GRAVETTE — Shortly after the lights went out at Gravette Gymnasium, the lights came on for the Siloam Springs boys basketball team.
Freshman Avery Benson scored 19 points, senior Reece Goddard had 18 and junior Keetun Pierce chipped in 13 points and 14 rebounds as the Panthers pulled away from the Lions in the second half for a 72-52 victory in their 2013-14 season opener.
Dylan Gray added nine points and 15 rebounds for the Panthers, who overcame a poor shooting night with second and third chances on the offensive glass.
“We talk about energy and effort, and we had it,” said Panthers head coach Tim Stewart. “Were we perfect? No. Did Reece shoot it well? No. Did Dylan shoot well? No. But their energy was there.
“Hey, it’s a team sport for a reason. It’s one of those early games where we were far from perfect, but the energy and effort were there, and all those other things were fi xable.”
A power outage in the second quarter disrupted the game for a brief moment with Siloam Springs leading 20-19 and Gravette’s Dustin Morgan about to shoot a free throw.
Once power was restored, Morgan tied the game at 20-20 with his foul shot. The two teams then traded a pair of missed shots on offensive possessions before Pierce gave the Panthers a 23-20 lead with a 3-pointer. It wasa lead Siloam Springs would never relinquish.
The Panthers pulled ahead 37-30 at halftime, and superior rebounding allowed Siloam Springs to open up a double-digit lead in the second half that only got bigger.
“We’ve got some guys that are excited to get in there and try and get double digit rebounds,” Stewart said. “They get in there in the trenches and do that. It’s going to be a difference in a lot of games I think.”
Gravette’s Terence Pierce, who scored a game-high 30 points, was able to keep the Lions within shouting distance for the first half and midway through the third period. Pierce fi nished the game with seven 3-pointers.
“He is a tremendous player and a tremendous shooter,” Stewart said. “He hit shots tonight with us draped all over him, hands in his face.”
But Pierce and the Lions were also playing a man down after Otto Troutner injured a hamstring in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Gravette coach Dustin Peters said losing Troutner - who had 34 points and 17 rebounds in the Lions’ season-opening win against Eureka Springs - was a tough blow.
“We’ve got to fi nd some rebounders. We rely on (Troutner) so much,” Peters said. “We’ve got to make improvements defensively and some improvements on the defensive glass.
“(Siloam Springs is) very athletic and strong. They just out-athleted us at times.”
The Panthers pulled ahead 43-33 after a score in transition from Benson, who had 13 points in the second. Pierce cut the lead down to 43-36 with another 3-pointer, but the Lions wouldn’t get any closer.
Goddard was fouled on a 3-pointer on the Panthers’ next possession and he calmly hit all three foul shots. Goddard then drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 49-36.
Consecutive basket-andones from Benson and Grayto start the fourth period put Siloam Springs ahead 63-44. The Panthers led by as many as 23.
Sports, Pages 9 on 11/27/2013