Gentry knocks off Tigers, 54-47

PRAIRIE GROVE — Gentry coach Brent Hester could only smile, thinking that what could have been the Pioneers’ potential undoing instead transformed into an improbable 3-point play.

Prairie Grove’s Will Pridmore had just connected on his fourth 3-pointer to pull the Tigers within 46-43. Gentry turned the ball over and Prairie Grove was looking for another score amidst a wild scramble for the basketball, which changed hands several times in a matter of seconds.

Hester could laugh at the end result with Gentry’s Logan Linton being the recipient of a quick-thinking teammate’s pass under the basket once the Pioneers emerged from what looked like a juggling contest between them and the Tigers. Linton laid the ball in and was fouled. He cooly converted the freethrow which extended the Pioneers’ lead to 49-43.

“The dumbest of plays we could possibly make turned into the craziest situation, like a pinball bouncing around,” Hester said. “And we get it under the basket, and one.”

Gentry dodged a bullet a minute earlier when senior guard Daniel Thao fouled out by undercutting Prairie Grove’s Nick Pohlman on a made 3-pointer that drew Prairie Grove within four points, at 44-40.

“Again, that was not a very smart play. We got a little bit lucky and he missed the free throw,” Hester said. “The kids don’t stop competing. When you play as hard as they are competing, you get lucky once in awhile.”

They emerged victorious, 54-47, in spite of themselves, giving Prairie Grove almost one too many chances. Gentry led 52-46 with 11.8 seconds to go but fouled Pridmore in the act of shooting a 3-pointer. That stopped the clock and sent him to the foul line for three shots with 5.7 seconds remaining. Pridmore, who led the Tigers with 21, couldn’t buy a free throw down the stretch, finishing 7 of 13 for the game. On this trip, he went 1-for-3.

Physical play earlier in the contest may have thrown Pridmore off his game. At one point, his No. 32 jersey was so bloody he had to switch to No. 24, which is normally worn by Demarkus Cooper, but he sat out as a precautionary measure.

“Will had blood on his uniform so we had to make a switch and that (No. 24) was the first one we grabbed,” said Prairie Grove coach Steve Edmiston. “He had quite a bit of blood on there.”

Edmiston pointed to the lack of offensive efficiency.

“When you shoot 27 percent from the field and 46 percent from the free-throw line and we get beat seven, unless you’re stifling on defense and rebounding, you’re simply not going to win those games,” Edmiston said. “We’ve got to get better offensively. We had those games (earlier in the week) and I thought we were getting there, but it’s got to be a continual progress. It’s still early. There is opportunity, there is time, but we’ve got to understand we’ve simply got to play the game better.”

Hester was pleased with Hammond at point-guard. He made five 3-point shots and went 6-for-6 at the foul line. Thao caught fire after Prairie Grove took a onepoint lead on Anthony Johnson’s 3-pointer 17 seconds into the fourth. Thao hit a pair of threes sandwiched around a drive to the hoop for two to spark a 12-1 Gentry run.

“Ethan Hammond shot it well and handled it well,” Hester said. “Daniel Thao hit a few shots late in the fourth to get us out to a nine- or 10-point lead. That was the difference in the game, that little stretch.”

Gentry 54

Prairie Grove 47

Gentry 14 5 13 22 — 54 PGrove 15 5 10 17— 45 Gentry (3-4): Ethan Hammond 5 6-6 21, Daniel Thao 3 0-0 8, Logan Linton 2 4-5 8, Dylan Kilgore 2 3-5 7, Jon Faulkenberry 3 0-2 6, Luke Fox 1 2-2 4. Totals 16 15-20 54.

Prairie Grove (2-6): Will Pridmore 5 7-13 21, Nick Pohlman 3 3-5 10, Anthony Johnson 3 0-3 8, D.J. Pearson 2 0-1 5, J.D. Elder 1 1-2 3. Totals 14 11-25 47. 3-Point Goals — Gentry 7 (Hammond 5, Thao 2). Prairie Grove 8 (Pridmore 4, Johnson 2, Pearson, Pohlman).