Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Grotjohn’s FT, Blackmon’s block lift Northside
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 64, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 63
SPRINGDALE — Fort Smith Northside’s quest to separate itself from the other 6A-West Conference girls basketball teams is a tough task in itself, and a 10-point halftime deficit against Springdale Har-Ber didn’t make it any easier Friday night.
The Lady Bears needed every second to pull off the feat as Hazley Grotjohn’s free throw with 6.4 seconds left and Cherish Blackmon’s blocked shot before the buzzer sounded were the difference in a 64-63 victory over the Lady Wildcats at Wildcat Arena.
“Two weeks ago, we wouldn’t have come back like that,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said. “We had some mental things to overcome, but that’s a huge win. I’m proud of my kids. Several kids stepped up and made plays down the stretch, but give Har-Ber credit. They scored 41 points on us in the first half, and there were some hard shots.
“The third quarter, we just kept plugging and plugging and plugging. We didn’t lose our composure and kept clawing and had a chance to win. That was a quality win. We needed that; I needed that. It was a good, fun win. We haven’t had one where the whole team celebrated like that.”
Northside (20-3, 9-1) erased a 41-31 halftime deficit in the third quarter, only to have Har-Ber (16-8, 7-4) regain a 51-49 edge on Alexa Fitzgerald’s two free throws with 0.4 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Lady Wildcats then used a four-point sequence to take a 63-58 lead when Delaney Roller hit a jumper as her teammate was fouled, then Myah Haney added two free throws with 5:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Bears rallied once more as Alex Bunch’s putback knotted the game at 61 with 1:41 remaining. Erianna Gooden’s driving layup gave Northside a 63-61 lead with 48 seconds remaining.
Jazmine McCarther’s bucket with 16 seconds tied the game again, but Grotjohn broke the deadlock with her free throw before Blackmon swatted McCarther’s last-second shot attempt into Gooden’s hands.
“I found a way for our team to win,” Blackmon said. “I always look, gather up myself. I see them coming — explode and ‘Pow!’ I always do that. It’s my signature move. It’s just something I’m special at.
“That made me excited. When I heard that pop, I knew it was ours. That’s what I felt. I felt so happy after that. It made me proud.”
Gooden finished with 24 points to lead Northside, followed by Grotjohn with 19 and Bunch with 11. Roller had 17 for Har-Ber while McCarther added 15.
BOYS SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 75, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 59
Har-Ber outscored Northside 33-20 and pulled away from the Grizzlies after play was temporarily halted when the shot clock stopped functioning late in the third quarter.
Devin Jones’ bucket with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter pulled Northside (1015, 3-7) to within 42-39 when play was stopped, and a stopwatch at the scorer’s table served as the shot clock for the remainder of the game. Har-Ber (22-2, 10-1) extended its lead to 57-50 to close out the third quarter, then outscored the Grizzlies 18-9 over the final 8 minutes.
Jaxon Conley had 26 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures, followed by Courtland Muldrew with 16, Hayden Wood with 15 and DeMarion Lee with 12. Luke Young had 17 for Northside, while Derek Shepard had 16 and Marco Smith added 14.
“I’m proud of my kids. Several kids stepped up and made plays down the stretch, but give Har-Ber credit.”
Fort Smith Northside Coach Rickey Smith