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It was a bittersweet feeling for the Heber Springs Panthers, who defended their 2-4A District tournament championship on Saturday by schooling Marianna-Lee 59-50 at the Panther Den.
But, standout senior power forward Austin Brown sprained his ankle while making a basket and drawing contact in the third quarter. Brown landed awkwardly and immediately left for the locker room. He returned but hobbled to the finish.
Brown is questionable for tonight’s 4A East Regional tournament opener against Brookland. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m. in Cave City.
Following Saturday’s win, Panthers Coach Kevin Kyzer was obviously concerned about his frontcourt catalyst. “Man, you just never know until you get him in there and get it X-rayed. It is swollen pretty bad. I won’t be enjoying this win I can tell you that. I’m worried about No. 4 right now so we’ll see what happens.”
Marianna hung around early and actually snatched a 28-26 halftime lead when guard Josh Wyers made a 30-foot shot from right wing at the buzzer. Wyers also sank a wild, fall away three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer, leaving the game tied at 14-all after the first eight minutes of play.
“The two buzzer-beaters, which we had a hand in his face, they really hurt us. That’s six points right there. And, there is not a lot of room for error against Marianna any way. But, they sucked it up and got it done,” said Kyzer.
“We did a better job in the second half of moving on offense. Our defense had some breakdowns and we didn’t rebound well when Brown got hurt. But, John [Price] took over on the offensive end and we still pulled away.”
Heber, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, took the game’s first lead on its first possession as Brown popped a three-pointer up top but Marianna guard Jacobi Higgins slashed down right baseline for a layup and guard Demarcus Price made two free throws.
Heber guard Judson Smith countered with a three-pointer from left wing and roughly a minute later guard Austin Adkins drilled a three-pointer from top of the key, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 9-4.
The Trojans tied the game with five straight, including a three-pointer out front from Demarcus Price. Brown split two defenders and finished with a hanger in traffic but Marianna versatile forward Josh Smith buried a 19-foot jumper from right wing.
Adkins fired back with a three-pointer from right corner off an assist from Price but Wyers would respond with a prayer beyond right elbow that was answered as the Trojans tied the game at 14-all going into the second period.
Judson Smith opened the second with a deep three-pointer out front then both teams suffered a scoring drought until Demarcus Price drove into the lane and finished with an off-balance shot.
Adkins answered again – this time with a three-pointer from left elbow, pushing Heber’s lead to 20-16 before Demarcus Price hit a fade away shot from right wing. Price then drove into the lane and switched hands in mid-air while scoring in traffic but Marianna forward Darderick Jones notched a bucket from right block.
Heber pushed its lead back to four when Brown turned a steal by John Price into a pair of free throws but the Trojans suddenly took the lead with five in a row from Demarcus Price, including a deep three-pointer from left wing.
John Price quickly put Heber back in front with a pull up jumper from top of the key in transition but Wyers made another circus shot from 30-feet out, leaving the Panthers with a 28-26 halftime deficit.
Brown powered up for two from left block on the Panthers’ first possession of the third quarter but Demarcus Price retaliated with a three-pointer from right elbow. John Price then scored four straight, including two free throws and a driving layup, which he finished with an acrobatic scoop shot in a crowded lane.
Marianna regained the lead on three free throws from Demarcus Price, who was fouled on a three-point attempt before Heber swingman Michael Kramer canned a three-pointer from left wing off an assist from Smith, sparking an 8-0 run.
With the Panthers leading 35-34, John Price intercepted a pass and beat the speedy Trojans down the floor for a layup then Price made a smooth spin move into the lane and dished to Brown, who finished while being pushed from behind. Brown left the game with 2:50 left in the third quarter as forward Mason Schroeder came in to shoot the free throw and he completed the three-point play.
Both teams hit a dry spell for the final 2:35 of the third quarter other than a free throw by Josh Smith, which left Heber with a 40-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
John Price opened the fourth quarter with a 16-foot fade away jumper from left baseline but Smith answered from right block. John Price fired back with a strong drive for a layup before Demarcus Price struck again, this time with a three-pointer, cutting the Panthers’ lead to four at 44-40.
With just under six minutes left to play, John Price made a pair of free throws then Demarcus Price and John Price each made a free throw before John Price used a stutter-step to get free for a pull up jumper from right elbow.
Moments later John Price added a pair of free throws as the Panthers began to taste victory, leading 51-41. After Smith notched a soaring putback for the Trojans, John Price made two more from the stripe but Marianna hung tough as Wyers dropped a floater then Smith got a stick back following a steal by Wyers.
With Heber leading 53-47, John Price sealed the Panthers’ victory by sinking 4-of-4 free throws. Demarcus Price hit an off-balance three-pointer up top before John Price sank two more from the charity stripe, setting the final at 59-50.
Demarcus Price led Marianna with 22 points, Wyers added eight and Josh Smith chipped in seven.
John Price scored a game-high 29 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter to help Heber (23-3) pull away. Price, who finished 7-of-10 from the field and 15-of-17 from the foul line, also contributed six assists and six steals. Brown added 11 points and eight rebounds, Adkins followed with nine points and Judson Smith had six points.
