Pioneers play hard in loss
PRAIRIE GROVE — Prairie Grove gained early separation with an 8-0 run to start the game and went on to hand Gentry a 52-29 loss in 4A-1 Conference boys basketball action.
Gentry won the tip but missed twice on its opening possession. The Pioneers showed fight at times, and their play didn’t reflect their 3-19 overall and 0-13 conference record.
The Tigers scored the first eight points of the game on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and never looked back. Prairie Grove junior guard Eric Henderson scored 20 points to top all scorers. He nailed consecutive 3-pointers sandwiched around a charging foul by Gentry’s Hayden Henry. Cole Edmiston, son of Tiger head coach Steve Edmiston, squared up and knocked down a jumper in the lane that prompted a Gentry time-out.
Gentry coach Tyler McReynolds tried to rally the Pioneers, and Jonathon Corter worked his way into the lane to score with nearly three minutes elapsed.
Prairie Grove responded with a 9-4 run to close out the first quarter. Jace Edwards spun away from his man and finished with a finger roll. Henderson drove coast-to-coast with his left hand. The Tigers wouldn’t score for the next 2:16, but Gentry couldn’t capitalize. Addi Taylor turned the ball over on the second offensive foul of the quarter for the Pioneers. Cole Edmiston hit a turnaround jumper at the free-throw line.
Drew Cable put in a missed free throw and converted a 3-point play to cut Gentry’s deficit to 14-6, but the Pioneers didn’t contain Henderson, who busted his third trey of the quarter, and Prairie Grove took a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Gentry outscored Prairie Grove 9-7 in the second quarter, getting a pair of buckets by Corder, yet trailed 24-15 at the half.
The third quarter was all Tigers after Taylor’s triple just before the shot clock expired for Gentry.
Henderson answered with a trifecta for Prairie Grove at the other end. He then beat a Pioneer trap by passing to Alex Abshier for a layup. Abshier drew a charging foul, causing another Gentry turnover. Garrett Jech’s free throw after corralling an offensive rebound kept the Pioneers within 10, at 29-19, but they wouldn’t score for the next 4:16 of the quarter and trailed 37-19 going into the fourth after Edwards’ 3-pointer in the last minute of the third.
Logan Heath pounded the offensive glass, getting three rebounds on a sequence and scoring to start the fourth for Gentry, but the Pioneers were outscored 15-10 in the fourth and lost 52-29.
Taylor scored all of his nine points on 3-pointers, while Corter added eight points for Gentry.
Six Tigers scored at least five points. Henderson chalked up 20, Sam Kidd seven, Cole Edmiston six, Tate Benoit six, Austin Henry 6, and Edwards had five.
HUNTSVILLE 69, GENTRY 48
On Friday, the Pioneers traveled to Huntsville to take on the Eagles but were unable to stop the Eagles and lost the final regular season game, 69-48.