their biggest lead of the quarter at 32-28 after a Blake Morris 3-pointer with 5:02 left in the third, but Zane Butler responded for the Eagles.

The senior, who is being recruited as preferred walk-on by Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks – among other schools, scored on a putback of his own missed shot to make it 32-30 with 3:53 left and gave his team the lead at 33-32 with a 3-pointer on Greene County Tech’s next possession.

GAME MVP Greene County Tech’s Jayke Bolen

Sheridan re-took the lead on a Morris putback and increased it to 36-33 with a pair of Tyler Cacciatori free throws with 1:50 left in the third.

But the Eagles closed on a 6-0 run to close the quarter on top 39-36.

Greene County Tech held on the lead for most of the fourt quarter before Cacciatori’s bucket put the Yellowjackets back on ton top at 43-42 with 4:03 left.

A 3-pointer by Butler with 2:53 remaining would give the Eagles a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Sheridan had several attempts to tie the game or take the lead but couldn’t get a shot to fall.

Butler paced the Eagles with 19 points while Sheridan’s Cacciatori, who has signed by play baseball for Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks, led all scorers with 20.

Greene County Tech will play the winner of Rose Bud/DeWitt in the title game on Saturday while Sheridan will play the loser for third place.

VIDEO

Greene County Tech (10-1) 14  9 16 7 - 46
Sheridan (6-4)            11 13 12 7 - 43
GREENE COUNTY TECH SCORING (46): Zane Butler 19, Payton Laubach 8, Jayke Bolen 7, Dawson Greer 6, Brendan Chambers 3, Jackson Carr 2, Cade Cancilla 1
SHERIDAN SCORING (43): Tyler Cacciatori 20, Blake Morris 12, Jacob Hollinger 5, Jairus Adams 3, Ethan Odom 2, Seth Alexander 1

GAME 5 – SENIOR GIRLS

Southside Batesville’s Olivia Allen looks get past Mayflower’s Hailey Carney in semifinal action from the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic on Friday in Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Southside Batesville 54, Mayflower 32

Three Southside Batesville players finished in double figures as the Southerners advanced to the title game of the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs with a 54-32 victory over Mayflower.

GAME MVP Southside Batesville London Cuzzort

Southside Batesville (11-2) led 30-14 at the break and 44-22 at the end of three quarters.

Kierra Fulton paced Mayflower (8-3) with nine points.

London Cuzzort led the way for Southside Batesville with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while Brett Gardner added 12 and Reese Gardner 11.

Southside Batesville will face the winner of Heber Springs/Pea Ridge in the title game on Saturday. Mayflower will meet the loser of that match-up in the third-place game.

Southside Batesville (11-2)  16 14 14 10 - 54
Mayflower (8-3)               6  8  8 10 - 32
SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE SCORING (54): London Cuzzort 16, Brett Gardner 12, Reese Gardner 11, Shelby Warden 9, Olivia Allen 6 
MAYFLOWER SCORING (32): Kierra Fulton 9, Kamiah Turner 8, Jenna McMillen 5, Karley Brown 4, Bailey Francis 2, Kennedi Dawn 2, Mason Otts 2

GAME 4 – SENIOR BOYS

Heber Springs’ Garrett Hudspeth and Batesville’s J.P. Morgan battle for a rebound as Heber Springs’ Adam Martin (24) looks on. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Batesville 72, Heber Springs 60

J. P. Morgan scored 26 points as Batesville downed the host, Heber Springs, 72-60, in a consolation contest from the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic on Friday.

Batesville trailed only once at 2-0 and raced out to a 31-19 lead, but the Pioneers couldn’t quite shake the Panthers as Adam Martin finished with 21 points in a losing effort.

GAME MVP – Batesville’s J.P. Morgan

Caleb Anderson was also in double figures as Batesville (11-3) led 31-19 at the half and 49-40 at the end of three.

The Pioneers, who because of scheduling conflict with the mandated Arkansas Activities Association “Dead Day” period during the Christmas break, was knocked into the consolation bracket after not being able to play on the first day of the tournament.

Batesville will face conference foe, Southside Batesville, in the consolation championship on Saturday. Heber Springs will tangle with Mayflower in a consolation game.

