SILOAM SPRINGS -- Austin Conner capped a big night by making the play of the game for Bentonville West.
Conner's putback of a missed shot with 1 second remaining gave the Wolverines the winning edge in a 71-69 victory in double-overtime over Siloam Springs in a nonconference game inside Panther Activity Center.
Bentonville West 71, Siloam Springs 69 (2OT)
Bentonville West^8^13^22^15^7^6—^71
Siloam Springs^14^13^16^15^7^4—^69
Bentonville West (3-4): Conner 20, Higson 13, Di. Bailey 12, Ruffner 8, Hardiman 6, Da. Bailey 5, Buccino 4, Swoboda 3.
Siloam Springs (4-3): Sauer 14, Ward 13, Vachon 12, Perkins 9, Wakefield 9, Wright 9, Clement 2, Bagsby 1.
The Wolverines inbounded the ball off the baseline with 5.5 seconds left, and Riley Buccino's baseline shot didn't fall. But Conner was there and tipped it back up and in for the game-winner.
"We got the shot we wanted," said West boys basketball coach Greg White. "It didn't go in, but it's a senior (Conner) making the most of his time. He's sat for two years because we had so many kids in front of him. What a big play for him. It's something he'll build off of. He's been getting a lot better. "
Conner finished with a game-high 20 points off the bench for the Wolverines (3-4), who trailed by as many as 13 points in the second quarter.
West cut the Siloam Springs lead to 27-21 at halftime, and from there on it was a back-and-forth game with both teams taking leads and having chances to win.
Siloam Springs (4-3) had the final shot in regulation, but Evan Sauer's leaner didn't fall.
West had a look at a game-winner in the first overtime, but Dawson Bailey's shot missed.
Jonas Higson chipped in 13 points for West, while Dillon Bailey finished with 12.
"At one time out there we had two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior," White said. "We're real excited about our young kids, but our seniors are really buying into that role of leading. That's a good win. Tim's got a good group. Coming over here and winning in double overtime, that takes some toughness, and that's what we want to build."
Evan Sauer led Siloam Springs with 14 points, while Landon Ward had 13, Drew Vachon 12, and Murphy Perkins, Jacob Wakefield and Thad Wright each had nine.
Both Perkins and Wakefield fouled out during the overtime periods, and the Panthers missed four free throws in the combined overtime that loomed large.
"In the second half, they were a little more physical than us and beat us on the boards pretty good," Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart said. "That last play comes down to a rebound, a tip in, and it's one of those situations that we practice. Our kids are going to learn a lot from that tough loss tonight."
Sports on 12/12/2018