Foul- prone Gafford floors Marion

PEARCY — Daniel Gafford is not expected to dive on the floor for loose balls. On Thursday, it became a must.

Gafford, a 6- 11 center who is headed to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville next fall, went to the floor to grab a loose ball and called timeout with 10.0 seconds left to help the El Dorado Wildcats escape with a 57- 53 victory over Marion in a Class 6A state tournament quarterfinal game at Lake Hamilton High School’s Wolf Arena.

Saddled with foul trouble for the majority of the game, Gafford was limited to 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. But it was his steal that all but ended Marion’s hopes of an upset.

“It’s rare to see me on the floor,” said Gafford, who made his steal with El Dorado holding a 54- 53 lead. “But I was excited. I helped my team get a win.”

Senior Czar Perry was forced into the role of being the Wildcats’ go- to scorer. The 6- 1 guard responded, collecting 24 points, 16 in the second half.

Gafford compiled 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first quarter but picked up his third foul early in the second quarter. Wildcats Coach Gary Simmons did not put Gafford back into the game until the 5: 32 mark of the third quarter.

“When I talked to Daniel at the half, I said ‘ Son, we’re going to sit you because you’re 6- 11 and people’s eyes are drawn to you,’ ” Simmons said.

Gafford played only two possessions in the third quarter. He took a pass from Ryu Unice for a dunk 10 seconds after he entered the game, but he collected his fourth foul on the opposite end on the next possession.

He did not return until 3: 02 remained in the game.

“That was the whole idea, to attack [ Gafford] early on,” Marion Coach Irving Clay said. “We were hopefully trying to make him sit because he’s a rim protector. That makes a difference because we want to run our offense to the inside.”

Perry hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1: 01 left to give El Dorado a 54- 53 lead. Marion looked to get the ball in the hands of senior Shaun Doss, who finished with 24 points. Doss drove through the left side of the lane, but Perry got a hand on the ball, which deflected off of Doss. Gafford went to the floor and called timeout once he had possession.

Perry was fouled again with 8.5 seconds remaining. He hit the front end of the two- shot foul, but Marion’s Kamari Marrs grabbed the last of his game- high 11 rebounds and got the ball to Doss.

Doss hit the backboard on a 25- footer. Unice collected the rebound and hit two free throws at the 0.9 second mark to cap the scoring.

PINE BLUFF 47, WEST MEMPHIS 44, OT

Junior point guard Kendrick Thorn hit a shot to put the Zebras ahead and made a steal in the final seconds in leading Pine Bluff ( 21- 8) over the Blue Devils.

West Memphis ( 21- 7) held the ball for the final 1: 01 of regulation, but it never got a good look, settling for Zachary Byrd’s off- balance 16- footer at the buzzer.

West Memphis took a 44- 43 lead on Sidney Stinson’s free throw with 2: 32 left in the extra period.

Thorn, who hit a half- court shot at the end of the first half and finished with 15 points, gave Pine Bluff a 45- 44 lead with a 7- foot floater with 26 seconds left.

West Memphis turned the ball over, and the Zebras managed to run 16 seconds off the clock before the Devils fouled Brandon Little, who made 1 of 2 free throws.

West Memphis got the ball to midcourt and called timeout with 7.1 seconds left, but Thorn managed to get a steal and was fouled with 2.7 seconds left. He hit the second of two free throws to increase Pine Bluff’s lead to 47- 44.

Freshman Chris Moore, who led West Memphis with 15 points, attempted a 25- footer at the buzzer that hit the backboard.

LITTLE ROCK HALL 72, GREENWOOD 47

Sophomore Jonathan Coleman hit four three- pointers and finished with a team- high 16 points, and the Warriors ( 18- 11) drilled the turnover- prone Bulldogs ( 7- 23) in a first- round game.

Greenwood junior Ronin Stewart hit a two- pointer at the end of the first quarter to tie the game at 16, but Hall limited Greenwood to a combined 13 points during the next two quarters. Hall led 27- 20 at the half and 46- 29 entering the final quarter.

Junior guard Zane Harmon had 21 points for the Bulldogs, who were guilty of 18 turnovers.

Hall senior Antonio Smith scored 10 points and junior Xavier Madison had 11.