THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

PEA RIDGE -- While Pea Ridge's boys struggled with their offensive production for most of Friday night's game, their defensive play came to the rescue. The Blackhawks limited Prairie Grove to just eight field goals and went on to claim a 48-25 victory over the Tigers during 4A-1 Conference action in Blackhawk Gymnasium. "I was really pleased with how we defended the whole game," Pea Ridge coach Trent Loyd said. "We guarded, and I'm very impressed with that. Defense can win you a lot of games. "Offensively, we had some good looks, but they just didn't fall in the first half. We just told them at halftime to keep firing because they will eventually fall and to keep doing what they're doing defensively. We finally took off in the third quarter and made some nice plays." Pea Ridge (12-3, 3-1) hit only eight field goals in the first half and built a 19-12 lead, thanks to Noah Peterson's putback before the buzzer sounded. The Blackhawks' early shooting struggles allowed Prairie Grove (2-8, 0-3) to not only stay within reach but have opportunities to tie or take the lead. The Tigers, however, couldn't take advantage after they pulled within 11-9 on James Millwood's free throw with 7 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first half. Prairie Grove then had the ball and only trailed 14-12 after a Riley Rhodes' 3-pointer, only to fail to convert once again. "That has been our Achilles heel this season," Tigers coach Steve Edmiston said. "Defensively, we've been real solid. Pea Ridge didn't shoot that well, but we didn't take advantage of it. "We had ample opportunities to make plays and get points on the board early. We simply didn't execute. When you're on the road in our conference, you just can't do that." After a Millwood bucket pulled Prairie Grove within 20-14 early in the third quarter, Pea Ridge found a needed offensive spark and went on an 18-3 run for a 38-17 lead. Landon Allison hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Peterson added another one to cap the outburst. Nick Coble led Pea Ridge with 10 points and was the only player in double figures as Allison and Wes Wales added nine apiece. Rhodes had six points to lead Prairie Grove.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

DEFENSE LIFTS PEA RIDGE PAST PRAIRIE GROVE

HENRY APPLE

Arkansas Online | 12/23/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Pea Ridge Athletics