It took two extra periods to separate a pair of Jefferson County rivals on a rainy Friday night at the former Jack Robey Junior High School campus.
White Hall earned its first 5A-South Conference boys basketball win this season defeating Pine Bluff 94-85 in double overtime. Junior Tristen Dunlap said the Bulldogs needed this one after starting conference play 0-3.
“It was very exciting, being a crosstown rival and all that,” Dunlap said. “It’s big to win this one. It’s very big to win this one.”
Regulation ended with the game tied at 66. Pine Bluff (3-11, 2-3 in 5A-South) started overtime on a 6-2 run before the Bulldogs rallied to tie the game at 72, then again at 74. Junior Quentin Adams gave the Zebras a 76-74 lead at the free throw line with 35.7 seconds remaining.
White Hall (3-11, 1-3) junior Marcus Murry Jr. had a chance to tie the game from the line with 21 seconds left. He missed both free throws, but Bulldog junior Markel Kelley grabbed the offensive rebound. Murry redeemed himself with a game-tying step-back shot from the free throw line to send the game into a second overtime period.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Bulldog coach Trey Lenox said several players who don’t typically get a lot of minutes stepped up, including Kelley.
“We don’t win this game without Markel Kelley, and I can’t speak enough to how he stayed just locked in and trusting our process and trusting in me and our coaching staff, and even trusting his teammates,” Lenox said. “With the games he don’t play, he’s always upbeat, and he’s always cheering on his teammates. This time, he got the minutes that he felt, that we all think he deserves, and he stepped up big tonight.”
Adams scored first in double overtime to put the Zebras back in front, but it was all Bulldogs from there. Pine Bluff didn’t make another shot from the field until sophomore Braylon Turner scored while drawing a foul with 14.4 seconds remaining. He completed the three-point play, but the Bulldogs had already pulled away with a 15-2 run earlier in the period.
The game featured 10 lead changes. The Zebras led by as much as 21-14 in the second quarter before the Bulldogs rallied for a 24-23 edge. White Hall then led 35-27 early in the second half, but Pine Bluff fought back to take a 47-38 lead later in the third quarter.
The Zebras led 55-46 in the fourth before the Bulldogs went on a run to take a 62-59 advantage. Two free throws by Adams with 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation were needed to get the game to overtime after Murry hit a go-ahead shot late in the fourth.
White Hall never led in the first overtime but outscored Pine Bluff 18-9 in the second.
Pine Bluff assistant coach Marland Smith led the Zebras with head coach Billy Dixon out with an illness. Smith said he was pleased with the Zebras’ effort, but they made too many mistakes when they had chances to close out a win.
“We had some opportunities where we was plus-two, plus-four with a minute left, and we jack up a three-ball,” Smith said. “We come down another time, maybe in the overtime, plus-four again, and we shoot another shot that we didn’t need. So, I thought the lack of experience and the lack of experiences in those type of situations down the stretch kind of showed.”
Adams led the Zebras with 30 points, with Turner adding 17. Senior Quintin Roy contributed 10 points.
Dunlap finished with a game-high 31 points after scoring 9 in the second overtime. Fellow junior Korey Hope scored 17, while senior Bobby Foster finished with 15. Murry scored 11, and sophomore Jaxson Turner added 11.
Lenox said Dunlap showed grit and leadership in the win.
“I think it showed tonight that he’s one of the best players in the state of Arkansas, and I truly believe that,” Lenox said. “You can quote me on that. I don’t really care if it puts a target on his back. He is genuinely a great kid. I can’t speak enough to just him or the kids that I have in that locker room, because I’m so proud of them tonight, man.”
GIRLS: White Hall 65, Pine Bluff 37
Four White Hall Lady Bulldogs scored in double digits as they pulled away from Pine Bluff.
White Hall (8-5, 3-1) senior Kynnedi Barnett and junior Paige White tied for the game lead with 17 points each. Senior Blair Weston added 12 points, and senior Jelayla Stith finished with 10.
Pine Bluff (1-12, 0-5) did its best to hang around in the first half. The Lady Bulldogs led 8-2 early, but the Fillies cut it to 9-6 before White Hall went on an 8-0 run. White Hall then pulled away by outscoring Pine Bluff 14-3 in the second quarter to take a 32-13 lead into halftime.
The Fillies outscored White Hall 15-14 in the third quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run to put the game away.
Pine Bluff senior Adrianna McAfee led the Fillies with 11 points.
