Wolverines Rally, Down Hornets

BRYANT -- Bentonville West's final possession in Thursday game against Bryant was neither perfect, nor was it a helter-skelter kind of situation. But for a Wolverines team that had struggled for the bulk of the game, it unfolded exactly the way they hoped it would. Tucker Anderson's dunk with 6.9 seconds left served as the game-winning points for Bentonville West as it escaped Hornet Arena with a 56-55 victory during the Bryant Classic. The basket capped a rousing final four minutes for the Wolverines, who scored 11 of the final 15 points. Bentonville West (6-1) sprinted out on a 9-2 run and moved ahead 54-53 on Cade Packnett's three-point play with 1:05 to go. Bryant (5-2) would later regain the lead with 11.7 seconds remaining on Gabe George's two free throws before Tucker Bowman raced the ball up the floor on the ensuing inbound pass and found Anderson inside for the jam. The Hornets managed to get off an ending shot, but George's off-balanced, running left-hander hit the side of the backboard at the horn. "It was just like we drew it up," Bentonville West Coach Greg White said with a laugh. "We work on our transition, and there at the end, [Assistant Coach Thomas Powell], who put in our transition break, said, 'Let them go.' So we let them go, and we finished with a dunk. "But this was certainly a game we needed because things have been a little weird for us." The weirdness White was referring to centered around his team's scheduling. The Wolverines have played just twice in the past 14 days -- a in-and-out drought that may have had something to do with their slow start. As a matter of fact, both teams had a rough go of things early. The team combined to shoot 4 of 18 (22.2%) and commit nine turnovers before the midway point of the first quarter had even been reached. "Practice has been wearing on us," White said. "Then we ride a bus down for a tough game against a Bryant team that really guards, and that made it even tougher on us. We didn't shoot well obviously, and those guys had a lot to do with that." Anderson finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolverines, who were 21 of 52 (40.4%) from the field. Riley Buccino had 18 points and Dawson Price added nine points. Khasen Robinson, who was coming off a 28-point effort in Tuesday's victory over Benton, ended with a team-high 21 points for Bryant, which was 18 of 44 (40.9%) from the field. George and Drake Fowler each finished with 10 points. Robinson's first points resulted in a four-point play with 6:31 to go in the second quarter. That three-pointer and free throw broke an 11-11 tie and led to a 14-4 run for the Hornets. Bentonville West did settle in afterward and notched the final five points of the quarter to trim Bryant's lead to 26-20 by halftime. The Wolverines quickly shaved five points off that margin in the first 57 seconds of the third quarter and pulled within 26-25 after a free throw by Bowman. The teams traded 9-0 runs, but a three-pointer from Robinson sparked another jolt that left the Hornets leading 42-40 after three quarters. Bryant held a 51-45 advantage following a shot in the lane by Landyn Newburn with 3:59 remaining, but that'd be the last field goal the Hornets would hit. Anderson made two free throws 24 seconds later to start Bentonville West's rally. "We shoot it so well most nights, and that allows us to be in every game," White said. "We've been down at halftime in every game we've played, but they never get down on themselves. That makes it fun to coach because they believe in us, believe in what we're doing. "That's evident in how it came out in this one."

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Bentonville West High School Athletics

WOLVERINES RALLY, DOWN HORNETS

ERICK TAYLOR

NWA Democrat-Gazette | 12/17/2021

PHOTO CREDIT: John Mackey