MOUNTAIN HOME -- Mountain Home didn't clinch a playoff spot Friday night, but the Bombers took a giant step in that direction.
The Bombers scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to defeat Siloam Springs 42-21 at Bomber Stadium.
The win moves the Bombers (3-5, 2-3) into fifth place in the 6A-West Conference standings with two games remaining, while Siloam Springs (1-7, 0-5) saw its playoff hopes take another blow.
Gage Lindsey rushed for three touchdowns for Mountain Home and caught a touchdown pass, while the Bombers also scored two touchdowns off of special teams.
The Bombers blocked a first-quarter punt and took over at the 1-yard line, leading to Mountain Home's first score, by Lindsey to tie the game 7-7.
With the game tied 14-14 at halftime, Mountain Home's Brody Patterson returned the second-half kickoff 91 yards for a score.
"That's been our Achilles' heel all year has been our special teams," said Mountain Home Coach Steve Ary. "They came up big tonight."
Siloam Springs Coach Brandon Craig said the special-teams plays hurt the Panthers.
"Two special teams plays cost us big tonight," Craig said. "We work our butts off on special teams, and we spend a lot of time on it. It's hard to get a look in practice for what you're going to see. That's no excuse. We've got to do a better job."
The Bombers also were masterful with converting on third and fourth downs in the second half.
After Siloam Springs scored on its first drive of the third quarter to tie the game at 21-21, the Bombers took over and ripped off a 15-play, 69-yard drive where it converted three third downs and a fourth down.
Brady Barnett threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Lindsey for a 28-21 lead with 1:42 left in the game and the Bombers never trailed again.
The Bombers converted two more third downs and another fourth down on their next drive to go up 35-21 on Lindsey's second touchdown run.
Lindsey rushed for a 24-yard score to set the final score late in the fourth quarter.
"Third down they made some plays. We didn't," Craig said. "I felt like going into the game we had good matchups. We won some of those matchups and we lost some key matchups, and that's where we really lost the game."
Siloam Springs opened the game with a 71-yard scoring drive in just five plays. Christian Ledeker ran for a 33-yard gain on a reverse and Hunter Talley hit Jonathon Graves for a 28-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.
The Panthers got a stop on defense but Mountain Home pinned them back deep. When Siloam Springs tried to punt, the Bombers crashed into the backfield to block it, setting up their first score.
Siloam Springs took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when Talley found Brendan Lashley for a 23-yard touchdown on fourth and 11.
The Panthers stayed up until later in the quarter when a fumble gave Mountain Home the ball at their own 45-yard line.
The Bombers took advantage when Blake Bentley hauled in a 29-yard reception from Barnett to tie the game at 14.
Mountain Home had 314 yards of offense, including 191 rushing yards. Barnett rushed for 96 yards, while Lindsey had 77. Barnett completed 9 of 16 passes for 123 yards.
Siloam Springs had 313 total yards. Talley rushed for 67 yards and completed 17 of 32 passes for 162. Lashley caught 8 passes for 84 yards, while Graves had 6 catches for 62 yards.