Smith hangs 45 on Zebras as Bears rally

5A-CENTRAL BOYS

SYLVAN HILLS 80, PINE BLUFF 65

Sophomore guard Nick Smith scored a season-high 45 points to lead Sylvan Hills to an 80-65 victory over Pine Bluff at Sylvan Hills Gymnasium in Sherwood on Tuesday night.

“The night Nick had was pretty special,” Sylvan Hills Coach Kevin Davis said. “He puts so much work in, and he plays within the flow of what we’re trying to do. He was just in the groove tonight.”

Pine Bluff took a substantial lead to start the game and led by four points at halftime, but Sylvan Hills (13-4, 4-1 5A-Central) switched from its first-half man-to-man defense to zone in the third quarter, and also let Smith take over.

He scored 30 points in the second half.

“He is a phenomenal ballplayer,” Pine Bluff Coach Billy Dixon said. “I thought he took the challenge in the second half. Once he saw he could make baskets, you could just see that killer instinct take over.”

Pine Bluff (6-6, 2-3) led 3228 at halftime and 34-29 after a layup by freshman forward Jordan Harris in the first minute of the third quarter, but Sylvan Hills took its second lead of the game after sophomore forward Corey Washington’s layup with 3:38 left in the third.

Two free throws by Washington tied the score at 41-41 to start Sylvan Hills’ 10-point run, the final eight of which came from Smith. His three-pointer gave Sylvan Hills a 49-41 lead with 2:14 left in the third quarter.

Pine Bluff closed to within 51-48 on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Troy’reon Ramos 12 seconds into the fourth quarter, but three-pointers on consecutive possessions by Smith and a layup by senior guard DeShaun Fowlkes gave Sylvan Hills a 59-48 lead with 6:33 left in the fourth. Pine Bluff trailed by 10 or more points the remainder of the game.

“We changed game plans at halftime, and our guys did not miss a beat,” Davis said. “They stayed true to what we were trying to do, and it paid off.”

Washington scored 21 points for Sylvan Hills. Senior guard Logan Smith led Pine Bluff with 18. Junior guard Jalen Tatum scored 14, and Ramos added 12.

5A-CENTRAL GIRLS

SYLVAN HILLS 66, PINE BLUFF 23

Freshman Jayla Stirgis scored 17 points to lead Sylvan Hills to a victory over Pine Bluff.

Junior Jada Williams scored 16 for Sylvan Hills (14-4, 5-0 5A-West).

Sophomore Tceana Jeffrey scored 10 points to lead Pine Bluff (2-11, 0-5).