HOT SPRINGS -- One hug to the left of him, another to the right and a student section bursting through its seams in elation in between, Lane Baxter took one last look around as he dribbled out the final seconds.
Since his first time experiencing those same sights and sounds as a sixth grader back in 2018, when the Central Arkansas Christian girls basketball team won the state championship, Baxter had wanted to be the one on the court.
Thursday, as he led the Central Arkansas Christian boys to a 57-47 win over Bergman in the Class 3A state championship game at Bank OZK Arena, it was time to witness a celebration six years in the making.
"[CAC Coach Matt Hall] is always saying, 'Enjoy the journey,' enjoy every little moment," Baxter said. "I look up and I see that CAC student section, it was crazy. ... We just had everybody from CAC and that community having our backs, and it was all so cool."
Baxter and fellow senior Sam Maddox each scored 16 points in their final games for the Mustangs (27-5), clinching the program's first state championship.
"This is gonna be a huge deal for them down the road," Maddox said of the young CAC fans at the top of the student section. "They're gonna remember this game. They're gonna remember [when] CAC hung the first banner for the boys basketball program.
"We've talked about [a state championship] forever, and it's just surreal to see it come to fruition."
Both the Mustangs and Panthers (33-11) got off to slow starts offensively, but Dylan Friend closed the first quarter with 10 of the latter's 12 points for a 12-10 advantage.
Baxter responded with eight points, including two three-pointers, in the second quarter to give Central Arkansas Christian a 24-21 halftime lead.
As both offenses picked up the pace in the third quarter, Maddox finally found his footing after a three-point first half; he scored 11 of the Mustangs' 15 points in the quarter to maintain a lead.
"I was just hunting for my shot, but not trying to force anything, and I think it worked out a little bit," Maddox said.
Baxter scored eight points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter as the Mustangs extended their lead to 11 points.
"Sometimes, it's not necessarily what went wrong for you, it's what went right for them," Bergman Coach Bo Martin said. "... There at the beginning of the fourth, they did a great job of handling pressure, and they made some open shots when they got them."
Within the final 30 seconds, the senior hit a pair of game-clinching free throws and stole the ball from Friend on Bergman's final possession.
After a strong start to the game and six more points in the third quarter, fatigue and increased attention began to weigh on Friend, who played all 32 minutes. He finished with a game-high 24 points, but he missed six of his seven shots in the fourth quarter.
With state championships in football, baseball, girls basketball and now boys basketball, Hall said the Mustangs have their missing banner.
"To not only get over the hump for ourselves, but for the first time in CAC history, 51 years of being a school, the only missing banner in the gym is a boys basketball championship," he said. "So I know that means a ton to our community."
Central Arkansas Christian’s Sam Maddox (0) and the Mustangs won the Class 3A boys state championship Thursday in Hot Springs with a 57-47 victory over Bergman. Maddox had 16 points, sparked by 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)Photo Gallery
Class 3A Boys Basketball State Championship
Central Arkansas Christian beats Bergman 57-47 in the Class 3A boys basketball state championship game on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.