El Dorado had the ideal plan to combat Arkansas Baptist's imposing size advantage Saturday, but clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch ultimately allowed it to escape with a victory.
El Dorado went 10 for 1o from the free-throw line over the game's final three minutes to beat the Eagles 66-58 at the Arkansas Hoops Challenge at North Little Rock's Charging Wildcats Arena.
The Wildcats (8-1) finished 25 of 34 from the free-throw line, including 12 of 16 in the fourth quarter.
"The funny thing about it is that we lost our first game [Friday] to Shreveport Evangel because we were 10 out of 30 on free throws," El Dorado Coach Gary Simmons said.
El Dorado had a tough time getting much inside against Arkansas Baptist's tandem of 7-footers, Connor and Brandon Vanover. The brothers combined for 36 points and 18 rebounds, but El Dorado's feverish pace of play allowed its guards to find open shooters and helped the Wildcats stay one step ahead for the majority of the game.
Still, it took several defensive stops late to hold off the Eagles.
El Dorado never trailed and led 39-30 at halftime behind hot three-point shooting. The Wildcats knocked down eight three-pointers in the half, with Czar Perry and Tristian Simmons hitting three apiece. The Wildcats held a 42-34 lead midway through the third quarter before an ugly incident seemed to fuel an Eagles' rally.
Perry was called for a charging foul after barreling into Arkansas Baptist forward Jake Riddle. The two threw several punches at each other underneath the basket before being separated by teammates. Both were ejected, and Arkansas Baptist Coach Brian Ross was issued a technical for questioning the officials' ruling.
"The one thing about these kids is that they have shown me that they are not going to back down," Ross said. "We don't have any seniors, very little experience, but they've responded every time they've gotten down."
Arkansas Baptist (5-6) scored nine of the game's next 10 points to tie it at 43 by the quarter's end. The teams remained tied throughout the fourth quarter before a 23-footer by Tristian Simmons with 2:52 left in the game gave El Dorado the breathing room it needed to pull away.
Tristian Simmons finished with a team-high 21 points for El Dorado, which made 16 of 48 from the field and held a 40-30 rebounding edge. Perry had 17 points before the ejection, and 6-10 sophomore Daniel Gafford finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
Connor Vanover had 24 points points and 14 rebounds for Arkansas Baptist. Brandon Vanover added 12 points and five rebounds. The Eagles were 23 of 57 but attempted only 13 free throws, making 8.
EL DORADO (66)
Jarrett 0 0-0 0, Stewart 1 2-2 5, Unice 2 2-2 7, Hicks 0 3-4 3, Perry 6 2-2 17, Talley 0 0-0 0, Jefferson 0 0-0 0, Willis 0 0-0 0, Simmons 4 9-10 21, Manning 1 1-4 3, Gafford 2 6-10 10. Totals 16 25-34 66.
ARKANSAS BAPTIST (58)
Hogan 1 1-2 3, Co. McGonigal 3 1-2 8, Kauffman 1 0-0 2, Co. Vanover 9 4-5 24, B. Vanover 6 0-0 12, Ch. McGonigal 3 2-4 9, Riddle 0 0-0 0, Vaden 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 8-13 58.
El Dorado (8-1) 17 22 4 23 -- 66
Arkansas Baptist (5-6) 14 16 13 15 -- 58
Three-point goals -- El Dorado 9 (Simmons 4, Perry 3, Unice, Stewart); Arkansas Baptist 4 (C. Vanover 2, Co. McGonigal, Ch. McGonigal). Team fouls -- El Dorado 16, Arkansas Baptist 23. Fouled out -- Manning, Hogan. Technical fouls -- Arkansas Baptist coach. Ejections -- Perry, Riddle.
Sports on 12/21/2014