Points were hard to come by in the second half for Siloam Springs, but the Panthers managed to score just enough and got a huge defensive stop at the end for a 47-46 win over Coweta, Okla., in the third place game of the Jerry Oquin Invitational in Inola, Okla.
"As usual, the Inola tournament gave us everything we needed to see to get prepared for our conference season," said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. "It's a little rougher basketball. Officials call it a little more loose than what we see in some games over here, and the talent level was really high each night. Kids battled and came away with two good wins and a third place trophy. We're getting better each day."
Siloam Springs went 2-1 overall in the tournament with a victory over Verdigris (Okla.) on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and a loss to Victory Christian (Okla.) on Thursday, Dec. 8.
The Panthers (5-4) scored the first 12 points against Coweta before taking a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and 35-22 advantage at halftime.
Coweta closed the gap to 40-35 going into the fourth quarter and had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds. However, Siloam Springs senior Dalton Newman drew a charge on Coweta's final possession and the Panthers were able to run out the clock.
Nate Vachon scored 20 points to lead Siloam Springs, while Dalton Newman had 16, Jaxson Spence five, Nathan Hawbaker four and Levi Fox two.
Na'Kylan Starks led Coweta with 13 points, while J.T. Rich had 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Victory Christian 49, Siloam Springs 37
The Panthers fell to Victory Christian on Thursday, Dec. 8, in a winner's bracket semifinals.
The game was tied at 10 after the first quarter, but Victory Christian took a 24-17 lead at halftime and 36-25 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Chris Mason led Victory Christian with 22 points, while Michael Doctor had 12.
Dalton Newman led Siloam Springs with 14 points, while Nate Vachon had 11, Nathan Hawbaker seven, Jaxson Spence and Levi Fox each with two and Wilson Cunningham one.
Siloam Springs 62, Verdigris 54
The Panthers opened tournament play with a victory over Verdigris on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Siloam Springs trailed 14-13 after the first quarter, but the Panthers rallied to take a 29-26 lead at halftime.
Siloam Springs increased its lead to 47-43 going into the fourth quarter.
Nate Vachon scored a career-high 26 points to lead th Panthers while Dalton Newman had 25. Nathan Hawbaker and Levi Fox each had four, Jaxson Spence two and Cam Blackfox one.
Braxton Repschlaeger led Verdigris with 16 points, while Cody Lechlider scored 15 and Brant Teague 11.
Up next
The Panthers were scheduled to play at Farmington on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Results were not available at presstime.
Siloam Springs' boys will return to the court on Thursday at Rogers High.