GRAVETTE -- Siloam Springs' boys didn't successfully defend their Gravette Christmas Tournament championship from a year ago, but the Panthers did take a step forward in getting ready for 5A-West Conference play.
Siloam Springs made things uncomfortable most of the night for Tulsa, Okla., powerhouse Holland Hall as the Dutch struggled to make sense of the Panthers' 3-2 zone defense.
Holland Hall regrouped in the second half to pull out a 51-40 victory on Thursday, Dec. 29, at Lions Arena, ending the Panthers' three-game winning streak.
"We told our kids we're really proud," said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. "Since the Farmington game (a 64-34 loss on Dec. 13), there's been a lot of growth and a lot of toughness showed."
"Great effort, great contribution from a lot of different kids the last three games. That's encouraging for us to see."
Holland Hall was the perceived favorite going into the finals, having won the Jerry Oquin Invitational in Inola, Okla., 72-61 over Victory Christian on Dec. 10, the same Victory Christian team that beat Siloam Springs 49-37 just days earlier on Dec. 8.
Holland Hall coach Teddy Owens said he knew after watching Siloam Springs in the Inola Tournament that his team would have its hands full.
"That's what we said about halfway through is if other teams see this they might install that 3-2 matchup zone, because it gives you such a tough time," Owens said. "His coaches and guys completely buy in. They play so stinking hard all the time. He's got
a really good group. Anytime you play Siloam Springs, they're going to give you fits because you know their kids are going to play as hard as possible. ... We kind of dreaded playing them."
That became a reality in the second quarter when the Panthers went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter and led Holland Hall 18-16 in the second quarter.
Siloam Springs trailed 16-10, but two free throws and a bucket from Nathan Hawbaker and two buckets from Dalton Newman gave Siloam Springs a two-point lead. After Holland Hall tied it up, Levi Fox, who led with 15 points, grabbed an offensive rebound and scored for a 20-18 lead.
The game was tied 20-20 at halftime.
But just as Holland Hall (8-0) struggled with Siloam Springs' 3-2 zone, the Panthers had a tough time dealing with the Dutch's 2-3 defensive scheme.
The Panthers only scored four points in the third quarter while Holland Hall scored 11 to go up 31-24 going into the fourth.
"Holland Hall, we all know is a good team, a team that beat Victory," Stewart said. "It's the first time we've seen the 2-3 zone. They play it differently. I told the kids a lot of that is on me. I didn't think the kids were ready for that zone as much as I pictured us being.
"So that's something we can work on, and it's good to see it now instead of at Greenbrier or at Mountain Home or wherever. We know there's something there we've got to spend some time on. We weren't really polished against their 2-3 tonight."
Jadon Cool, a Division I recruit, scored the first five points of the third quarter and Carter Benton added two big 3-pointers at the end of the quarter.
"I was just proud of our guys," Owens said. "They just kept on plugging, kept on plugging and hit some big shots in the third quarter."
Fox hit a pair of 3-pointers to bring Siloam Springs back to within 39-32 in the fourth and scored a career-high 15 points.
"Played his guts out for sure," Stewart said of Fox. "Everybody knows he's a little Energizer Bunny, but he's starting to be more polished every game. He's more mature. He's on balance more. He's able to hit those shots, make good decisions. If everybody can take notes with what they're seeing from Levi, we're going to continue to make strides."
Nate Vachon added a pair of treys later in the quarter to keep the Panthers within striking distance.
Benton led Holland Hall with 13 points, while Cool had 12, Javon Thompson 11 and Nate Mullendore five.
Hawbaker finished with 10 points, his third straight game in the tournament scoring 10, while Newman had nine and Vachon six.
The Panthers now brace to open 5A-West Conference play at home Friday against Mountain Home (9-7).
"We looked through the schedule, and we look at it with confidence saying we can play with every team and we look at it with the poise and maturity to say every team on that schedule is able to beat us too," Stewart said. "It's every night.
"They're young. They've got some kids we don't know. They've kind of been a roller coaster. But they have good length. Hopefully it sets up to where our zone can give them fits, and we can get the ball moving a little better and get to the free-throw line a little more."