Batesville (11-3)    17 14 18 23 - 72
Heber Springs (1-10)  7 18 21 14 - 60
BATESVILLE SCORING (72): J.P. Morgan 26, Caleb Anderson 12, J.T. Morgan 6, Kyrese Johnson 5, Dawson McMahan 5, Caleb Blakley 4, Logan McSpeddin 4, K.J. Cross 3, Ben Hopper 3, Gunner Shell 2, Austin Scott 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (60): Adam Martin 21, Wyatt Sanders 14,  Garrett Hudspeth 13, Dalton McCollum 7, Ryan Crocker 3, Zach Thomas 2

GAME 3 – SENIOR GIRLS

DeWitt’s Sydney Dumond draws a foul from Rose Bud’s Kyndal Rooks after Dumond hauled in a rebound after missed Rambler shot on Friday at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Rose Bud 51, DeWitt 22

Kyndal Rooks scored 31 points in helping lead Rose Bud to a 51-22 victory over DeWitt in consolation bracket action on Friday at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs.

GAME MVP Rose Bud’s Kyndal Rooks.

Rose Bud (9-5) only led by three at the end of the first quarter, 7-4, but outscored the Dragons, 14-1, in the second half to take control.

Rooks had 18 of 31 points in the second half and finished the night by hitting four 3-pointers.

Carrington Holliman paced DeWitt (4-5) with six points.

Rose Bud will face Greene County Tech on Friday in the consolation championship while DeWitt will tangle with Sheridan in an consolation game at 11 a.m.

Rose Bud (9-5)  7 14 15 15 - 51
DeWitt (4-5)    4  1 10  7 - 22
ROSE BUD SCORING (51): Kyndal Rooks 31, Skylar Wise 9, Hope Hartle 6, Briley Chandler 3, Emily Norris 2
DeWITT SCORING (22): Carrington Holliman 6, Ellie Cox 4, Abby Noblin 4, Kyla Wright 4, Jessalyn Ahrens 2, Jami Fluker 2

GAME 2 – SENIOR BOYS

Mayflowers’ Jaheim Cummings dribbles past a Southside Batesville defender in action on Friday at Heber Springs. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Southside Batesville 54, Mayflower 46

Southside Batesville’s Devan Halford scored 10 points in the first quarter to push the Southerners to a big lead early, hit the go-ahead shot late and sealed the game at the free-throw line as Southside downed Mayflower, 54-46, to advance at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic.

Halford’s first quarter points helped the Southerners lead 21-7 at the first quarter, but Mayflower rebounded in the second quarter, thanks in part to 10 points by Braxtyn McCuien, to trail 28-26.

The game remained close throughout the second half as Southside Batesville clung to an advantage throughout most of the second half.

GAME 2 MVP Southside Batesville’s Trevor Longo

The Eagles trailed by as much as eight points late in the fourth quarter before making a run and even taking a 46-45 lead late in the contest after a three-point play by McCuien.

But the lead was short-lived as Halford hit the go-ahead basket and was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the final quarter, including hitting his final six, which also included a technical foul on Mayflower with 15.8 seconds left that stretched a 47-46 advantage to 51-46.

Southside Batesville will get the winner of Heber Spings/Batesville in the consolation championship on Saturday, while Mayflower will face the loser.

McCuien led all scorers with 29 points.

Southside Batesville (4-9) 21  7 13 13 - 54
Mayflower (8-4)             7 19 12 15 - 46
SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE SCORING (54): Devan Halford 23, Trevor Longo 11, Blayne Bufford 10, Jonathan Shane 6, Jake Painter 4
MAYFLOWER SCORING (46): Braxtyn McCuien 29, Trent Long 7, Zak Fugatt 5, Jaheim Cummings 2, Westin Pickell 2, Tayshun Mattison 1

GAME 1 – SENIOR GIRLS

Greene County Tech’s Kylie Stokes shots over Sheridan’s Kylie Reed (4) and Sanaa Clegg (5). PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

Greene County Tech 66, Sheridan 48

Greene County Tech took control early and cruised to a 66-48 victory over Sheridan in a consolation contest at the Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic in Heber Springs.

