SEARCY — With the season on the line in the final minutes of Thursday’s playoff game, Pine Bluff High School guards Randy Emerson Jr. and Kaden Higgins stepped up when needed.
Emerson and Higgins helped the Zebras defeat the Van Buren Pointers 53-50 in the first round of the 5A state basketball tournament at Searcy High School. Van Buren (23-8) took a 50-47 lead in the fourth quarter after senior Glavine McDonald nailed a 3-pointer. That go-ahead shot capped off a 10-2 Pointer run.
Pine Bluff (21-6) got a free throw from Higgins, then Emerson shot a 3-pointer of this own to put the Zebras back in front, 51-50. That score held for roughly 2 minutes before Higgins drew a foul and made two critical free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining.
The Pointers got two 3-point attempts off but didn’t connect on either as time expired, sending the Zebras to the second round of the tournament.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Coach Billy Dixon said the Zebras had good practices leading into the tournament, including Emerson and Higgins.
“I thought it was good that both of those guys had a chance to have a shine and play well and do the things that they did,” Dixon said. “I thought it was important that Higgins was in the ball game at the end. I made a decision to go with the lineup that I had out there just to make sure things continued to work for us, and it did.”
Emerson led the Zebras with 12 points, and Higgins scored 11. McDonald led Van Buren with 12, and senior Drew Brasuell added 10.
The critical late points Emerson and Higgins scored made the difference in part because of the Zebras’ lockdown defense. Van Buren didn’t score in the final 3 minutes.
Emerson said Pine Bluff changed to zone defense, which helped the Zebras close out the win.
“It really helped us a lot,” Emerson said. “Giving guys more legs, more break, just so we could play harder, play faster, get some steals, get to the other end, get a bucket, and keep getting the stops.”
Early on, the game didn’t seem destined for a tight finish. Pine Bluff led 6-0 early, then led 15-4. The reigning state champions felt headed for a comfortable win, but Van Buren fought back, ending the first quarter and opening the second on a 9-0 run. The game was tight the rest of the way, with Van Buren taking its first lead midway through the third quarter after starting the second half on a 9-0 run.
Dixon said the Zebras’ transition game helped them get the early lead, but Van Buren got back into the game when Pine Bluff got away from it, so they had to adjust in the second half.
“We came back, pushed the ball, and then we went into our three-quarter court zone press, which actually made them slow the ball down,” Dixon said. “We stretched them out with the zone, matched up, and made them have to work the ball, work the clock down, and try to take a bad shot.
Pine Bluff will face Jacksonville in the second round Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Titans finished fourth in the 5A-Central Conference and upset 5A-East champion Nettleton 55-46 in the first round.