The Siloam Springs eighth- and ninth-grade basketball teams finished their 2014-15 seasons on a strong note Thursday with all four teams picking up victories to close the season.
Ninth grade boys
ROGERS -- The Siloam Springs ninth-grade boys got out to a quick start against Rogers and thumped the Mounties 40-18 at W.E. King Arena.
The Panthers (6-17, 1-9 Northwest Arkansas Conference) snapped a nine-game losing streak dating to January 12. The team also had its leading scorer, Marquan Sorrells, promoted to the high school varsity team before the spring semester began.
"I'm extremely proud of our team," said ninth-grade boys coach Bill Covington. "Young men of lesser character may have given in when things weren't going well. But this team worked hard every day in practice and continually got better as the season progressed."
The Panthers led 12-2 after the first quarter and pulled ahead 20-6 at halftime. Siloam Springs led Rogers 27-8 going into the final quarter.
Spencer Lashley led the Panthers with 11 points, while Diego Flores had nine, Eli Simpson, Garrett Self and Cervantez Martin each with six, and Bairon Magana with two.
"Getting a much deserved win to finish the season was very rewarding," Covington said. "I know our boys basketball coaching staff is very excited to watch these guys grow as basketball players and as men throughout the coming seasons."
The Panthers lost to Bentonville Gold on Wednesday at the Panther Activity Center. The game was a makeup after Monday's junior high games were postponed due to inclement weather.
Gold led 11-9 after the first quarter, but the Panthers rallied to tie the game at 25 at halftime. Siloam Springs led 35-34 going into the fourth quarter and was outscored 13-4 in the fourth quarter.
Lashley led with 12 points, while Flores had 11, Magana 10, Martin four and Tristan Moose two.
Ninth-grade girls
The ninth-grade girls basketball team exploded offensively for a 49-24 win against Rogers at Panther Activity Center on Thursday in their season finale.
Morgan Vaughn hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points, while Hadlee Hollenback added 10 points for the Lady Panthers, who finished the season 12-12 and 3-7 in conference play.
"These girls showed up and worked hard every day," said ninth-grade girls coach Rebecca Ault. "They had to battle adversity with various injuries through the season."
The Lady Panthers led 18-2 after the first quarter and 31-13 at halftime. Siloam Springs carried a 41-17 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Chloe Price added six points for the Lady Panthers, while Brianna Ponticello scored five, Abby Vaughn four, Kirsten Williams and Kenlie Noel two each.
"I am really proud of them as basketball players and people," Ault said. "This was a great game to end our season. We played hard, played physical defense and executed our zone offense."
The Lady Panthers lost at Bentonville Gold on Wednesday 39-29.
Siloam Springs led 6-5 after the first quarter and 15-14 at halftime. Gold ralled to take a 26-22 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Morgan Vaughn led Siloam Springs with 10 points, while Price and Abby Vaughn each had seven, Hadlee Hollenback with four and Williams with one.
Eighth-grade boys
ROGERS -- The Siloam Springs eighth-grade boys ended their season Thursday with a 56-34 win against Rogers Kirskey.
The Panthers finished with a final record of 10-9.
Matt Avery led the Panthers with 12 points, while Sonny Hankins scored 10, Jacob Wakefield eight, Karson Clement, Corbin Collins and Chase Chandler five each, Baron Meek four, L.T. Ellis and Murphy Perkins three each and Isaiah Edwards one.
"Tonight was a lot of fun and a great way to end the season," said eighth-grade coach Michael Robertson. "I feel like we really forced the tempo at times. We were flying around and making plays. Our rotations and reads on defense were really good and led to several turnovers and fast break opportunities. Really proud of our guys.
This is a tough league and they kept coming back to work every day and played their best basketball at the end of the season, which is what we are always looking for. They are a great group of young men -- so enthusiastic and supportive of every teammate, which says a lot about their character. We are excited about their progress and looking forward to seeing them continue to develop."
The Panthers lost to Bentonville Fulbright on Wednesday 41-25. Clement led the Panthers with seven points, while Micah Eldridge had six, Avery four, and Hankins, Wakefield, Collins and Coleman Honea two each.
Eighth-grade girls
Perhaps the most improved team over the course of the year was the Siloam Springs eighth-grade girls, who finished the season Thursday with a 25-21 win against Rogers Kirks,mey.
The Lady Panthers finished the season with a 7-12 record, but they won five of their last six games.
"We had a really fun year," said eighth-grade coach Kelley Waters. "This is a great group of girls that competed hard all year. For us to finish the season winning five of our last six shows the growth and development we achieved over the last few months."
Against Kirksey on Thursday, the Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Cougars 13-5 in the third quarter to take a 22-14 lead going into the fourth.
Chloe Price led the Lady Panthers with eight points, while Alexis Roach and McKenzie Blanchard each had five, Emery Brown four and Hailey Dorsey 3.
The Lady Panthers only loss in the last three weeks was Wednesday's 38-16 loss to Bentonville Fulbright. Dorsey and Brown each led with three points, while Smith, Roach, Kailey Fowler, Katie Kendrick and Price each had two.
Sports on 02/22/2015