Hot Springs Coach Rodney Echols admitted his team was nervous going its matchup with Greenbrier on Tuesday, but it took 20 seconds for those jitters to go away.
The Trojans scored 11 consecutive points in the first quarter to grab a lead, then took advantage of a rash of Greenbrier turnovers in the second quarter to roll to a 61-49 victory in the first round of the Class 5A boys state tournament at Maumelle High School.
Sophomore forward Santiair Thomas had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks for Hot Springs (22-11), which didn't flinch after Greenbrier opened the game with a three-pointer. Junior guard Eddie Miles added 12 points, all in the first half, and senior guard Curtis Frierson chipped in 10.
The victory sends the Trojans to the second round, where they will face either Little Rock Christian or Blytheville on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
Hot Springs shot 20 of 43 from the floor and forced 21 turnovers.
Junior forward A.J. Matthews finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds for Greenbrier (19-10), which made several pushes late but ran out of gas after expending a great deal of energy trying to dig itself out of a huge hole. Senior forward Devin Clark also had 12 points and sophomore guard Kobe Dunlap had 11.
Dunlap's three-pointer 13 seconds into the game gave Greenbrier a 3-0 lead, but Hot Springs scored the next 11 points and never looked back.
"We had about three of four minutes where it was nerves for us, and then we had a little outburst that got us going," Echols said. "Scoring 26 points in that first quarter was big for us, especially with a team full or sophomores and juniors. We were able to make some shots and create some turnovers that allowed us to get out and run some.
"And by doing those things, we were able to build a nice lead by the half."
The Trojans forced seven turnovers in the second quarter and led by as many as 21 before holding a 40-23 lead at halftime. Hot Springs continued to push the pace in the second half and had a 45-27 lead by the midway point of the third quarter after a Frierson free throw, but Greenbrier, which was 17-of-55 shooting, never quit.
The Panthers eventually drew as close as 53-46 after Matthews' layup with 1:41 left. Greenbrier could have gotten closer but missed five consecutive free throws over a 45-second span and never scored again. Hot Springs hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final minute to set the final score.
"We kinda got away from what we were doing in the first half and started playing not to lose," Echols said. "But we continued to do a great job on the defensive end and boxed them out when we could. They made a run there late, but we fought through it and held on to get that win."
HARRISON 63,
CAMDEN FAIRVIEW 46
Harrison scored 15 of the first 18 points of the third quarter, including the first 11, to come back and beat Camden Fairview.
Senior forward Skyler Young scored 32 points to lead the Goblins (26-4), who trailed 29-28 at halftime, but went 9 of 13 in the third quarter to regain control. The Goblins hit 16 of 22 shots in the second half overall. Senior guard Colton Youngblood had 15 points. The Goblins, winners of 16 consecutive games, will play either Nettleton or Little Rock Parkview on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Senior guard C.J. Mitchell had 15 points for Camden Fairview (13-15), which hit just 1 of its 9 shots in the third quarter.
LITTLE ROCK FAIR 59,
VALLEY VIEW 32
Little Rock Fair ran off 25 consecutive points during an 8-minute span during the first and second quarters to defeat Valley View, the top seed from the 5A-East Conference.
Senior forward Mikael Foust scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Fair (23-6), which led 40-10 at halftime after shooting 14 of 20 from the floor in the first half. Senior guard Kameron Stafford also had 12 points, while senior forward Deaveon Bankston ended with 10. Three other players had at least six points for the War Eagles, who will play Alma or Watson Chapel on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Senior guard Lehman McNabb had 9 points for Valley View (15-14), which trailed 11-9 with 2:36 left in the first quarter but didn’t make another field goal until 7:10 remained in the third quarter.
Sports on 02/28/2018