SSHS basketball teams host big games Monday
■ The Lady Panthers take on Greenbrier at 5 p.m. while the boys play Greenwood at 8 p.m.
Six games into the 5A-West Conference slate, the Siloam Springs boys basketball team was about as far away from the state tournament as it could be.
The Panthers were 1-5 in conference play after a tough 70-62 loss at Russellville on Jan. 22, having lost their fifth straight, and in last place in the league.
But in the weeks since then, the Panthers have turned things around, and that trend continued on Tuesday at Greenwood.
The Panthers avenged an earlier loss to the Bulldogs with a 54-44 victory at H.B. Stewart Bulldog Arena — their fifth win in the last six games.
Jackson Ford led the Panthers with 18 points, while Josh Stewart had 16 and Dalton Newman 12 to lead the Panthers (11-12, 6-6).
“Fun game, very physical,” said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. “Jackson Ford did a great job being active and staying focused throughout.
“Josh took a huge charge in the fourth that was a game changer. We executed offensively very well and in the second half our zone was good.”
Breck Soderquist added four points, while Carter Winesburg and Nate Vachon each had two.
Greenwood beat Siloam Springs 53-50 at Panther Activity Center amidst the Panthers’ five-game skid.
The win moved Siloam Springs past Greenwood in the conference standings into fourth place in the league.
Tuesday’s games were the last regular season games as the league voted to pivot to a conference tournament to decide who qualifies for the state tournament.
Now Siloam Springs and Greenwood will have to battle one more time with a state berth on the line.
As the fourth seed in the conference tournament, Siloam Springs received an opening round bye and will now play at home at 8 p.m.
Monday against fifth-seed Greenwood, which defeated Alma 59-54 in Greenwood on Friday night.
The winner of Monday’s game will advance to the tournament semifinals and earn a bid to the Class 5A state tournament.
“Looking forward to playing at home on Monday against Greenwood,” Stewart said.
“Either team will be a tough opponent but our guys are showing signs of getting into a rhythm and coming together at the perfect time.”
Girls
The Siloam Springs girls will host Greenbrier at 5 p.m. Monday with a state tournament berth on the line.
The Lady Panthers (15-7, 7-5 5A-West) were seeded fourth in the 5A-West Conference Tournament and received an opening round bye.
Fifth-seed Greenbrier defeated eighth-seed Alma 71-54 on Friday night in the opening round to advance to Monday’s game.
The winner of Monday’s game advances to the tournament
semifinals and receives a state tournament berth.
“We are excited to be playing in the postseason,” said Siloam Springs girls coach Tim Rippy.
“We have played a solid regular season and look forward to playing in the month of March. I’m proud of this team and the progress they continue to make. We are looking forward to the playoffs.”
Siloam Springs played its first game in two weeks on Tuesday when it lost 82-41 at league-leading Greenwood.
Kinley Fisher led Greenwood with 20 points, while Ally Sockey had 16 and Megan Gray 12.
Reina Tiefel led Siloam Springs with 13 points, while Brooke Ross has nine, Sydney Moorman and Brooke Smith each with four, Mimo Jacklik, Quincy Efurd and Mia Hevener each with three, and Halle Hernandez two.
Siloam Springs won at Greenbrier 54-50 on Jan. 15.
The return game Siloam Springs, scheduled for Feb. 12, was originally postponed because of winter weather and later canceled altogether in favor of the conference tournament.