CABOT — Sometimes the best thing for a team that has just suffered a gut-wrenching loss is to get right back out there as soon as possible.
On Wednesday, the Bryant Hornets freshman team suffered a disappointing 60-53 loss in overtime to Conway Blue in Conway. It was the fourth time this season, the Hornets had lost in an extra three-minute period, accounting for all but one of their losses. But, after each of those occasions, Bryant bounced back in their next outing with a convincing victory.
This time, it was the very next night as the Hornets opened the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference schedule at Cabot North with an impressive 44-33 win.
It came despite some adversity. Even though the muscular Junior Panthers were pressing on defense, there was some banging under the boards and the Hornets were attacking the basket on offense, Cabot North was only cited for three fouls through three quarters. All three actually came in the first period.
Despite that, Bryant trailed for only a few seconds after overcoming a 7-3 deficit in the early stages of the game.
The Panthers scored the first two baskets of the contest and, after Brandon Harris nailed a 3 to break the goose egg for the Hornets, an answering triple made it 7-3.
But Bryant then went on a 9-0 run to gain the upper hand. Harris sparked the surge with another air of bombs sandwiching a free throw by Calvin Allen. And when Marvin Moody drained a pull-up jumper off a drive, it was 12-7.
The Panthers rallied, trailing just 13-11 going into the second quarter then, eventually taking a 16-15 lead after Bryant’s Hunter Handly was credited with a tip-in that was aided by a Cabot player to start the period.
The Cabot North lead lasted 19 seconds before Kaleb Turner buried the first of his two triples to give the Hornets the lead for good. Turner followed up a Cabot turnover with a layup off a dish from Calvin Allen and, after another Panthers’ miscue, he drilled an 18-footer that made it 22-16.
After a timeout, Turner made a steal and fed Trey Ashmore for a layup to complete a 9-0 rush.
Cabot ended the surge with a jumper in the lane only to have Caylin Allen contribute to the long-range attack with a troika. Turner added a baseline jumper and it was 29-18, the largest margin of the game until the end.
The Panthers cut the margin to 9 with a late basket as the teams went to the locker rooms at the half.
And when the Hornets managed just 4 points — baskets by Calvin Allen and Moody — in the third quarter, Cabot North whittled the lead to 33-27.
Turner drew the first Panthers’ foul of the second half in the first minute of the final period. He made one free throw and, at the other end, the Panthers converted twice at the line to get within 5.
Bryant got a lift from John Winston off the bench at that point. After knocking down a 15-footer, Winston answered a Cabot basket with a layup off a dish from Calvin Allen to make it 38-31.
Two free throws with 3:11 left had the Panthers back within 5 but those were the last points they would muster though they had a chance to draw closer only to misfire. Turner splashed a 3 off a kickout from Moody at the 2:16 mark to put the Panthers under the gun. The Allen brothers sealed the victory with free throws in the final minute.
“Coming off a tough loss last night and a pretty big crowd here tonight, I thought we really responded,” said Hornets coach Tyler Posey. “The kids picked up the intensity level from the git-go. I thought it showed defensively and I thought it translated very well on the offensive end.”
Turner led Bryant with 13 points. Harris had 9, Calvin Allen 6 with Winston, Moody and Caylin Allen finishing with 4 each. Handly and Ashmore added 2 apiece.
Now 11-5 overall, the Hornets return to league action at home against Benton on Thursday, Jan. 23. The Panthers are the only team to beat the Hornets in regulation time, 55-46, on Nov. 18 in the second round of the Bryant Invitational Tournament. The two teams met again at Benton on Nov. 25 and the Hornets prevailed 35-22.
