The hosts of the King Cotton Holiday Classic kept up with their visitors from Texas for three quarters Friday night, but faltered in the fourth.
Bellaire pulled away from Pine Bluff to win 61-45 in the first round at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Pine Bluff (3-11) trailed 26-23 at halftime despite leading for 7:48 of the first half and shooting 39.1% from the field, compared to the Cardinals’ 33.3. The Zebras had a 19-14 rebounding edge.
Bellaire (13-6) opened the second half with an 8-0 run to put some distance between itself and Pine Bluff. The Cardinals went on to lead 38-31 after the third quarter, then pulled away by outscoring the Zebras 23-14 in the fourth.
The Zebras outrebounded Bellaire 37-26 but missed all nine 3-point attempts, while the Cardinals made 6 of 19 from deep.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Bellaire senior Shelton Henderson scored a game-high 25 points. Fellow senior Kohlman Dutton scored 17 after making three 3-pointers, and senior Anthony Andrews scored 14 points with eight rebounds.
Senior Deriyon Graydon led the Zebras with 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior Christopher Hinton Jr. scored 12. Junior Quintin Roy finished with 9 points and ten rebounds.
The Cardinals opened the game on a 7-0 run, but the Zebras fought back with a 10-0 run later in the first quarter, with 5 of those points coming from Roy. A late floater by Graydon sent Pine Bluff into the second quarter up 14-11.
The Cardinals retook the lead with a 12-1 run in the second quarter, which Henderson finished with an emphatic dunk. Roy threw down a dunk of his own on the next possession to end the run, but the Zebras never led again.
Pine Bluff will face another Texas team, Waxahachie, at 6 p.m. Saturday in the consolation bracket. The Indians fell 73-43 to Bryant in the first round.
Springdale 69, Westminster 58
Last year’s King Cotton runners-up won’t have a chance at redemption after falling in the first round late Friday.
Springdale knocked off Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 69-58 in the final game of the opening day.
The Bulldogs led 12-10 after a first quarter which featured three lead changes and five ties. Springdale then pulled away by outscoring the Lions 20-8 in the second quarter. Westminster got the deficit down to 63-56 with 2:11 to play, but the Bulldogs answered with a 6-0 run to put the Lions away.
University of Arkansas signee Isaiah Sealy led Springdale with 24 points. Cy Bates scored 16 points, while Maliq Sosa finished with 14.
Westminster junior Alex Constanza scored a game-high 25 points, while Alex Lloyd scored 22.
Springdale will face Bellaire in the semifinals Saturday.
Deriyon Graydon of Pine Bluff High School pushes the ball up the court against Kohlman Dutton of Bellaire (Texas) in the second quarter of a King Cotton Holiday Classic game on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Isaiah Sealy (30) of Springdale drives to the basket against Chase Daniels (2) of Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), in the second quarter of a King Cotton Holiday Classic game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)