Game 1 MVP Greene County Tech’s Emma Bates

The Eagles jumped out to 19-6 advantage in the first quarter and led 32-23 at the half.

Kylie Stokes (13) and Emma Bates (10) were in double figures for the Greene County Tech. The Eagles will face the winner of Rose Bud/DeWitt for the consolation championship on Saturday.

Meanwhile for Sheridan (3-6), they will face the loser of Rose Bud/DeWitt at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Cassidy Henry led all scorers with 19 points. Henry was 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, including a perfect 8-of-8 in the final quarter.

Greene County Tech (3-7)  19 13 18 16 - 66
Sheridan (3-6)             6 17 10 15 - 48
GREENE COUNTY TECH SCORING (66): Kylie Stokes 13, Emma Bates 10, Carleigh Hollis 9, Hannah Foster 9, Carly Dehart 8, Brooke Barnes 7, Sierra Floyd 6, Destiny Wegner 4
SHERIDAN SCORING (48): Cassidy Henry 19, Kaitlyn Howard 6, Carley Strawn 4, Claire Denney 4, Kylie Reed 4, Sanaa Clegg 4, Lauren McGinley 2, Zoie Autrey 2, Reaggan Harper 2, Emma Patrick 1

Ozark drops Heber Springs in 4A-4 match-up

Heber Springs’ Adam Martin defends against Ozark’s Wyatt Clauson in Friday night 4A-4 action at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 20, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Ozark’s depth proved too much for the Heber Springs Panthers to overcome in Friday’s 69-34 loss at the Panther Den in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

The Panthers stayed close throughout the first half. Heber Springs trailed 17-14 after the first quarter and 32-24 at halftime.
Ozark blew the game open with a 20-4 scoring run and took a 52-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

“We played well during the first half,” Heber Springs assistant coach Dusty West said. “Our defensive effort was outstanding. Ozark pressed the entire game and played physical. It wore us down in the second half when we get a little winded and couldn’t make many shots.”

West stepped in for head coach Chad Johnson, who missed the game because of illness.

Adam Martin scored a game-high 19 points for Heber Springs. Garrett Schaffer led Ozark with 14 points, followed by Ethan Dorrough with 13 points. Corbin Pelts and Wyatt Clauson each scored 10 points.

Heber Springs (1-1 in conference, 1-8 overall) will seek to bounce back at the Steve Landers Chevrolet Heber Springs Holiday Tournament which begins Thursday. The Panthers will play Rose Bud at 7:45 p.m. in the opening round.

“We are excited about the tournament,” West said. “I believe if we play up to our capabilities, we can get to the championship game. The players have a good attitude and keep playing hard. We are looking forward to playing Rose Bud.”

On Dec. 16, Heber Springs traveled to White County Central and was handed a 65-43 setback. Martin led all scorers with 23 points for Heber Springs while Garrett Schaffer had 14 points for the Bears.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BOXSCORE
December 20 vs. Ozark
Ozark         17 15 20 17 - 69
Heber Springs 14 10  4  6 - 34
OZARK SCORERS (69): Garrett Schaffer 14, Ethan Dorrough 13, Corbin Pelts 10, Wyatt Clauson 10, Sebastian Ross 7, Javson Harris 5, Brock Burns 4, Kayden McAnally 2, Kirkland Quinton 2, Clayton Elmore 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (34): Adam Martin 19, Wyatt Sanders 7, Garrett Hudspeth 4, Dalton McCollum 2, Zach Thomas 2.

December 16 at White County Central
White County Central 18 18 22  7 - 65
Heber Springs         6 10 10 17 - 43
WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL SCORING (65): Dillon Hopkins 12, Ethan Jones 9, Weslee Whitaker 9, Carson Brown 8, Weston Sherwood 7, Blake Dickerson 6, Drew House 4, Landon Swindle 3, Deklan Stevens 3, Grant Walker 2, John Shivers 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (43): Adam Martin 23, Wyatt Sanders 9, Garrett Hudspeth 6, Zach Thomas 3, Dalton McCollum 2 
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-8
4A-4 RECORD: 1-1
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - South Side Bee Branch 64, Heber Springs 53
December 13 - Marshall 69, Heber Springs 43
December 16 - White County Central 65, Heber Springs 43
December 20 - Ozark 69, Heber Springs 34 ^
December 26 - Heber Springs vs. Rose Bud *
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest) 
(* - Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic at Heber Springs)

Heber Springs claims first win on Tuesday

December 10, 2019

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

DOVER – Heber Springs answered the challenge, broke into the win column for the first time this season and started the boys’ Conference 4-4A basketball schedule with a 37-32 win against Dover Tuesday.

