THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

BROOKLAND -- Pea Ridge needed one final stop. The Blackhawks got it late. Dumas senior forward Trey Slater couldn't get his jump shot to fall as time expired and Pea Ridge escaped with a 56-55 victory over the Bobcats on Wednesday in the first round of the Class 4A boys state basketball tournament at Bearcat Arena. "I was proud of the way we competed in the fourth quarter," Pea Ridge coach Trent Loyd said. "We made some big plays. Our kids are excited to move on and advance." Pea Ridge (28-6) will play Southside Batesville at 5:30 p.m. today in a quarterfinal game. Junior guard Nick Coble led the Blackhawks with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Hayden Holtgrewe had 15 points while junior forward Mikey Mahoney added 10 points. Pea Ridge led 23-22 at halftime. But sophomore guard Chris Harris scored Dumas' first six points of the third quarter to give the Bobcats a 28-23 lead. However, Pea Ridge went on a 14-0 run, capped by Coble's three-pointer for a 37-28 advantage with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the third quarter. "All year long, when teams have made runs, we've responded and never quit," Loyd said. "We never pointed fingers. You saw it again tonight. They battled. They stuck together and got each other going. I'm really pleased with the outcome." The Blackhawks entered the fourth quarter with a 41-31 lead. Dumas got within 55-52 with 37.4 seconds remaining on freshman Tarmarja Parker's layup. Pea Ridge had an opportunity to put Dumas away, but Holtgrewe missed three of four free throws down the stretch and junior guard Carson Rhine couldn't get two free throws to fall, leaving the door open for the Bobcats. Dumas (19-12) was led by Parker with 17 points. Slater scored 14 points, senior guard Kyon Smith had 12 points and Harris scored all 10 of his points in the second half. Pea Ridge played in last season's Class 4A state championship game against Baptist Prep in Hot Springs. Loyd believes that experience helped his team Wednesday. "That's what we were trying to preach in the locker room," Loyd said. "We've been here. We've been to the state tournament. Go out and play. "Dumas is a really talented team. Harris is a good point guard. I'm proud of the way we stuck together in a game of runs."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

PEA RIDGE HOLDS OFF DUMAS

JEREMY MUCK

Arkansas Online | 3/2/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Pea Ridge Athletics