Holland Hall 51, Siloam Springs 40
Holland Hall^12^8^11^20^--^51
Siloam Springs^9^11^4^16^--^40
Holland Hall (8-0): Benton 13, Cool 12, Thompson 11, Mullendore 10, Taber 5,
Siloam Springs (8-6): Fox 15, Hawbaker 10, Newman 9, Vachon 6.
Siloam Springs 56, Claremore, Okla. 45
Siloam Springs advanced to the boys championship of the Gravette Christmas Tournament with a 56-45 victory over Claremore, Okla., in a winner's bracket semifinal on Wednesday afternoon.
The Panthers trailed 16-14 after the first quarter but rallied to take a 30-29 lead at halftime and 40-34 lead going into the fourth quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers from Nate Vachon.
Siloam Springs (8-5) extended its lead to eight points twice early in the fourth quarter, but Claremore cut the deficit to 45-44 after Kort Seidel scored eight straight points, including a pair of treys.
Nathan Hawbaker answered with a 3-pointer for the Panthers to get the lead back up to 48-44. Dalton Newman added a bucket inside and Hawbaker scored a layup off a Claremore turnover to make it 52-44.
Claremore's Cade Chancellor split a pair of free throws to end the 7-0 run, but Vachon knocked down four straight free throws as the Panthers ended the game on an 11-1 run.
"Coaches were talking to the kids about how that's the little scrappy dog in you coming out," said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. "We made some tough plays down the stretch. That's what we need to see, hit some big shots, grabbed some big rebounds, but that overall toughness in the last four minutes was fun to see."
Vachon led Siloam Springs with 21 points, while Newman had 20, Hawbaker 10, Levi Fox three and Noah Shipp two.
"It's big when you feel like the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together," Stewart said. "You can't give them confidence. They have to earn that, and I think they've earned it and they're playing with more confidence. We're scoring multiple ways. Kids are coming together, gelling, it's fun to see going into conference."
Siedel led Claremore with 13 points, while Chancellor had nine.
Siloam Springs 56, Claremore, Okla. 45
Siloam Springs^14^16^10^16^--^56
Claremore, Okla.^16^13^5^11^--^45
Siloam Springs: Vachon 21, Newman 20, Hawbaker 10, Fox 3, Shipp 2.
Claremore, Okla.: Seidel 13, Chancellor 9, Jones 7, Mann 6, Lagers 5, Rogers 3, Haradge 2.
Siloam Springs 59, Jay, Okla. 35
The Panthers showed little signs of a near two-week layoff in their opening game against Jay, Okla., on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Siloam Springs scored the first 18 points of the game and led 18-2 after the first quarter. The Panthers extended that margin to 35-3 in the second quarter before emptying the bench.
Siloam Springs led 37-8 at halftime and 47-22 going into the fourth quarter.
Because the Panthers were coming off their first game since Dec. 15, head coach Tim Stewart said a big emphasis was getting off to a good start.
"We put a lot of emphasis on those first two minutes, coming out like we're in the state tournament for two minutes," Stewart said. "The kids were able to get some tips and steals and hit some shots. Everything looks better when you hit some threes. We were proud of how we started the game. We thought that influenced the rest of the game for us."
Ten Panthers cracked the scoring column, led by 12 points from Nate Vachon and 10 points from Nathan Hawbaker. Dalton Newman and Levi Fox each added seven points, while Noah Shipp had six, Jaxson Spence and Wilson Cunningham each with five, Cam Blackfox three and Caden Hansen and Marcus Molina each with two.
Siloam Springs 59, Jay, Okla. 35
Jay, Okla.^2^6^14^13^--^35
Siloam Springs^18^19^10^12^--^59
Jay, Okla.: Landrum 10, Payton 7, Rutherford 6, Jones 5, Robertson 3, Carter 2, Taylor 2.
Siloam Springs: Vachon 12, Hawbaker 10, Newman 7, Fox 7, Shipp 6, Spence 5, Cunningham 5, Blackfox 3, Hansen 2, Molina 2.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader The Siloam Springs boys basketball team poses with the second place plaque after losing 51-40 to Holland Hall (Okla.) in the championship game of the Gravette Christmas Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 29, at Lions Arena.