LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP

COLLEGE BASKETBALL JOHN BROWN 73, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 71 (OT)

McPHERSON, Kan. — Lukas Gabani hit two free throws with 7 seconds remaining in overtime to give John Brown a Sooner Athletic Conference victory Thursday over Central Christian at McPherson, Kan.

The Golden Eagles (4-3, 2-0) led 7165 with 2:34 left in overtime as Gabani hit a free throw, Drew Miller nailed a three-pointer and Malachi Reeves added a bucket inside. Central Christian (2-4, 0-1), however, responded and tied the game at 71-all after Omari Maulana’s bucket with 22 seconds remaining.

After Gabani hit his two free throws, John Brown held on as Central Christian missed two chances to tie the game before the final buzzer sounded.

Gabani had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead John Brown, while Miller — a former Rogers standout — also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Tyren Collins added 11 points.

WEST TEXAS A&M 81, ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH 61

West Texas A&M used a 10-0 run in the first half to take the lead for good and went on to defeat Arkansas-Fort Smith in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams Thursday at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith.

UAFS (1-5, 0-1) led by as much as six points early and owned a 14-10 cushion after Payton Brown hit two free throws with 12:16 left in the first half. West Texas A&M (5-1, 1-0), ranked 11th among NCAA Division II schools, needed just 3 minutes to put together its run and went on to take a 40-24 halftime lead, and the Lions wouldn’t get any closer.

Brown was the only UAFS player to score in double digits, finishing with 10 points.

JOHN BROWN 83, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 31

Junior Emily Sanders scored a gamehigh 22 points, and John Brown held Central Christian to just one field goal in the first quarter en route to an 8331 Sooner Athletic Conference victory Thursday at Jerry Alexander Arena in McPherson, Kan.

The win was the 400th for John Brown Coach Jeff Soderquist, who became only the second coach in school history to reach that mark in any sport.

Senior Tarrah Stephens scored nine first-quarter points as the Golden Eagles (5-3, 2-0) held Central Christian (3-3, 0-1) to 1-of-14 shooting over the first 10 minutes. John Brown continued to build on to its lead and enjoyed a 44-14 halftime cushion and a 64-19 advantage after three quarters.

Sanders, a former Bentonville player, hit 6 of 9 from three-point range to lead the Golden Eagles, while Stephens had 16 points and 9 rebounds

WEST TEXAS A&M 81, ARK.-FORT SMITH 73 (OT)

West Texas A&M outscored Arkansas-Fort Smith 17-9 in overtime and defeated the Lions in the Lone Star Conference opener for both teams Thursday the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith.

Hannah Boyett’s three-pointer gave UAFS (2-5, 0-1) a 67-66 lead early in the overtime period, only to have West Texas A&M scored the next four points and take the lead for good. This came after the Lions had a 64-58 lead with 3:18 remaining in regulation before the Lady Buffs tied the game at 64-64 on a three-pointer with 14 seconds left and sent the game into overtime.

UAFS had a chance to win at the buzzer, but the three-point attempt was unsuccessful.

Guard Baylee Fincher led five Lions in double figures with 15 points while also corralling four steals. Zyniah Thomas added 12 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Morgan Browning with 12 points. Boyett and center Sinetra Jones added 10 points apiece.

PREP BASKETBALL

GIRLS

FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 68, SOUR LAKE (TEXAS) HARDINJEFFERSON 49

Northside outscored Hardin-Jefferson 21-5 in the second quarter to take control and earned its second victory in as many game during the She Got Game Classic in Mansfield, Texas.

The outburst helped the Lady Bears turn a two-point deficit into a 35-21 halftime cushion. Northside (4-0) led 44-31 after three quarters, then went on to put the game out of reach.

Hazley Grotjohn scored 10 of her 25 points in the second quarter to lead Northside, which plays IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla., at 11:30 a.m. today. Erianna Gooden added 16 for the Lady Bears.

ROGERS 62, CAMDENTON, MO. 35

Rogers scored the game’s 15 points as the Lady Mounties won convincingly to move into the consolation game of the Great 8 Classic in Mountie Arena.

Brooklyn Owens had 17 points for Rogers (3-3). Avery Ingling was the only other Lady Mountie in double figures with 10.

Rogers will play Ozark, Mo., at 1:30 p.m. today in the consolation final.

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 56, NIXA, MO. 49

Jazmine McCarther had 21 points to lead a trio of Har-Ber players in double figures as the Lady Wildcats claimed a win on their home floor over Nixa.

Delaney Roller added 16 points and Makenlie Campbelll 11 for Har-Ber (5-2).

GRAVETTE 64, WEST FORK 28

Brooke Handle hit five three-pointers and finished with a game-high 15 points as Gravette rolled to a nonconference victory Friday over West Fork in Lion Arena.

Handle had two of the Lady Lions’ five three-pointers in the first quarter as they built a 23-5 lead, then held the Lady Tigers (7-4) to just seven field goals, four of them being three-pointers. Gravette (4-3) led 34-15 at halftime and 54-23 after three quarters, thanks to a string of 15 unanswered points.

DaLacie Wishon added 13 points and Keeley Elsea 10 for the Lady Lions. Makenzie Greenlee led West Fork with 11.

FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 57, GRANDVIEW, COLO. 42

Erianna Gooden had 11 of her gamehigh 25 points in the third quarter to lead Northside to a victory during Thursday’s action in the She Got Game Classic at Mansfield, Texas.

The Lady Bears (3-0) defeated a team that has won back-to-back state championships in Colorado’s Class 6A and is the top-ranked team in that state.

Hazley Grotjohn was the only other Lady Bear in double figures with 12.

STAFFORD, MO. 58, HARRISON 46

Harrison couldn’t overcome its slow start and dropped its second game in as many days, losing to Stafford during consolation action in the Willard (Mo.) Tiger Invitational Tournament.

Brooklyn Mitchell had all 12 of her points in the second half, and Eliza Barger also had 12 for Harrison while London Lee added 11.

BOYS

WEST FORK 68, GRAVETTE 66

West Fork used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to get some breathing room, then held off a Gravette comeback attempt to slip past the Lions in a conference game in Lion Arena.

Camden Callahan’s bucket with 40 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Tigers (8-3) a 46-44 lead, then Jackson Blansett added two free throws before Gravette (3-3) made it a one-point game on Gunnar Woolard’s three-pointer at the buzzer.

Blansett began West Fork’s run with a three-pointer, then capped it with two free throws to make it a 62-51 game with 3:39 remaining. The Tigers led 65-57 on Cade Erickson’s free throw with 41.8 seconds remaining, but Woolard hit three free throws and a pair of three-pointers to pull Gravette within 67-66 with 11 seconds remaining.

Eric Henderson hit a free throw with 5.7 seconds left to make it a two-point game, then Gravette missed a chance to tie when a tipped ball on an inbounds pass went off the rim.

Henderson had 19 points to lead four West Fork players in double figures, followed by Erickson with 15, Callahan with 14 and Blansett with 12. Woolard finished with 35 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and was the only Gravette player in double figures.

BENTONVILLE 73, WILLARD, MO. 45

Bentonville hit 14 three-pointers and moved into the championship game of the Willard Tiger Invitational Tournament with a convincing victory over the host school.

Owen Dehrmann hit seven three-pointers and finished with 25 points for the Tigers (2-4), who jumped out to an early 25-9 cushion. Willard pulled within 33-24 at halftime, but Bentonville responded with another 23-9 outburst in the third quarter.

Ma’aiki Dauda added 19 points and Javyn Williams 13 for the Tigers, who will play tonight against the winner of Friday’s late game between Harrison and Nixa, Mo.

THE NEW SCHOOL 84, GREEN FOREST 54

Caleb Massey had 20 points to lead six players in double figures as The New School improved with 13-1 with a win at home over Green Forest.

Jaxon Hand had 18 points, followed by Jaiden Wilson with 15 while Dante Snowden, Jackson Marshall and Festus Martin chipped in 10 apiece.

The New School will play Jasper today in the championship game of the Bev Stone Border Classic at Omaha.

BENTONVILLE 65, BELTON, MO. 43

Ma’aiki Dauda scored 22 points as Bentonville picked up its first win of the season by defeating Belton in Thursday’s late game during the Willard (Mo.) Tiger Basketball Classic.

The Tigers (1-4) built a 19-12 lead in the first quarter and led 29-21 at halftime before outscoring Belton 20-12 in the third quarter for a 49-33 cushion.

Jayvn Williams added 16 points for Bentonville.

HARRISON 82, SPRINGFIELD GLENDALE 71

Ryder Scribner led five Harrison players in double figures as the Goblins defeated Glendale in a high-scoring affair during the Willard Tiger Basketball Classic.

Harrison trailed 17-13 after one quarter but outscored Glendale 24-18 in the second quarter for a 37-35 halftime edge. The Goblins led 57-55 to close out the third quarter.

Scribner finished with 23 points, followed by Lucas Paul with 14, Cole Cecil with 13, Hayden Martin with 12 and Maddox Bell with 10.

VILONIA 64, BERGMAN 47

Vilonia jumped out to an early 19-9 lead and snapped Bergman’s six-game win streak with a victory over the Panthers during the semifinals of the V-Town Showdown tournament at Vilonia.

Bergman (15-3) did pull within 26-17 at halftime, but Vilonia went to extend its lead to a 47-31 margin after three quarters.

Sawyer Schubert had 12 points to lead the Panthers, followed by Dylan Friend with 11 and Zion Fultz with 10.

BERRYVILLE 59, OMAHA 58

Noah Houghton and Dale Nagtalon combined for 40 points as Berryville slipped past Omaha during the Bev Stone Border Classic.

Houghton finished with 21 points and Nagatlon 19 for Berryville. Dylan Greenwood had 28 for Omaha (7-4), with half of those coming in the fourth quarter.

FAYETTEVILLE CHRISTIAN 55, HAAS HALL-FAYETTEVILLE 37

Jaheem Campbell had 15 points as Fayetteville Christian remained unbeaten with a home victory Thursday over Haas Hall-Fayetteville.

The Eagles (10-0) used a 13-4 run in the second quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 24-16 halftime lead.

Justus Osbon and Daniel Jung each added 14 points for Fayetteville Christian, while Davis Trantham had 9 points and 11 rebounds. Daniel Blevins added 10 rebounds for the Eagles.