Lions hope to build off road win

Gravette needed a big win in a big way, and the Lions were able to do just that on Tuesday night with a 59-57 win at Prairie Grove.

“It was good to see us get over the hump,” said Gravette coach Matt Busch. “We’ve had some heartbreakers lately. I was proud of our seniors and how they played in the fourth quarter. Kelton Trembley and Dayten Wishon were able to handle the pressure well.

“We’ve had some tough breaks here and there and had some chances that if they went our way, we’d be an 18-2 team right now instead of 15-5.”

Two of Gravette’s five losses came to Pea Ridge in a pair of games that combined to go seven overtimes.

The Lions (9-4 conference) are in a seeding battle in the 3A/4A District 1 with Prairie Grove and Shiloh Christian, all at 9-4 in league play. When the teams split into the 4A-1 Conference tournament in February, seeding will be very important, Busch said.

“These last four games are big and we need to win out to try to avoid a threeway tie,” Busch said. “We just need to hit open shots and take care of the ball.”

That run starts tonight with the Orange Out game against Elkins, a team that battled Gravette close in their first meeting this season.

“They have a good team,” Busch said. “They play a lot of zone, which not a lot of teams in our league do. They do a good job of staying in front of you on defense. It’s a big game and it will be a big night in our gym.”

Wishon and Tremley have led the team this season, but Busch said Chris Childress has been a huge factor since the holiday break.

“Chris started out slow coming out of football, but he has really picked it up on both ends,” Busch said. “He’s like having a third coach. He watched more

film than anybody I know. He wants to be a coach, so he’s just so valuable. He’s the son of a coach so he understands scouting reports.”