SHERIDAN – Pine Bluff got off to a hot start Tuesday night, but one second quarter timeout allowed Sheridan to quickly retake control in boys basketball.
Sheridan erased an early double-digit deficit to cruise past the Zebras 75-47 at Yellowjacket Arena.
Pine Bluff (1-8, 0-2 in 5A-South) led 24-12 when Sheridan called a timeout with 4:24 remaining in the first half. The Zebras had led 13-4 following a 10-0 run. Sheridan trimmed it to 15-10 by the end of the quarter, but a pair of shots by sophomore Rayshun Reed gave the Zebras their largest lead when Sheridan called the timeout.
Sheridan (9-3, 2-0) entered the game on a seven-game winning streak, while Pine Bluff brought a seven-game losing streak to Grant County. Both streaks were in danger when Sheridan coach Joe Scott called the timeout.
Scott said he spent it talking about defensive intensity.
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“I thought we were soft coming out in the first quarter defensively,” Scott said. “We closed the first half on a 19-4 run. I think we forced eight turnovers in that. We have really good size with Lane (Bickford) and Dawson Griffin, 6-6 and 6-8, but we went to a smaller lineup and pressed them. We thought our defensive intensity could turn them over, and that’s exactly what we did.”
The Yellowjackets outscored Pine Bluff 15-2 over the next 2:27, with freshman Wilson Reid hitting a go-ahead three-pointer. Seconds after, Pine Bluff turned the ball over, and the Zebras took a timeout with 1:47 left in the half. Sheridan went on to lead 31-28 at halftime.
The game was never in doubt again. Sheridan opened the second half on an 8-0 run and ultimately more than doubled its point total in the third quarter, outscoring the Zebras 32-13.
Griffin said the Yellowjackets played harder after the timeout.
“We knew we were the better team walking into this,” Griffin said. “They hit us in the mouth, and I feel like we responded really good as a team.”
Sheridan sophomore Jace Gatlin scored a game-high 21 points. Griffin, a junior, added 18 points, while sophomore Beckett Scott scored 14.
Pine Bluff sophomore Braylon Turner and junior Quentin Adams each scored 13 to lead the Zebras. Adams scored 13 of Pine Bluff’s 19 second half points.
Sheridan has now won eight straight games after a 1-3 start with each game away from home. The Yellowjackets are 5-0 on their home court.
Scott said he intentionally scheduled a tough start to the season.
“We threw them to the fire early,” Scott said. “We knew what we were doing. We’re a very young team. We have one returning starter, and we just needed time to develop. We needed time to get chemistry, time to play together. … We’re finding the lineups that we like. We’re finding what works, and we’re starting to come together and play really unselfish basketball.”
The Zebras have now lost eight in a row dating back to their season-opening 58-55 home win against Watson Chapel.
GIRLS: Sheridan 46, Pine Bluff 20
The Pine Bluff girls struggled to score until the game was well beyond reach on Tuesday.
Sheridan (6-5, 2-0) started the game up 10-0 before senior Adrianna McAfee scored Pine Bluff’s first two points with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter. The Lady Jacket lead grew to 26-2 before McAfee hit a three-pointer with 2:18 left in the first half, and Sheridan went on to lead 32-6 at halftime.
The Lady Jackets opened the second half on an 11-0 run, leading to a Pine Bluff (1-7, 0-2) timeout with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. From there, the Fillies finished the game on a 14-3 run. Sheridan didn’t score in the fourth quarter and pulled its starters with 3:07 remaining and the clock running. The Lady Jackets’ largest lead was 43-6.
Sheridan made eight three-pointers, including six in the first half. Senior Lilly Reid made four and finished with 14 points, with freshman Addy Grimmett adding 14 points of her own to lead the Lady Jackets. McAfee led Pine Bluff with 10.
