El Dorado tops Sheridan to keep postseason hopes alive
El Dorado did its part on Monday, holding off Sheridan 58-57 at Wildcat Arena to keep its postseason hopes alive.
The Wildcats improved to 7-7 in league play and will wait to see what happens Wednesday when Hot Springs Lakeside travels to Hot Springs.
If Lakeside wins, the Wildcats will earn the No. 4 seed into the 5A State Tournament. If Hot Springs wins, it will qualify for state and El Dorado’s season will be over.
“Regardless of how this season plays out, they’ve always had heart,” said El Dorado coach Jimmy Porter. “They’ve always played a hundred percent. They’ve always played for each other. So, I’m really proud of their effort these last two games.”
The Wildcats also won on Friday in overtime at White Hall.
Monday’s victory went down to the wire as well.
David Ayree scored inside to give El Dorado a 58-57 lead with 2:10 remaining. The Wildcats’ defense took over from there.
The final defensive stand came after Sheridan picked up a steal with 27.6 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Yellowjackets worked the ball around the perimeter before Mario Ganter came up with a steal.
The junior was fouled with 0.4 ticks on the clock. He missed the front end free throw and, after the rebound was deflected out of bounds, Sheridan gained possession in the backcourt with 0.3 on the clock. The Yellowjackets’ heave from three-quarters court bounced off the glass as the horn expired.
“We’re lucky to get this win. The boys
battled hard on the defensive end,” said Porter.
Ethan Odom, a 6-2 senior, led Sheridan with 26 points but was not the go-to player in the final seconds.
“They were trying to pick on Jarmel Love all game,” said Porter. “Toward the end of the game, they felt he was the guy they could take off the bounce to get a shot against. We started him on the big, like we normally would. Before they threw the ball in, I made an adjustment and put him on number two, who is about a 5-5 shooter.
“And I put Mario Ganter and Isaiah (Ramey) on their two better scorers. I think that kind of threw them off. Their coach decided to give number two the ball, who is not comfortable in that situation. He's more of a catch-and-shoot guy. They figured they'd pick on Jarmel with him and we ended up stopping him.”
Ayree led El Dorado's balanced scoring with 14 points and eight rebounds. James Hartsfield scored 12 on four 3-pointers. Ramey added 10 while Laronte McHenry and Love finished with nine and seven, respectively.
El Dorado led 35-23 after Ramey's skip pass to Hartsfield resulted in a 3-pointer with 1:10 left in the second. The Wildcats settled for a 10-point halftime advantage.
The Yellowjackets opened the third quarter with a 9-2 spurt. After Odom hit a 3-pointer, Bryson Boulden hit a lay-up to give the Wildcats a 39-34 lead with 4:50 left in the third.
El Dorado wouldn't score for the next two-plus minutes as Sheridan went on a 9-0 run to capture a 43-39 lead.
Hartsfield's 3-pointer ended El Dorado's scoring drought and cut the deficit to 43-42 with 2:32 left in the third.
The shot was huge for the Wildcats, who were teetering on the edge.
“We struggled to score there. They were making a run. We went inside-out to James and he knocked that down,” said Porter.
“That was a big shot. It got our bench involved and got the juices flowing for the guys on the defensive end.”
Sheridan led 46-44 after three quarters and was up 47-46 before a 5-0 spurt swung the momentum back to El Dorado. Ramey hit a free throw with Ayree and McHenry scoring inside for a 51-47 lead with 6:08 remaining.
Chris Crew converted a three-point play for the Yellowjackets, but El Dorado answered with buckets by Ganter and Love. Crew and Odom scored to cut the lead to 55-54. After Ayree hit a free throw, Peyton Free drained a 3-pointer with three minutes left to give Sheridan a 57-56 advantage.
“Really proud of the guys these last two games for stepping up and taking care of our business,” said Porter. “They knew all the scenarios, but I told them none of that matters if we don't get to seven wins. I don't care how we've got to do it. I don't care by how many points, we have to get to seven wins.”
The Wildcats managed to beat White Hall despite shooting 18-of-44 at the line.
“We still found a way to win in overtime,” Porter said. “That just showed the grit and the toughness of the guys. To come here at our place and play a Sheridan team that was going to pack it in and really make it tough on you, to get that win by one point is big as well. I'm really proud of them.”
Porter said he will join his coaching staff in Hot Springs on Wednesday. The game will be important for Lakeside, which could drop from a two seed to a three seed if it loses.
“There's incentive for Lakeside to win that game, which is good for us,” said Porter.