A standing-room-only crowd of more than 6,500 watched North Little Rock rally in the fourth quarter for a 66-59 victory over Bentonville on the final day of the Arkansas High School State Basketball Championships.
The record-breaking crowd boosted the three-day attendance mark to 51,973, the largest attendance figure in Hot Springs since 2011.
Saturday’s total attendance was 29,164 for the six games, making it the eighth-largest final-day crowd for any final. It was the largest final-day crowd at what is now called the Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
The tournament’s first eight championship games drew a combined 22,807 fans, an average of 2,851 a contest.
The doors were closed approximately 25 minutes before tipoff of the Class 7A boys championship game, which featured a battle between highly-recruited standouts KeVaughn Allen of North Little Rock and Malik Monk of Bentonville. The two stars did not disappoint, combining for 53 points and 14 rebounds.
7A BOYS
North Little Rock 66, Bentonville 59
MVP KeVaughn Allen
ATTENDANCE 6,500+
m North Little Rock outscored Bentonville 9-2 in the game’s final 2:30 as the Charging Wildcats won their third consecutive 7A championship game. The 2014 title was forfeited after the school reported use of an ineligible player to the Arkansas Activities Association. The game was tied at 57-57, but a layup by Adrian Moore (10 points, 10 rebounds) with 2:30 left put NLR on top for good. Allen finished with 28 points and five rebounds. Monk scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds. There were three lead changes and the score was tied five times.
7A GIRLS
Fayetteville 80, Conway 65
MVP Sydney Crockett
ATTENDANCE 5,265
m Sydney Crockett hit five consecutive three-point attempts and finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for Fayetteville (24-6), which finished the season winning 16 of its final 17 games. Pink Jones added 19 points and five assists for Fayetteville. University of Arkansas signee Jordan Danberry scored 20 points for Conway (24-7), which finished 5 of 26 on three-point attempts.
6A BOYS
Pine Bluff 46, Jonesboro 43
MVP Marcus Thomas
ATTENDANCE 4,280
m Marquie Smith and Marcus Thomas each hit two free throws in the final 18 seconds allowing Pine Bluff to hold on to an upset victory over Jonesboro. The Hurricane made 4 of 20 three-point attempts and missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer. Thomas led his team with 14 points.
6A GIRLS
Greenwood 39, Siloam Springs 31
MVP Megan Hartness
ATTENDANCE 3,725
m Greenwood scored 23 consecutive points in the first half to build a 27-7 lead but managed 10 points in the second half. Hartness led the Lady Bulldogs to their third state title in four years, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Greenwood junior Madison Goodner tied a state finals record by recording nine of her team’s 22 steals.
5A BOYS
McClellan 82, Maumelle 73
MVP Andre Jones
ATTENDANCE 4,356
m Andre Jones turned in a 24-point, 16-rebound performance to lead McClellan (24-6) to its second state title since 2010. The Lions never trailed, hit 26 of 45 field-goal attempts, including a 7-of-11 performance from three-point range. Keith Hayes led McClellan with 26 points and Demarian Johnson scored 21 for Maumelle (22-9).
5A GIRLS
Hot Springs 62, Pulaski Academy 61
MVP Berniezha Tidwell
ATTENDANCE 2,516
m Berniezha Tidwell scored 30 points, including a free throw with 3.1 seconds left in overtime, to give Hot Springs (26-4) its first state title since 1998. Tidwell also had six steals and three assists. Sophomore Morgan Wallace had 19 points and three assists for Pulaski Academy (28-3).
4A BOYS
Monticello 57, Subiaco 42
MVP D.J. Franklin
ATTENDANCE 3,749
m Monticello outscored Subiaco 35-21 in the second half to earn its first state title since 1976.The Billies made 14 steals, compared to only six for Subiaco while posting a 12-2 advantage on fast-break points. Monticello enjoyed a 39-26 advantage on the boards.
4A GIRLS
Riverview 65, Ozark 43
MVP Erykah Johns
ATTENDANCE 2,723
m Riverview took advantage of Ozark’s 3-of-26 effort from three-point range to earn its first state title. The Lady Raiders outscored Ozark 46-12 inside the lane, hitting 25 of 50 shots. Ozark was limited to 11 of 53 shooting overall. Johns scored 14 points and Riley Madison added 16 points and nine rebounds.
3A BOYS
Episcopal 57, Mayflower 40
MVP Mahlon Martin
ATTENDANCE 1,927
m Episcopal Collegiate (27-5) claimed its second state title in a row, defeating 3A-5 Conference rival Mayflower (21-11). Martin scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the second half and senior Justin Gooseberry collected 16 rebounds, which places him in the Top 10 in that category for a State Final game.
3A GIRLS
Greenland 72, Valley Springs 53
MVP Kianna Thompson
ATTENDANCE 2,538
m Greenland outrebounded Valley Springs 53-26 and shot 48 percent from the floor (26 of 54) on its way to earning its third state title in the past four years. Thompson had 21 points and seven rebounds while teammate Kim Crown had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
2A BOYS
England 64, Junction City 62
MVP Tyrik Harris
ATTENDANCE 5,563
m Tyrik Harris capped a 23-point performance with two free throws with 12 seconds left and Brandon Thompson (18 points) swatted away a last-second scoring attempt by Junction City to give England its first state title. The game featured nine lead changes and four ties
2A GIRLS
Marmaduke 68, England 56
MVP Sidnee Bopp
ATTENDANCE 4,961
m Marmaduke (41-2) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but rallied to win its first state title. Sidnee Bopp topped all scorers with 27 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and making a game-high 6 steals. Marmaduke dominated England (30-7) inside, outscoring the Lady Lions 50-26 inside the paint.
1A BOYS
Bay 83, Emerson 56
MVP Colton Watson
ATTENDANCE 2,543
m Watson, a 6-1 senior guard, became only the fourth boys player to score 40 or more points in a state final game. Watson hit 12 of 22 shots, 6 of 14 three-pointers and 10 of 13 free-throw attempts. He also had seven rebounds and six assists. Bay hit 50 percent from the floor (27 of 54).
1A GIRLS
Nemo Vista 32, Wonderview 30
MVP Maggie Mahan
ATTENDANCE 1,324
m For the second year in a row, Nemo Vista defeated conference-rival Wonderview in the state title game for the second year in a row. The Lady Red Hawks outrebounded their rivals 30-17 and outshot them 38-26.