Basketball: Eckwood leads comeback for Har-Ber

SPRINGDALE --Tereke Eckwood would not let his team fail on Senior Night.

Eckwood scored 21 points to lead a comeback Tuesday and give Springdale Har-Ber a 61-59 victory over Fort Smith Northside at Wildcat Arena. Eckwood scored the game-winner on a hanging shot near the rim while the Northside defense converged on him with six seconds left.

7A-West

Boys

Har-Ber 61, Northside 59

Northside^18^16^17^8^—^59

Har-Ber^6^25^17^13^—^61

Northside (17-9, 7-5): Triplett 13, Patterson 12, Brewer 12, Dorsey 10, Jones 10, Barren 2

Har-Ber (18-7, 9-4): Eckwood 21, Benson 9, McNee 8, Brandon 8, Knight 6, Cline 6, Toomer 3

Girls

Northside 66, Har-Ber 52

Northside^17^19^16^14—^66

Har-Ber^8^22^11^11^—^52

Northside (26-1, 12-1): Shepard 17, McDonald 11, Hood 11, Alston 11, Jackson 8, Krissman 8

Har-Ber (18-9, 7-6): Redmond 13, Schalk 12, Higgins 9, Collins 9, Bohannan 6, Hornor 3

Northside got the ball back with 5.2 seconds left, but Mason Cline made a steal to preserve the victory for Har-Ber (19-7, 9-4), which trailed 18-6 after one quarter. Eckwood made four of six free throws for Har-Ber, which was only seven of 17 from the line. He also grabbed a key rebound and fed Cline for a 3-pointer that tied the game 59-59 with 1 minute, 6 seconds left.

"This is a win that changes the mindset of a program," Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin said. "We played behind the whole night and kept battling. Tereke's a money player, and he makes money plays."

Northside jumped to an 18-6 lead before Eckwood led a second-quarter surge to pull Har-Ber to within 34-31 at halftime. Eckwood repeatedly penetrated the Northside defense with drives to the basket. He then took a pass from inside and made a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Northside lead to 31-28.

Har-Ber continued its comeback in the third quarter and tied the game 48-48 when Avery Benson passed to Mason McNee for a bank shot. But Northside regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Tevin Brewer, who beat the buzzer with a quick release.

Tyler Triplett finished with 13 points to lead the Grizzlies (19-9, 7-5).

Girls

Northside 66, Har-Ber 52

Northside had balanced scoring and led throughout after starting the game with an 8-0 run.

Kira Shepard finished with 17 points for the Lady Bears (26-1, 12-1), who led 36-30 at halftime and 52-41 after three quarters. Shepard made three 3-pointers in the first half, and Jay Nea Alston had three 3-pointers in the second half for Northside, which had six players score between 17 and eight points.

The Lady Bears can clinch the No. 1 seed in the 7A-West with a win Friday over Fort Smith Southside at Arkansas-Fort Smith.

"We got off to an eight-point lead and kind of kept a cushion for most of the game," Northside coach Rickey Smith said. "Kira shot the ball well and got her hand on a lot of balls with some timely steals."

Har-Ber (18-9, 7-6) got back in the game in the first half behind the play of sophomore Jacie Higgins and freshman Savannah Collins. Collins made three of Har-Ber's six 3-pointers in the first half and added two assists to Paige Redmond for breakaway layups. Redmond's second layup came after a steal by Collins to cut the Northside lead to 33-27. But Northside regained control in the third quarter with strong inside play and the outside shooting of Shepard and Alston.

Redmond had 13 points and Bailey Schalk 12 for Har-Ber, which will try to end a four-game losing streak Friday at Rogers Heritage. Higgins and Collins added nine apiece.

Sports on 02/25/2015

Upcoming Events