PEA RIDGE -- Berryville Coach Brent Compton says he sometimes has to tell his players that they have a big post player in Weston Teague.
It is hard, though, to resist shooting from three-point range, given the success the Bobcats enjoyed there Tuesday night. Five different Berryville players hit shots from beyond the arc -- including four by D.J. Colbert -- as the Bobcats rolled to a 58-34 victory over Pea Ridge during a 4A-1 Conference game in Blackhawk Arena.
"We have some guys that are capable, and they knocked them down," Compton said. "I keep reminding them that we need to throw it inside. When both things are going, from inside and outside, we can be pretty solid."
Berryville (17-2, 4-1) started the game with a Jack Dignan three-pointer and never trailed, even though the 6-foot-8 Teague picked up two fouls in the first half and sat for a good portion of the first half. The Bobcats enjoyed an 11-2 cushion after one quarter, despite Pea Ridge's attempt to slow the game down and test Berryville's patience.
The Bobcats, however, found their three-shooting groove in the second quarter, with Colbert coming off the bench and hitting a trio of shots from well beyond the arc. After Pea Ridge (8-13, 2-4) had pulled within 19-13 on Joshua Turner's bucket with 4:42 before halftime, Colbert drilled a pair of his long three-pointers, and Nate Allen hit another one to give Berryville a 28-15 halftime cushion.
"D.J. Colbert is an outside shooting machine," Compton said. "That was nice for him to step up in there and do that.
"Pea Ridge was outmanned, and I don't mean that in a disrespectful manner. We have a little more talent, and they were trying to give their team a chance by slowing the game down and limiting the number of possessions. I was sort of expecting that."
The only thing the Bobcats didn't do was enforce the running clock with a 30-point lead. Jake Wilson, who finished with 15 points to lead Berryville, hit two free throws to make it a 53-24 game with 5:33 remaining, but Pea Ridge denied the Bobcats a chance to make the lead bigger.
Colbert finished with 12 points and was the only other player in double figures for Berryville, which travels to Prairie Grove for a conference game Friday. James Bledsoe, a freshman, had nine for Pea Ridge, which travels to Shiloh Christian for conference action Friday.