Big second half propels Prescott past Lakeside

Lakeside’s six-game win streak came to an end Tuesday night as Prescott overcame a sluggish start to earn its first win of the season with a 48-38 victory at Lakeside Athletic Complex.

“Sometimes it’s gotta be more about the team than the individual,” Lakeside head coach Eddie Lamb said. “We stress that a lot, and I think at times it wasn’t about the big picture. We couldn’t make a shot. … We hadn’t had a lot of adversity in the last week or two; we’ve been winning, so sometimes being a young team — we play five sophomores, three juniors, and a senior — but we just didn’t handle adversity real good tonight.”

Trailing 23-17 at the half, the Curley Wolves (1-2) managed to turn things around, despite having just five practices leading up to the game.

“There was going to be a lot of rust offensively,” Prescott head coach Beau Brickell said, explaining that the season was held up due to the Curley Wolves reaching Class 3A football semifinals. “In the first half, I thought that showed. We had a lot of turnovers and silly mistakes with the basketball, but we hang our hat on playing defense.”

Juniors Jacobi Nolen and Devin Rash produced field goals for the Curley Wolves, but Lakeside junior Tyree Glover cut them no slack with three straight buckets for a 30-25 edge.

Prescott’s defense, partnered with a reinvigorated offense, helped to turn the game around while limiting chances for Lakeside (7-3). The Curley Wolves put up 9 straight points, led by 5 points from senior Cory Hill, to jump out to a 34-30 lead, but sophomore Taevon Johnson had a bucket at the buzzer to pull within 34-32 going into the final frame.

“In the second half, we really got after ‘em,” Brickell said. “We defended the ball and specifically, rebounding, which was a major benefit.”

Lakeside could not shut down Hill as he led a 6-1 run before junior Seth Poindexter stopped the bleeding with a bucket.

“We couldn’t make a shot,” Lamb said. “We couldn’t make a free throw — stuff we work on everyday, just some easy baskets. You gotta give Prescott credit. They played good the second half.”

Nolen hit a pair of free throws before a steal and fast-break layup and a slam dunk from Hill to push out to 48-36 before Poindexter sank a bucket to set the final.

“We’ve just got to be tougher,” Lamb said. “And that’s my job to do it as a coach and 27 years in this, we’ll get it done.”

Lakeside jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before sophomore Traci McClinton put up a shot for the Curley Wolves. The Rams, led by sophomore Wylyn Harris and Poindexter closed out the frame on a 7-3 run for a 15-5 lead.

A steal and layup by Hill just 14 seconds into the second quarter put Prescott within 15-7 before pulling within 15-14 less than two minutes later.

Senior A.J. Winfrey responded with a 3-pointer for the Rams and a bucket from Poindexter widened the spread once more, but senior Derriun Thompson pulled up to hit a trey. Lakeside’s defense kept the visitors at bay as sophomore Alveon Harris and Wylyn Harris each put up shots to give the Rams a

23-17 lead at the break.

Poindexter led the Rams with 12 points, and Wylyn Harris added 7.

The Rams will face off against Warren at 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 26 in the first round of the Chartwells Spa City Shootout at Bank OZK Arena.

*The junior Rams advanced to a 9-1 record as Braylen Russell, Charter Harris, A.J. Howard and Tyler Frederick combined for 50 points as Lakeside cruised to a 52-28 win over a previously undefeated Prescott.

Lakeside opened the game with four buckets within the first two minutes to take an 8-0 lead. A sneaky assist from Russell to Harris for 2 points at the 3:30 mark moved them ahead as the junior Curley Wolves found their way on the board nine seconds later on a field goal from Carston Poole.

“Braylen is playing like he knows people can’t stop him, and he’s right,” Lakeside head coach Cody Lambert said. “Even when coach [Taylor] Masters and myself get on the floor and play with them, neither one of us can guard him either. He is too athletic and strong.”

With a 13-8 advantage moving into the second period, Russell secured a putback before a 3-pointer by Poole and a basket by Pierce Yates with 2:50 left in the half pulled Prescott within 16-14. A steal and fast-break layup by Frederick paired with a 3-pointer put the Wolves up 21-14 before Howard sank a buzzer-beater for a 23-17 lead at intermission.

“[Frederick] was responsible for half of our points with his great court vision, defense and leadership,” Lambert said.

The junior Rams limited the junior Curley Wolves to just 10 points in the second half as Frederick, Howard and Russell continued leading their team on the floor. A series of fast plays around the

4:18 mark in the fourth frame pushed the junior Rams out to a 20-point lead that “put the game out of reach.”

Yates threw in two more buckets to make it

46-28, but Lakeside did not back down as they produced three more field goals in the final 1:30 to secure the win.

Russell led Lakeside with 17 points, Harris added

14, Howard put up 10 and Frederick had 9. The junior Rams host Texarkana tonight.