The Panthers (1-0 in conference, 1-4 overall) played without Ryan Crocker and Logan Monahan, who missed the game because of illness. An ankle injury sidelined Hunter Griffin.

Adam Martin, who made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to preserve the lead, led Heber Springs with 15 points. Dalton McCollum contributed 11 points. Josh Besterfeldt led Dover (0-1 in conference, 4-5 overall) with nine points.

“This was a total team effort without a doubt,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “We faced a lot of adversity with a starter (Crocker) and our sixth man (Monahan) out because of the flu. We lost one of our posts (Griffin) to an ankle injury. It was a tough environment, but we pulled out the win. I could not be more proud of the team.”

Dover took a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter. Heber Springs responded as Martin scored to tie the game. McCollum made two field goals, giving the Panthers a 6-2 lead going into the second quarter.

Heber Springs scored seven consecutive points to start the second quarter. Johnson said that was his team’s response to the challenge of starting the game fast.

“We had to play with intensity from the beginning of the game,” he said. “We wanted to take the game to them. We played a tremendous defensive game. Besterfeldt is a good player and Caden Frazier a good post. We defended both players well. Defense won this game.”

Dover kept within striking distance throughout the remainder of the first half. Each team each scored eight points as the Panthers led 21-10 at halftime.

Heber Springs’ advantage slipped to four points during the third quarter The Panthers withstood Dover’s challenge and took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter.

Dover pulled to within 34-30 with less than two minutes left in the game. Martin made 3-of-4 free throws during the final minute.

“I knew Dover would not roll over in the second half,” Johnson said. “They kept battling until the end of the game. We responded with good defense.”
Heber Springs will play three straight nonconference road games against South Side Bee Branch today (Thursday), followed by Marshall (Friday) and White County Central (Tuesday). The Panthers will return to conference play by hosting Ozarks on Dec. 20.


Heber Springs 6 15 3 13 — 37
Dover 2 8 7 15 — 32
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (37): Adam Martin 15, Dalton McCollum 11, Garrett Hudspeth 8, Wyatt Sanders 2, Zach Thomas 1.
DOVER SCORING (32): Josh Besterfeldt 9, Caden Frazier 8, Ross Laffoon 7, Landen Parker 5, Zeke Stanek 3.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-4
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - at South Side Bee Branch
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Panthers fall to St. Joseph

December 3, 2019

Heber Springs dropped a 44-21 decision to Conway St. Joseph in a first-round contest from the Joe Mallett Classic.

The Panthers (0-3) will face either Shirley or South Side Bee Branch in consolation contest Thursday night at 8:15 at the St. Joseph Family Activity Center in Conway.

Over the Thanksgiving break, Heber Springs traveled to Clinton on November 26 and was a 71-35 setback.

The Panthers were held scoreless in the first quarter and trailed 34-15 at the half. Senior Adam Martin, who finished with 19 points and four 3-pointers, scored 11 of the Panthers first-half points including three 3-pointers.

Clinton’s Kragen Bradley led all scorers with 26 points, including 19 in the second half.

Clinton also lost it’s first-round contest at the Joe Mallett Classic so if the Yellowjackets and Panthers both win on Thursday night, the two teams would meet in the consolation championship at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Clinton 14 20 20 17 – 71
Heber Springs 0 15 14 6 – 35
CLINTON SCORING (71): Kragen Bradley 26, Jasper Burgess 13, Zac Alexander 9, Reid Hensley 8, Lathan Newland 6, Harrison Hall 6, Nick Eppley 3.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (35): Adam Martin 19, Dalton McCollum 4, Gus Hannah 3, Garrett Hudspeth 3, Logan Monahan 2, Ryan Crocker 2, Zach Thomas 1, Wyatt Sanders 1.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 0-3
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - vs. SS Bee Branch/Shirley #
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)