White Hall, Sheridan fans revel in rivalry

Two passionate, rival fan bases packed the Bert Honey Gymnasium in White Hall on Friday, and they were rewarded with two thrilling games.

The White Hall boys basketball team finished the night by topping Sheridan 65-59 with a second-half comeback.

First-year White Hall (11-7, 4-1 in 5A-South) coach Matt Williams, coaching in his first Highway 270 Classic, said there’s no better rivalry in Arkansas, and the Bulldogs felt the pressure.

“We really struggled in the first half,” Williams said. “Give (Sheridan coach Joe) Scott credit. I think Coach Scott’s one of the best coaches in the entire state. They came out in that triangle and two, and we didn’t have an answer. When you’re at home in this rivalry, you feel a lot of pressure. So, we felt that, but give our kids credit for making plays in the second half.”

Sheridan (12-7, 1-4) never trailed until the fourth quarter when White Hall senior Ivan Armour hit an early shot to give the Bulldogs a 49-48 advantage. The Yellowjackets later tied the game at 56 on a pair of shots by junior Lane Bickford, but White Hall senior Jacoby Edwards retook the lead from the free-throw line.

A Logan Ward 3-pointer cut it to 60-59, but Armour answered with a 3-pointer with 46.4 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game. Edwards’ third dunk of the game sealed it for White Hall.

Both plays set off huge cheers from the White Hall faithful after both fan bases had been loud all night. Edwards said the energy from the fans transferred to the players.

“Adrenaline definitely is high,” Edwards said. “It definitely gives you (an) extra boost, but I think that’s really what everybody need.”

White Hall junior AJ McCray led the Bulldogs with 17 points, and Edwards followed with 15 as 10 players scored for White Hall. Bickford led the Yellowjackets with 24 points in the post.

Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the game, with Sheridan freshman Jace Gatlin hitting a 3-pointer to finally break the ice. White Hall tied it twice in the first quarter but never led.

The Yellowjackets led 35-27 at halftime and led by as much as 39-29 early in the third, but the Bulldogs chipped away. A 3-pointer by freshman Brian Cal Jr. and a 2-pointer by McCray cut Sheridan’s lead to 48-47 entering the fourth.

Williams said the Bulldogs relaxed in the second half, allowing them to rally.

“We were able to get (Cal) the basketball in the middle like we’d been trying all game long, and he was able to see other people, and different people hit big shots,” Williams said. “Jaxson Turner comes in and hit a big shot. Kel McEntire hit a big shot. Tristan Dunlap was really good off the bench. So, team effort, and finally breaking that triangle and two just a little bit.”

The Bulldogs outscored Sheridan 38-24 in the second half after allowing 21 Yellowjacket points in the second quarter alone.

GIRLS: Sheridan 54, White Hall 48

A big block in the closing seconds helped the Sheridan girls’ basketball team claim a rivalry road win.

A White Hall comeback faded late as the Lady Jackets prevailed 54-48.

Sheridan (10-9, 3-2) coach Andy Brakebill said the Lady Jackets have gone through scoring droughts at times in recent games but came through Friday night.

“Some adversity hit late in the game,” Brakebill said. “We could have folded, but we stayed in it. We made some big plays. We’ve been preaching TGHT, ‘The Game Honors Toughness,’ but they all came together and rallied together, and they played hard. But our good start definitely helped us.”

The Lady Jackets started the game on a 12-2 run and held leads of 18-5 and 22-7 in the first quarter. They seemed poised to cruise to an easy win, but White Hall (12-5, 2-3) fought back.

Kenedi Bowman led a 12-2 run in the second quarter to get White Hall back in the game. She then led a 9-3 run to open the second half, eventually tying the game at 39 late in the third by hitting back-to-back shots. With 2.7 seconds left, Kynnedi Barnett hit two free throws to give White Hall a 41-39 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Sheridan shut down the comeback in the fourth. Ella Williamson and Lilly Reid each hit 3-pointers in the first 1:30 of the quarter, and the Lady Jackets led the rest of the game. A Bowman 3-pointer cut it to 48-47, but Sheridan finished on a 6-1 run.

Lady Jacket senior Addison Hill put to rest any thought of last-second White Hall heroics with a defiant block with about 16 seconds remaining.

“One thing about Addison, you’re never going to question her effort,” Brakebill said. “It doesn’t surprise me. She’s just a hard-working kid, gets after it. So, it was good for her (to get the late block).”

Bowman led all scorers with 22 points, with Barnett adding 15 for the Lady Bulldogs. Reid led Sheridan with 15 points. Williamson followed with 12, and Hill finished with 10.