Lions win big over Pioneers during homecoming matchup

GRAVETTE — After celebrating the crowning of a new basketball homecoming queen an hour earlier, the Gravette Lions squared off against their longtime rivals, the Gentry Pioneers, in a conference matchup at Lion Arena in Gravette Friday night. The end result was a big 45-point win for the Lions.

The first points of the night occurred just 33 seconds into the first quarter when Gravette’s Brady Hunt hit a three-point field goal from the right-wing, giving the Lions the early lead. Another three-pointer by the Lions put them up by six. A minute later the Pioneers scored on a field goal to trail the Lions by four. For the next five minutes, the Lions went on a run, building a 14 point lead while shutting down the Pioneer offensive game plan. The Lions took an 18-4 lead going into the second quarter.

Gentry only managed six points in the second quarter, while Gravette continued its run, taking a 39-10 lead into halftime.

The Lions continued to control the second half, allowing the Pioneers only seven points in the third and four in the fourth quarter.

Seeing that his team held a 41 point lead by the end of the third quarter, Gravette head coach Matt Busch decided to pull his starters and give the remainder of his bench a little game experience.

By the end of the contest, the Gravette Lions took their first homecoming win in their new gym, 66-21, over the Gentry Pioneers and another conference victory.

The Lions had 14 players scoring points in the contest. Leading the pack was Tristan Batie with 25 points. The remainder of the Gravette lineup contributing to the scoring effort included Johnny Dunfee with six, Brady Hunt and Cordell Donnell each with five, Jake Carver with four, Beard, Walker, Betz each with three, Muldoon, West, Edgmen, Wilkins, Solberg and Frye each with two.

The Pioneers had only four players scoring points for the night, one in double figures. Jonathon Corter led the way with 12, followed by Quang Tran, Seiren Reding and Andrew Geoffrey, each with three.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Pioneer Johnathan Chapman (Gentry 14) just misses a block as Brooks West (Gravette 32) goes for a layup late in the fourth quarter of the Gravette-Gentry conference rivalry Friday night at Lion Arena in Gravette. Gravette took the homecoming victory, 66-21.