Sheridan hits scoring low with loss against Lakeside

SHERIDAN — A defensive battle broke out Tuesday night, and the Sheridan boys’ basketball team was held to a new season low in scoring.

Hot Springs Lakeside defeated Sheridan 48-36 at Yellowjacket Arena.

Sheridan Coach Joe Scott said the Yellowjackets were rusty coming out of the break caused by last week’s winter storm.

“The snow days, the not being able to practice, getting everybody in the gym,” Scott said. “Hats off to Lakeside. They were really physical. We didn’t expect them to be that physical. We were extremely rusty again. That was our first game in a week, and before that, that was our second game in two weeks. You expect some rust, but we really struggled to shoot the ball from the field tonight.”

Sheridan (12-6, 1-3 in 5A-South) had not scored fewer than 41 points in a game this season until Tuesday. The Yellowjackets had scored 50 or more in their previous eight games and exceeded 60 in five of those games. This was their fourth time being held below 50 this season.

Despite Sheridan’s offensive struggles, the Yellowjackets held Lakeside (13-3, 3-2) below 50 points for just the third time this season. The Rams had previously scored 44 in a win against Arkadelphia and 37 in a season-opening loss to Vilonia.

“We were solid (on defense),” Scott said. “They average 61 a game. What did they score, 48? So, we held them to 13 points less than their average on the season. We gotta be better on the offensive end.”

The Yellowjackets led 5-2 early after both teams started the game slow, but the Rams used a 6-0 run to take the lead.

Sheridan senior Gavin Hobson tied the game at 8 with a 3-pointer, and senior Noah Romine later tied the game at 10.

Lakeside finished the first quarter on a 6-1 run and led the rest of the night. A 3-pointer by Sheridan senior Logan Ward cut it to 24-20 at halftime, but the Rams outscored the Yellowjackets 13-7 in the third quarter to pull away. After scoring 11 points in the first, Sheridan didn’t exceed 9 points in any subsequent period.

Lakeside senior River Cook scored a game-high 18 points. Romine led Sheridan with 12.

Scott said Cook’s energy was hard to contain.

“He was chasing down rebounds,” Scott said. “He was very active around the glass and around the rim. Honestly, we just had trouble keeping him off the boards.”

GIRLS: Lakeside 49, Sheridan 36

The Sheridan girls struggled to solve the Lakeside defense in a 49-36 loss.

Lakeside (10-6, 5-0) forced numerous turnovers between its full-court press and half-court defenses, making it difficult for the Lady Jackets to find open shots.

Lakeside sophomore McKenzie Williams led the Lady Rams with 19 points, followed by Payton Futch with 17.

Sheridan (9-9, 2-2) senior Addison Hill and junior Lilly Reid each scored 8 points to pace the Lady Jackets, followed by 7 points from junior Mason Wilson.

Sheridan briefly led 1-0 and 7-6, but Lakeside led 15-12 after the first quarter. Reid tied the game at 17 with a 3-pointer in the second quarter, but the Lady Rams finished the half on an 11-2 run from there to lead 28-19 at halftime.

The closest Sheridan got in the second half was 34-28 late in the third quarter, after which Lakeside turned two turnovers into layups to extend the lead.