Hawks went to Harrison
The Blackhawks faced a tough road trip, invading Harrison to play the state’s No. 1 girls’ team with the boys also facing a tough contest with the Goblins. Though putting up valiant efforts, the Hawks faced teams with exceptional passing abilities and ball security as the hosts took the girls game 48-43, then surged past the Hawks’ boys to post a 75-49 victory.
The boys suffered 19 turnovers compared to just five by the Goblins, which proved to be decisive.
The girls were cold from the field but still fought to make repeated runs at the Goblins, surging to within 5 late in the game before Harrison used free throws to ice the contest. Both Harrison teams displayed precision passing that gained a lot of easy scores.
Game accounts
Girls
Harrison 48, Pea Ridge 43
Harrison used a free throw, short jump shot and two treys to jump ahead 9-2 to start the contest.
Lady Blackhawk senior Ravin Cawthon scored in the paint next, but another Goblin trey put the hosts ahead 12-2. The last score of the quarter was accomplished by junior Bella Cates who ripped a 3-pointer to send the Hawks into the second period facing a 12-5 deficit.
Senior Aidan Dayberry’s free throw and a rebound score by senior Blakelee Winn cut the gap to 4, trailing 12-8. Harrison them dropped in short jumper with Winn scoring underneath to keep the deficit to 4 at 14-10. Harrison then scored on a great pass, following that up with another score on a fast break, and another short jumper as the home town lead swelled to 20-10. Winn knocked down a layup with Harrison ending the half with a 5-footer just before the buzzer, as the Hawks trailed 22-12 at the break.
A Harrison bucket to start the period doubled the score on the Hawks as they trailed 24-12. The Hawks then came back with two scores and a free throw by Winn along with another trey by Cates which shrank the lead by 8 points as Pea Ridge climbed to within 4 at 24-20.
After a Harrison free throw, Winn started a fast break, flipping a pass to Cawthon open under the goal, with the made goal cutting the host lead to just 3 at 25-22. Undefeated Harrison responded by scoring twice in the paint, and with a fade hook shot that drew a foul. The flurry pushed Harrison back ahead by 12 at 34-22. A Winn layup dropped the lead to 10, but it was followed by a sensational steal and layup by Cates on Harrison’s end, cutting the lead to 34-26. A Harrison free toss before the final period placed the hosts ahead 35-26.
Layups by Winn and Cawthon closed the gap to 36-30 and after a Goblin score, Winn nailed a trey to shave the lead to 38-33. Harrison quickly scored but Winn came right back with a layup keep the deficit at 5 at 40-35. Dayberry scored the next four Hawk points via the charity stripe and jump shot, but the hosts countered with 6 points as Harrison led 45-39 with under two minutes to play.
Dayberry scored again to get back to within 4 at 46-42. The Goblins would score one more goal, but the Hawks could only manage a free throw as Harrison hung on to win 48-43.
Boys Harrison 75, Pea Ridge 49
A flurry of Pea Ridge third quarter turnovers and a surge in Harrison shooting broke open a close game, a game in which the Hawks hung with their opponents despite the lopsided advantage to Harrison in turnovers. Seven Hawk errant passes led to 15 gift points for the Harrison offense.
Pea Ridge lost the ball on their first two possessions, falling behind 2-0. A couple of entry passes to Blackhawk senior David Andrus resulted in goals as Pea Ridge took a 4-2 lead.
Harrison hit a trey to retake the lead, but Blackhawk sophomore Bric Cates shot from 7 feet and retook the lead at 6-5. Harrison came back with a jump shot to retake the lead, but goals by Cates and Andrus put Pea Ridge back on top 9-7. The Goblins then ripped a trey and got a rebound shot to fall to retake the lead at 12-9. Blackhawk senior Mike Ericson’s layup before the buzzer cut the gap to 12-11.
After junior Korbyn Mobley shot the Hawks into the lead at 13-12 to begin the quarter, the Hawks turned the ball over four times in succession, with Harrison taking advantage to jump back out ahead 19-13. Mobley scored again on a slashing move to the basket but the Goblins answered with two layups to fatten their lead to 24-15.
Andrus then scored again inside but the Gobs countered with another trey to move ahead 27-17. After Blackhawk senior Greydon Edwards canned both ends of a free throw session, Blackhawk junior Jared Brewer drained a trey to get back to within 5 at 2722. Both teams took turns scoring for the rest of the quarter, with Andrus scoring twice in the paint along with a shot from behind the arc, and Cates converting a free toss to keep Harrison with a single digits lead at 38-31.
The Hawks started the third quarter with three quick turnovers that helped the hosts jump out to a 45-31 lead. Ericson then hit a layup to stop the run. Three more turnovers helped the Goblins as they raced out ahead 52-33 with less than a quarter remaining. Scores by Andrus, senior Mac Bowen, Brewer and Mobley shrank the lead to 11 at 54-43. A Goblin long trey just before the buzzer gave the hosts a 57-43 lead with a quarter remaining.
Edwards scored early for the Hawks but Harrison got points from three players to score 7 points and assume a nearly unbeatable lead at 67-43. Blackhawk senior Malik Bagsby tossed in two free throws and a basket to finish out Blackhawk scoring.