Panthers take aim at state

Cabot has lost four consecutive games since starting 2-1 in the 7A-Central Conference.

With seven games left in the conference season, Panthers Coach Jerry Bridges said he understands his team has to get back on track if it is going to make the Class 7A state tournament in North Little Rock on Feb. 28-March 3.

“We know we got our work cut out,” Bridges said. “There’s a bunch of us battling for that fourth, fifth and sixth spot [from the 7A-Central].”

The top six teams from the 7A-Central will be in the state tournament.

Cabot (14-7, 2-5) lost 6349 on Friday night to North Little Rock at Panther Arena. Senior center Noah Allgood scored 14 points to lead the Panthers.

Since a 66-62 doubleovertime victory at Conway on Jan. 12, Cabot has also lost at Little Rock Central on Jan. 17, Bryant at home on Jan. 19 and at Fort Smith Northside on Jan. 23.

The Panthers blew a 40-27 lead in the final 3:47 against the Hornets and turned the ball over eight times, losing 46-44.

“We gave that game away,” Bridges said.”

Cabot is off Tuesday, which is the built-in day in the 7A-Central schedule to make up games because of inclement weather. The Panthers played at Central on Jan. 17, one day after that game was postponed because of snow and ice.

Bridges said he likes having the week off leading up to Cabot’s Feb. 2 game against Little Rock Catholic because he can work with sophomores Jacob Hudson, a forward, and Jackson Muse, a guard. Both Hudson and Muse have been coming off the bench for Cabot during conference play.

“We’re going to need them in this stretch run,” Bridges said.

Cabot won the Class 7A state championship in 2016 and has made the state tournament for 10 consecutive seasons under Bridges.

BENTON BOYS Redemption for McClendon

After missing two gametying shots late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game at Little Rock McClellan, Maleek McClendon did not fail when it came to giving his team the victory.

McClendon, a junior forward, completed a three-point play with

2 seconds remaining that eventually led to Benton’s

56-52 victory in the 6A/5A

5 Conference game.

McClendon’s putback as time wound down was the only time the Panthers held a lead in the second half.

“We stay on Maleek really hard because we know how much potential he has,” Benton Coach Dexter Hendrix said. “We’ve really challenged him to come out with more energy and finish when he has the chance. I thought he did just that.”

McClellan held a 52-48 advantage with 24 seconds remaining after Keldrick Sheard hit two free throws.

With no timeouts left, Benton senior guard Jai Peters raced down court and hit a running three-pointer with 15 seconds to pull the Panthers to within 52-51. McClellan inbounded the ball but Benton forced a wild pass which Panthers junior Sawyer Oulch stole and kept from going out of bounds.

Oulch got the ball into the hands of Peters, who missed a 15-footer. But McClendon was in position for the rebound and the gamewinner.

Several possessions earlier, McClendon had missed back-to-back shots that would have tied the game at 46-46.

“I was just worried about getting it in the basket,” McClendon said of his gamewinner. “All I could think about was making that shot.”

McClendon scored seven of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. He also had eight rebounds and three steals. Peters added 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists.

Hendrix said his team played “probably the worst three quarters of basketball of the season,” but did not panic.

“We had plenty of opportunities in the fourth quarter,” Hendrix said. “I was proud of our coaching staff. I thought we stayed the course. But most of all, I was proud of the kids. … They showed a lot of fight and they finished strong obviously.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW GIRLS Shipman shines

Kaley Shipman was on her way to a monumental outing Thursday night. Mountain View’s 5-8 junior guard hit 4 of 5 threepointers in the second quarter and finished with 25 first-half points.

Her second-half contributions leaned more toward helping her teammates.

Shipman made three key assists in the third quarter as the Lady Yellowjackets (18-2) eventually earned a 59-49 road victory at Harding Academy. She led all scorers with 29 points.

“You could just tell she was in the zone, as they say,” Mountain View Coach Casey Scribner said. “She filled it up. She carried us.”

Shipman scored all but eight of Mountain View’s 33 points in the first half. She was 5 of 7 from threepoint range in the first two quarters.

Shipman has had her share of exceptional efforts this season. She scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a doubleovertime victory over Two Rivers on Dec. 28. She scored 30 points and handed out five assists in a Dec. 18 victory over Bald Knob. She was also the MVP of the Lyon College Invitational.

Thanks largely to Shipman’s assists Thursday, freshman Aubrey Isbell scored eight points in the third quarter. Senior Cheyenne Shelton also benefited from Shipman’s play. With Harding Academy limiting Shipman’s shooting opportunities, the 6-2 post player scored all 14 of her points in the second half. Shelton also grabbed 12 rebounds.

“In the second half, [Harding Academy] came out in a box-and-one,” said Shipman, who attempted only four shots in the second half. “My teammates were open, so I had to trust them to make those shots. And they did. I had to change my role into being a passer rather than a shooter.”