Alma has the Mann in win over Pea Ridge

ALMA — Junior guard Cejay Mann stepped up for Alma when he was needed the most during the closing seconds Saturday night in Charles B. Dyer Arena.

Mann drove to the basket and scored with five seconds left in the game to help Alma pull ahead for a 64-62 victory against Pea Ridge in the championship game of the Airedale Classic.

“He did a good job there,” Alma coach Stan Flenor said. “We knew we were going to get the last shot either way. He just attacked the basket. He had one of his best games of the year on both ends of the floor.”

Mann, who finished with 14 points in the game, had a big first half for Alma, making four shots behind the arc. His lone points in the second half came on the last shot of the game for the Airedales.

Alma (9-1) held a 52-43 lead heading into the final quarter. Pea Ridge senior Nick Coble, who had a game-high 28 points, scored 16 fourth-quarter points to help cut into the advantage.

Coble hit one of his four threepoint shots in the fourth quarter to trim the Alma lead to 61-58 with just 1:31 left in the game. He later tied the game at 62-62 with field goal with just 41 seconds remaining.

“He can hit them from just about anywhere on the court,” Flenor said of Coble. “When he gets hot, you

just hope he misses so you can get a stop.”

Alma junior Taelon Peter was a big part of the offense in the second half after finishing with four first-half points. Peter, who scored a team-high 23 points, had four threepoint baskets in the third quarter and added seven more points in the final quarter.

“He had a great second half and he got hot behind the three-point line,” Flenor said. “His teammates did a good job finding him. It takes a team to be a team. And we have a well-rounded team.”

Pea Ridge (14-4) was able to make 70 percent (14 of 20) of its shots in the second half and had a lengthy shot at the buzzer to attempt to win the game. The Blackhawks made eight of 26 attempts in the first half.

The Airedales were able to make 11 of their 22 second-half attempts after making 11 of 21 shots before the break.

Alma held a 32-26 lead at the break with big performances from Mann and Tanner Shelton, who finished

with 17 points in the game.

“We played one of the best games of the season so far,” Flenor said. “I thought we played well on offense and defense. We had a lot of kids help out. We played against a great team. This is one of the games you are proud to win.”

Alex Wilkerson was a big part of the offense in the initial three quarters, as he made five 3-point baskets and finished with 16 in the game for Pea Ridge. Carson Rhine also added 12 points for the Blackhawks. Pea Ridge ........... 14 12 17 19 — 62 Alma ................. 20 12 20 12 — 64 Pea Ridge (14-4): Coble 28, Wilkerson 16, Rhine 12, Peterson 3, Feemster 2, Whatley 1.

Alma (9-1): Peter 23, Shelton 17, Mann 14, George 4, Whalen 4, Winfrey 2.

GIRLS PEA RIDGE 57, ALMA 34

Pea Ridge used a strong second quarter to take control of the game and didn’t look back after that en route to their tournament championship.

Senior guard Hollyn Davis scored a game-high 23 points to lead the way for the Lady Blackhawks in their victory against Alma.

“We wanted to start fast and play our game,” Pea Ridge coach Heath Neal said. “We wanted to see some different teams and challenge ourselves coming down here. Alma is a well-coached team. We got better this week in a high-class tournament.”

Pea Ridge (15-3) took a 33-22 halftime lead behind the strong second quarter, making four of nine from the field and eight of 10 attempts from the free-throw line.

Alma (6-4) fell behind after missing its initial eight shots of the game, which allowed Pea Ridge to take a 14-2 edge early in the first quarter.

The Lady Airedales closed out the first quarter with an 11-3 run to cut the Lady Blackhawks’ lead to 1713 heading into the second quarter.

After making five of 15 shots in the first quarter, Alma made just three of 12 attempts from the field in the second quarter being outscored 16-9 in the quarter.

A three-point play from Davis gave Pea Ridge a 24-16 lead early in the second quarter, then another three-point play from Blakelee Winn made it a 31-20 advantage just before the break.

“This team has been outstanding all year with a bunch of senior leaders,” Neal said. “They all play well together and push each other. They know what we want to do. We have come miles from last year.” Pea Ridge ........... 17 16 10 14 — 57 Alma ................. 13 9 8 4 — 34 Pea Ridge (15-3): Davis 23, Winn 12, Socha 10, Swope 6, Adams 4, Mitchell 2.

Alma (6-4): Towns-Robinson 12, Kelley 11, Cooper 7, Dowdy 3, Cravens 1.