Tigers End Season With Regional Appearance

SCORING DIFFERENTIAL 41-17 IN SECOND, FOURTH QUARTERS

Neither the second nor fourth quarters were profitable for Prairie Grove as the boys basketball team concluded their 2014- 15 season with a first-round, 70-39, loss to Subiaco Academy.

The Ti g e rs we re outscored by a combined 24 points (41-17) over the latter quarters of both halves and did not keep pace with Subiaco in any period. They didn’t start badly, staying within 13-10 after the first quarter. Senior Parker Galligan jumped center and won the tip batting the ball to Dylan Soehner, who quickly gave up the rock to Tanner Pursell slashing to the hoop for a 2-0 Tiger lead seconds into the contest.

Subiaco took timeout with 37 seconds expired following a turnover. Soehner had two buckets early on but Subiaco pulled away from a 1-point edge to go in front, 13-7, on Cash Kruger’s 3- pointer. Prairie Grove coach Steve Edmiston called timeout and changed defenses to a zone and Subiaco didn’t score again in the quarter. Galligan hit a free-throw and Pursell put in a driving shot. Prairie Grove was within 13-10 but they couldn’t take the lead going scoreless for the last two minutes of the first.

As the second period began back- to- back Tiger offensive sets ended in traveling violations and Subiaco capitalized by making a 3-pointer each time upping their lead to 24-14. Galligan put in his own miss and later passed to Gavin Heltemes, who snapped a baseline runner, which ended a 17-4 Subiaco run. Pursell hit a pair of foul shots late in the half but Eric Baltic tracked down a loose ball and found the hoop giving Subiaco a 34-20 advantage at intermission.

Prairie Grove displayed a spark early in the third utilizing an 8-3 run to cut the lead to nine, at 37-28, on Galligan’s finger roll as Soehner fed him cutting to the hoop. The run began with Pursell passing from the left wing to a cutting Galligan. Pursell had 4 points during the surge, hitting two freethrows and using a pump fake to blow past a defender and finish at the hoop.

Subiaco, which came in with a 12-2 conference record losing only to Arkansas Baptist in the 4A- 4, responded with a 13-4 run to end the period virtually putting the game away with a 50-32 lead going into the fourth.

Prairie Grove played without senior Leighton Smith out with a broken hand.