PEA RIDGE -- Sophomore Westin Church scored 11 of his game-high 19 points the first seven minutes of the game as Pea Ridge jumped on Gravette early and often to post a 66-36 win in a 4A-1 Conference game.
Pea Ridge hit 12 3-pointers in the game, including five each in the first and third quarters. Joey Hall and Zach Davis finished with 11 points each for Pea Ridge.
Church opened the game with a 3-pointer and he ended the first quarter with another 3-pointer as the Blackhawks built a 23-8 lead. In between, Church had another 3-pointer and a stickback.
"We could not have got off to a better start," said Pea Ridge coach Trent Loyd. "The way we shared the ball, the intensity we came out with, I have been waiting to see that all year. I was glad to see that out of the guys. Westin is capable of doing that every night."
Early in the second quarter, Church had a steal and layup that gave the Blackhawks (9-7, 2-1) a 29-10 lead. Sophomore Britton Caudill added eight points in the second quarter as Pea Ridge took a 38-17 lead at halftime.
The Blackhawks then hit four 3-pointers the first 3 minutes, 20 seconds of the second half for a 52-21 lead. Hall hit two of the 3-pointers while Church added his fourth of the game.
Gravette struggled from the field the first 12 minutes of the game as the Lions managed just three field goals.
"I have never been on the other end of a shooting exhibition like that," said first-year Gravette coach Greg White. "Pea Ridge beat us in a lot of aspects of the game. But I love my kids, and we are going to bounce back."
GIRLS
Pea Ridge 48,
Gravette 43
Mikhaela Cochran scored 23 points and Pea Ridge (7-9, 2-1) held Gravette without a field goal for over five minutes in the second half to post the win.
"We have worked hard all year on our defense," said Lady Blackhawks coach Larry Walker. "We are better defensively than we are offensively. We got a conference win and maybe we got a little bit of confidence. We played a brutal nonconference schedule, and maybe now it is starting to pay off."
Cochran was 11-of-19 from the free throw line, including 8-of-10 in the second half as the Lady Blackhawks pulled away. Pea Ridge used a 10-1 run for a 39-31 lead with 4:56 left in the game. Cochran scored eight points during the run, all coming from the free throw line.
Maddie Foster led Gravette (5-10, 0-3) with 12 points, while Amanda Pinter added 10.
Gravette cut the Pea Ridge lead to 42-39 with just under two minutes left on a Chasity Hubbard basket. But the Lady Blackhawks countered with a 6-0 run to pull away.
HOW THEY SCORED
BOYS
Pea Ridge 66,
Gravette 36
Gravette 8 9 8 11 -- 36 Pea Ridge 23 15 22 6 -- 66 GRAVETTE (6-9, 1-2): Morgan 10, Carlton 9, Soule 7, Pike 5, Turner 2, Oliver 2, White 1.
PEA RIDGE (9-7, 2-1): Church 19, Davis 11, Hall 11, Caudill 8, Trundle 4, Buttry 4, Johnson 3, Beard 3, Hardy 3.
GIRLS
Pea Ridge 48,
Gravette 43
Gravette 10 8 13 12 -- 43 Pea Ridge 8 12 13 15 -- 48 GRAVETTE (5-10, 0-3): Foster 12, A. Pinter 10, Hubbard 7, S. Pinter 6, Hicks 5, Chalk 3. PEA RIDGE (7-9, 2-1): Cochran 23, Fletcher 9, Skaggs 6, Dayberry 5, Anthony 4, Theilemier 1.
Sports on 01/14/2015