SILOAM SPRINGS — The first varsity boys basketball game in Bentonville West’s history will go down as a classic — and a Wolverines victory.
West rallied from a fivepoint deficit in the fourth quarter and finished on a 12-3 run to defeat Siloam Springs 59-55 in a nonconference game Tuesday at Panther Arena.
“The first game in school history in a tough environment, I thought we made some toughness plays,” said West coach Greg White. “One of the blueprints of our program is going to be toughness. Our kids showed great resolve tonight.”
The Wolverines (1-0) trailed 52-47 midway through the fourth quarter after Harrison Kretzer scored on a putback for Siloam Springs.
West responded with a 6-0 run to take a 53-52 lead, including five straight points from Collier Blackburn.
Siloam Springs tied the game at 53-53 on a Noah Karp free throw, but West took the lead for good on a free throw from Cobe Muldrew, and Gabe Hornsby followed up with a basket for a 56-53 lead.
After a West turnover and trailing 57-55, Siloam Springs had a chance to tie with 22 seconds left, but Josh Hunt was called for traveling and the Wolverines got the ball back.
West was able to beat Siloam Springs’ pressure and the Panthers were unable to foul in time as Levi Rutherford scored in the last seconds to set the final score.
Hornsby and Muldrew, who scored the first points in West history, each scored 13 points, while Blackburn had 12. Noah Karp led Siloam Springs (0-1) with 18 points before fouling out. Hunt and Kretzer each had nine for the Panthers.
“We gave ourselves an opportunity to win it right there at the end,” said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. “I know we have seniors, but this is a young team experience-wise. You’ve got to go through the battles. We did everything but win the game.”
GIRLS
SILOAM SPRINGS 54,
BENTONVILLE WEST 44
Morgan Vaughn found her groove at just the right time for Siloam Springs.
The Lady Panthers’ junior point guard scored 18 of her 22 points in the third quarter and Siloam Springs surged ahead of the Lady Wolverines for a season-opening victory.
A scrappy West squad led 24-22 at halftime and Siloam Springs struggled with the athletic Lady Wolverines in the first half. West beat the Lady Panthers to loose balls and gave them trouble with their full court pressure.
Vaughn, who missed a couple of layups and didn’t make a 3-pointer in the first half, turned it around in the third quarter.
She had a couple of baskets inside to get the lead back for Siloam Springs, and Chloe Price scored in transition to make it 28-24.
Vaughn then had a steal and score and later hit a pair of 3-pointers as Siloam Springs pulled ahead by double digits.
Imani Montgomery led the Lady Wolverines with 18 points, while Shania Wilson had 14.