Hurricane rally past Panthers
CLASS 6A JONESBORO 40, CABOT 38
ROGERS — Deion Buford-Wesson refused to let him team lose Saturday.
Buford-Wesson scored 17 points and made two clutch free throws with 3.7 seconds to play to give Jonesboro a 4038 victory over Cabot in the semifinals of the Class 6A state tournament in Mountie Arena. The win earned Jonesboro (293) a trip to the state finals in its first season in Class 6A.
Jonesboro struggled mightily offensively for most of the game after blowing away Bentonville, 61-28, in the quarterfinals. The Hurricane received a jolt from Buford-Wesson, who scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half including two clutch free throws in between a timeout by Cabot.
Cabot had an opportunity to send the game into overtime but a rushed shot near the rim did not fall. Jonesboro then rushed the court and swarmed Buford-Wesson, a 6-0 senior guard. Buford-Wesson said Jonesboro did a better job of running its offense after rushing some shots while falling behind 23-15 against a Cabot team the Hurricane bet twice in 6A-Central play.
“We talked in the locker room about coming out and just playing our basketball,” Buford-Wesson said. “The timeout at the line didn’t bother me at all. I do that in practice every day. I make free throws.”
Devarius Tillman scored eight points and Phillip Tillman five points, with all of them in the second half when Jonesboro desperately needed some offensive production.
“Both of our senior guards, Phillip Tillman and Deion, got us going,” Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift said. “Tillman picked up his third foul then Deion, who’s been our best player all year, took us home there at the end.”
Cabot led for most of the game behind the play of junior guard Jermaine Christopher, who had 11 points and set up teammates for shots with his ability to penetrate inside. Center Jarrett Coleman added eight points for the Panthers (21-9), who beat Fort Smith Northside and Springdale HarBer earlier in the tournament.
SPRINGDALE 58, BENTONVILLE WEST 46
Springdale hit Bentonville West with a barrage of three-pointers to start the game, then knocked the Wolverines out with late free throws to earn the Bulldogs’ first championship appearance since 2013.
Springdale (25-8) jumped out to an early 15-2 lead on five three-pointers — three of them by sophomore guard Isaiah Sealy — and added two more before the first quarter ended. Courtland Muldrew ended the quarter by nailing one from about 30 feet out with 4 seconds left and gave the Bulldogs a 23-10 cushion.
Springdale enjoyed its biggest lead when Sealy’s bucket made it a 31-14 game with 4:35 before halftime, then West began to whittle away. The Wolverines closed the gap to 31-23 at halftime, then started the second half with a basket by Tucker Anderson and a 3-pointer by Quentyn Thompson to pull within 31-28 with 4:53 before halftime.
Springdale led 39-32 after three quarters and 41-36 after Muldrew’s score with 6:27 remaining before West had its chance to take control. The Bulldogs picked a foul, followed by a technical foul, to give the Wolverines four free throws and the ball with 4:13 remaining.
West, however, hit just one of those four free throws and didn’t get a shot to fall on the ensuing possession. Muldrew then drilled another three-pointer as the shot clock expired, and Springdale hit free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Muldrew finished with 27 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, and Sealy added 16 for Springdale. Anderson led West with 16 points, followed by Dawson Price with 13.