Overturned call releases Hall

LITTLE ROCK HALL 65, SPRINGDALE 48

CABOT — An overturned goal tending call sent the Springdale Bulldogs into a tailspin Thursday.

Senior guard David Berete scored 23 points and the Little Rock Hall Warriors scored 21 of the game’s final 24 points in a 65-48 victory over Springdale in the Class 7A state tournament quarterfinals.

With Hall holding a 4745 lead with 6: 08 to play, Springdale senior Tony Dennis put up a running 12-footer that Hall’s Bobby Portis snatched from the air with one arm.

One official called goaltending on Portis, but a second official under the basket overruled the original call.

“I want to say he air balled it,” Berete said of Dennis’ shot. “We had contested the shot and it way short. Bobby just grabbed it out of the air. I don’t know where the goaltending call came from.”

“I’m not going to comment on that exactly,” said Springdale Coach Brad Stamps, who was assessed a technical foul after the goaltending call.

“I’d like to see the film. I thought it was a good basket. I’m trying to figure out how it could be overruled by an official from that angle that he overruled it from. That’s another thing — we can’t control a lot of things, and we can’t control that whistle. I wish we could.”

Hall ( 24-3) was in complete control afterward.

Quan Jones hit one of the two technical free throws and then hit a 15- footer to put the Warriors on top 5045.

Portis, who was held to seven points and five rebounds in the first three quarters, scored six points in the game’s final 2:58 to help put the game away. Portis finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“I don’t know what I would have done if something like that was called on us,” Hall Coach Jon Coleman said. “It was a tough call, but fortunately for us, it went our way. It definitely changed the momentum.”

The goaltending call also spoiled the performance of Springdale senior Mytaah Crawford, who scored 21 points and helped the Bulldogs rally from a 41-33 deficit in the third quarter to take a 45-44 lead with 6:34 remaining.

“They were a tough matchup for us,” Berete said. “They were athletic and they played four guards, which is something we haven’t seen much this year.”

Senior Jobe Dillard added 14 points for Hall. Dennis finished with 12 for Springdale.

FAYETTEVILLE 45, LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 42

Malik Fields’ field goal with 1:33 to play helped the top-ranked Bulldogs (21-6) hold off the Tigers (10-15) in a first-round game.

Central, led by 15 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals from senior forward Kerry Young, carried a 32-31 lead into the fourth quarter, but Fayetteville forced the Tigers into seven turnovers in the final eight minutes.

Junior Manuale Watkins led the Bulldogs with 12 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Fields finished with 11 points. Tyler Mccullough, a 6-10 junior, scored 9 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.

Keith Hayes added 10 points for Central.

BRYANT 53, ROGERS 37

Sophomore Anthony Black scored 13 points and handed out three assists to lead the Hornets (18-10) over the Mounties (19-9).

Bryant, which won its first state tournament game since 1987 Wednesday night, advances to the state semifinals for the first time since 1981. The Hornets play Little Rock Hall at 1:30 p.m.

Brantley Cozzart added 11 points and had four assists for Bryant, which put the game away by outscoring Rogers 21-13 in the fourth quarter.

Bryant was 16 of 28 from the floor, including hitting 6 of 10 three-pointers. Rogers was 13 of 32 shooting and made 4 of 12 three-pointers.

Senior Josh Anderson led Rogers with 17 points while senior Cameron Carroll had a game-high three steals.

Pointers go on 3 spree

EL DORADO — Van Buren picked a good time to find its shooting touch.

Van Buren (11-17) hit five threepointers in a row during a span that stretched from the end of the second quarter to the early in the third quarter Thursday afternoon, lifting it to a 62-51 victory over host El Dorado in the first round of the Class 6A state tournament.

“Man I am so proud of these guys,” Pointers Coach Randy Loyd said.

“It’s like I told them, they could have quit two or three weeks ago, but they hung in there, played hard and practiced hard, and this is their reward.”

Deven Goodwin, who led Van Buren with 24 points, hit two of the five three-pointers during a 15-1 run that gave the Pointers a 41-23 lead in the second half.

Van Buren opened with a Ryan Pearson three-pointer and a Ben Lanier basket. Goodwin hit a threepointer, added a three-point play and a basket for a 17-12 lead by the end of the first quarter.

El Dorado (17-11) came back to close within three on two baskets from Corey Parker and baskets each by Wendell Thompson and Chris White. But Goodwin completed another three-point play and started the barrage of three-pointers that took the Wildcats out of the game.

“I’d sure hate to play them in a game of horse,” El Dorado Coach Billy Blackburn said.

Quinton Ray, Tyler Pearson and Ryan Pearson all hit three-pointers, along with Goodwin, to put Van Buren in command 47-27 with two minutes to play in the third quarter,

In other games, Little Rock Parkview (21-6) outscored Little Rock Fair 26-6 in the second quarter to take a 39-16 halftime lead and never looked back on the way to a 53-22 victory in the first round. Anton Beard scored 14 points and Deshaud Kelley added 13 to lead the Patriots. Kendrell Adams led Fair with eight points. ... Marquise Bryant scored 18 points and Jacob Gibson scored 17 to lead a Jonesboro offensive attack that ousted Little Rock Mcclellan 83- 65. Jonesboro ( 22- 7) got 3 three-pointers from Jacob Gibson in the first quarter and one each from Randle Toliver and Tony White to take a 23-16 lead. Gregg Easter led Mcclellan (19-8) with 17 points, while Johnson added 14 and Hollis 11.

— Martin Couch