BERRYVILLE -- Gravette concentrated at the foul line, making 13 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter to defeat rival Gentry, 53-42, at the 4A-1 District tournament.
The contest, played at Bobcat Arena in Berryville on Feb. 15, featured a battle from the opening tip-off between the two rivals. The lead seesawed back and forth early. Austin Morris' 3-pointer from the left wing erased a 10-8 Gravette lead and put Gentry in front, 11-10. Kelton Trembly answered with a trey of his own with seven seconds left in the opening quarter.
The Lions extended their lead to 15-12 on a pair of Chris Childress free throws. Foul shots by Morris began a 9-2 Gentry run with the Pioneer sharp-shooter adding a trifecta and driving bucket to push Gentry in front, 21-17. The score was knotted at 22-all at the half.
Gravette scored the first four points of the third before 5-feet-10 guard Cole Cripps scored twice, including a putback among trees to tie the contest at 26-26 with 2:04 remaining in the third. The last five points of the quarter belonged to Gravette, marking what second-year Gentry head boys' coach Brent Hester called a turning point in the game.
"If we don't execute and do a really good job the entire time, they get away from us," Hester said. "We throw a couple of loose passes and with their length, they are athletic enough to get those every time. We go from 26-26 to 31-26 and we just can't score enough to keep up with them."
The Lions defended Morris better after allowing him 15 first-half points; he was held scoreless in the third and finished with a game-high 19. Meanwhile, Gravette's Andrew Miller was heating up, scoring 9 of his 11 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer to push the Lion lead to 34-26. Ethan Hammond, Cripps and Evan Folker each nailed a 3-pointer to keep Gentry close, the last by Folker, narrowing Gravette's lead to 38-35 midway through the fourth.
Two more treys by Morris and Hammond drew the Pioneers within three, 44-41, at the 1:41 mark, but Gravette pulled away with an 8-1 run to close out the game and eliminate Gentry from the postseason. Dayten Wishon led Gravette with 13 points, while Childress and Miller each contributed 11. With the win, Gravette advanced to the semifinal against Pea Ridge on Friday. The Lions also secured a berth in the 4A North Regional this week at West Fork.
Hester could still smile after Gravette beat them, 53-42, last Wednesday because he has been embraced by the community.
Manager Madison Boyd, who plays on the freshmen girls' basketball team, said Hester has done well in building relationships.
"He cares about everyone, he doesn't take people lightly," Boyd said. "You can talk to him, he will listen to you."
Boyd thinks Hester mixes well with student-athletes.
"He's only been here two years, I think he's grown a strong relationship, more so than the previous coach who was here five years," Boyd said.
The community factor gives Hester optimism for the future.
"The kids at Gentry are amazing, the people at Gentry are amazing, the community is amazing, so building relationships is easy," Hester said. "I have been so blessed they asked me to come to Gentry and coach. It's been a great move for my family and kids. The community is great."
Gravette 53, Gentry 42
Gentry 11 11 4 16 -- 42
Gravette 13 9 9 22 -- 53
Gentry (12-11): Austin Morris 19, Cole Cripps 11, Ethan Hammon 6, Evan Folker 6.
Gravette (21-6): Dayten Wishon 13, Chris Childress 11, Andrew Miller 11, Kelton Trembly 8, Seth Duke 6.
Sports on 02/22/2017