Little Rock Parkview forward Cam Wallace was dominant through three quarters Friday night against Sylvan Hills, but he still saved his best for last.
The junior hit a driving shot just before the final buzzer sounded to power Parkview to a 51-49 victory in the 5A-Central Conference tournament final in front of an animated crowd at Sylvan Hills Middle School.
Wallace's basket punctuated a whirlwind night for the Patriots, who gained a measure of revenge they so desperately wanted from the Bears after losing to them in a similar fashion last week.
Parkview (20-3) dropped an 85-84 decision to Sylvan Hills on Feb. 26 when Bears' guard Nick Smith buried a go-ahead three-pointer in the closing seconds of double overtime. The Patriots pulled out a 75-72 victory over the Bears on Jan. 26, so Friday's game was par for the course between the two.
But Wallace made sure his team aced meeting No. 3 with a game-winning runner that capped his 23-point night. He also pulled down 14 rebounds, had 3 blocks and came away with 3 steals for Parkview, which will take the conference's top seed into next week's Class 5A State Tournament in Hot Springs.
"I tell this group all the time, dare to be good," said Parkview Coach Scotty Thurman, who was back on the sidelines after a two-game absence. "This is one resilient group. They showed a lot of poise when they got down in the fourth quarter. And the thing is, this is still a young group.
"They didn't get flustered. Despite all the things that we've been through over this past week, they stayed the course and pushed through."
The Patriots also got 12 points from junior guard Jaylen Thomas-Miller; a 7-rebound, 6-block effort from junior forward Jeff Kamanga; and strong defense from sophomore guard Nate Coley to stop the Bears' nine-game winning streak.
Parkview nearly experienced a bit of deja vu late in the fourth quarter.
Sylvan Hills (22-4) fought back from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 49-49 with 1:17 left after a put-back dunk from junior forward Corey Washington. The Bears later found themselves in position to take the game's final shot after forcing a turnover with 15 seconds remaining.
But Smith, who finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists, was called for an offensive foul with 4.9 second showing. Parkview called a timeout to pave the way for Wallace's heroics.
"Before we even took the ball out, I told them if I get the ball, then it's game," Wallace said. "I called game before I even took the shot, but I'm glad my teammates trusted me enough to even have the ball in my hands to take that last shot. We called this our GBT, our get back game, because it's all we've thought about.
"Ever since we lost to them last week, this is all we've thought about."
The start of the game wasn't the prettiest for either team. They combined to shoot 12 of 51 in the first half, with the Patriots holding an 18-17 lead. Parkview surged ahead in the third quarter and held a 38-28 cushion at the 1:45 mark until Smith brought the Bears back.
Coley made Smith work for his points all game, but the junior got in an offensive groove to pull the Bears within 38-33 by quarter's end. His 15-footer to start the fourth quarter ignited an 8-2 run to give Sylvan Hills a 41-40 lead.
"We just wanted to make things tough for him," Thurman said. "The last time we played them, he made that shot at the end that was defended pretty well. But he had some other shots in the game where no one was in front of him.
"If he's shooting with no one in front of him, it's like target practice for him. So we wanted to make it tough for him."