Goblins heat up in second half
The Panthers faded down the stretch in loss to Harrison.
Harrison came alive offensively in the second half Friday against Siloam Springs, and the Goblins got a kickstart from their defense.
After scoring only 24 points in the first half, the Goblins exploded for 24 points in the third quarter and 27 more in the fourth to rally for a 75-64 victory over the Panthers inside Panther Activity Center.
“I think it started with the defense,” said Harrison head coach David Stahler. “You pick up your intensity on defense, and I think that automatically affected our offense. I think we were able to crease the zone a little bit better and hit some guys on back door cuts. We just got our movement against the zone a little bit better in the second half.”
The Goblins (9-4, 1-0 5A/6A District 1) trailed 31-24 at halftime and seemed to be sputtering in all phases of their game in the first half.
Siloam Springs (5-11, 0-2) increased its lead to 33-24 on its first possession in the second half on a basket by Harrison Kretzer, but the Goblins went to work after that.
Down 37-29, the Goblins scored the next 11 points to take the lead at 40-37. Siloam Springs answered with a 6-2 run to get the lead back at 43-42 after a 3-pointer from Spencer Lashley, but a two-handed dunk from Trevor Atwell got the Goblins back in front at 44-43.
A free-throw from Josh Hunt tied the game at 44, but Harrison’s Braeden Boren and Jackson Marseilles hit two free throws each to close the fourth quarter with a 48-44 lead and put Harrison in front for good.
The Goblins got on a roll in the fourth quarter as Atwell hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the quarter. Atwell finished with 20 points overall, while Marseilles had a game-high 22 for the Goblins, including 14 in the second half. Boren added 18 for Harrison, including 11 in the second half.
Noah Karp scored all 12 of his points in the first half for Siloam Springs, but Karp had to sit most of the second half with foul trouble before fouling out in the fourth quarter on an offensive foul that negated a potential three-point play.. Harrison Kretzer, Charlie Jones and Spencer Lashley each added 11 points for the Panthers.
Despite the loss, Siloam Springs
head coach Tim Stewart was pleased with how the Panthers responded after a disappointing blowout loss at Farmington on Tuesday night.
“After the Tuesday night game, there wasn’t much we could say positive,” Stewart said. “It was a bad game for the Panthers, individually and as a team. We thought we did not show up focused and determined to play. Tonight was the exact opposite. We showed up. We were physical. We were determined. We just couldn’t quite sustain it for four quarters.
“(Harrison) turned the heat up, and the game got really physical on the ball, and we’re not quite there.”
Farmington 70, Siloam Springs 48
FARMINGTON — Matt Wilson broke the Siloam Springs’ zone defense right from the start Tuesday, then went ahead and blasted a school scoring record. Wilson scored a Farmington single-game record 49 points, 25 which came by midway through the second quarter, as the Cardinals rolled past the Panthers. “It felt good, honestly,” Wilson said. “After all the countless nights in the gym working on my game, it feels like it paid off. So to get the record means a lot.”
Up next
The Panthers return to 5A/6A District 1 action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Clarksville.