It was a bittersweet feeling for the Heber Springs Panthers, who defended their 2-4A District tournament championship on Saturday by schooling Marianna-Lee 59-50 at the Panther Den.
But, standout senior power forward Austin Brown sprained his ankle while making a basket and drawing contact in the third quarter. Brown landed awkwardly and immediately left for the locker room. He returned but hobbled to the finish.
Brown is questionable for tonight’s 4A East Regional tournament opener against Brookland. The game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 p.m. in Cave City.
Following Saturday’s win, Panthers Coach Kevin Kyzer was obviously concerned about his frontcourt catalyst. “Man, you just never know until you get him in there and get it X-rayed. It is swollen pretty bad. I won’t be enjoying this win I can tell you that. I’m worried about No. 4 right now so we’ll see what happens.”
Marianna hung around early and actually snatched a 28-26 halftime lead when guard Josh Wyers made a 30-foot shot from right wing at the buzzer. Wyers also sank a wild, fall away three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer, leaving the game tied at 14-all after the first eight minutes of play.
“The two buzzer-beaters, which we had a hand in his face, they really hurt us. That’s six points right there. And, there is not a lot of room for error against Marianna any way. But, they sucked it up and got it done,” said Kyzer.
“We did a better job in the second half of moving on offense. Our defense had some breakdowns and we didn’t rebound well when Brown got hurt. But, John [Price] took over on the offensive end and we still pulled away.”
Heber, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, took the game’s first lead on its first possession as Brown popped a three-pointer up top but Marianna guard Jacobi Higgins slashed down right baseline for a layup and guard Demarcus Price made two free throws.
Heber guard Judson Smith countered with a three-pointer from left wing and roughly a minute later guard Austin Adkins drilled a three-pointer from top of the key, pushing the Panthers’ lead to 9-4.
The Trojans tied the game with five straight, including a three-pointer out front from Demarcus Price. Brown split two defenders and finished with a hanger in traffic but Marianna versatile forward Josh Smith buried a 19-foot jumper from right wing.
Adkins fired back with a three-pointer from right corner off an assist from Price but Wyers would respond with a prayer beyond right elbow that was answered as the Trojans tied the game at 14-all going into the second period.
Judson Smith opened the second with a deep three-pointer out front then both teams suffered a scoring drought until Demarcus Price drove into the lane and finished with an off-balance shot.
Adkins answered again – this time with a three-pointer from left elbow, pushing Heber’s lead to 20-16 before Demarcus Price hit a fade away shot from right wing. Price then drove into the lane and switched hands in mid-air while scoring in traffic but Marianna forward Darderick Jones notched a bucket from right block.
Heber pushed its lead back to four when Brown turned a steal by John Price into a pair of free throws but the Trojans suddenly took the lead with five in a row from Demarcus Price, including a deep three-pointer from left wing.
John Price quickly put Heber back in front with a pull up jumper from top of the key in transition but Wyers made another circus shot from 30-feet out, leaving the Panthers with a 28-26 halftime deficit.
Brown powered up for two from left block on the Panthers’ first possession of the third quarter but Demarcus Price retaliated with a three-pointer from right elbow. John Price then scored four straight, including two free throws and a driving layup, which he finished with an acrobatic scoop shot in a crowded lane.
Marianna regained the lead on three free throws from Demarcus Price, who was fouled on a three-point attempt before Heber swingman Michael Kramer canned a three-pointer from left wing off an assist from Smith, sparking an 8-0 run.
With the Panthers leading 35-34, John Price intercepted a pass and beat the speedy Trojans down the floor for a layup then Price made a smooth spin move into the lane and dished to Brown, who finished while being pushed from behind. Brown left the game with 2:50 left in the third quarter as forward Mason Schroeder came in to shoot the free throw and he completed the three-point play.
Both teams hit a dry spell for the final 2:35 of the third quarter other than a free throw by Josh Smith, which left Heber with a 40-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
John Price opened the fourth quarter with a 16-foot fade away jumper from left baseline but Smith answered from right block. John Price fired back with a strong drive for a layup before Demarcus Price struck again, this time with a three-pointer, cutting the Panthers’ lead to four at 44-40.
With just under six minutes left to play, John Price made a pair of free throws then Demarcus Price and John Price each made a free throw before John Price used a stutter-step to get free for a pull up jumper from right elbow.
Moments later John Price added a pair of free throws as the Panthers began to taste victory, leading 51-41. After Smith notched a soaring putback for the Trojans, John Price made two more from the stripe but Marianna hung tough as Wyers dropped a floater then Smith got a stick back following a steal by Wyers.
With Heber leading 53-47, John Price sealed the Panthers’ victory by sinking 4-of-4 free throws. Demarcus Price hit an off-balance three-pointer up top before John Price sank two more from the charity stripe, setting the final at 59-50.
Demarcus Price led Marianna with 22 points, Wyers added eight and Josh Smith chipped in seven.
John Price scored a game-high 29 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter to help Heber (23-3) pull away. Price, who finished 7-of-10 from the field and 15-of-17 from the foul line, also contributed six assists and six steals. Brown added 11 points and eight rebounds, Adkins followed with nine points and Judson Smith had six points.
