Northside's Grizzlies moved into sole possession of first place in the 7A-Central after posting a 69-56 win at Little Rock Central on Tuesday.
After both teams scored 11 points in the opening quarter, Northside (17-6, 8-1) outscored Central 26-17 in the second quarter to take a 37-28 lead at halftime. The Grizzlies then extended their lead to 18 points, 56-38, at the end of the third.
Isaiah Joe had 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second quarter and hit two 3-pointers. He went 8-of-14 from the field, 4-of-5 from the free-throw line and also recorded six assists.
Kentrell Jacobs added 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, which included making four 3's. He had six boards and four steals as well.
Javion Releford scored nine points and grabbed five boards, and Jaylin Williams had seven points, four boards and blocked four shots.
The Grizzlies shot 56 percent from the field (27-of-48) for the game.
Northside will return home on Friday to take on Little Rock Catholic.
Northside 49, LR Central 45
GIRLS — The Lady Bears survived a big road challenge on Tuesday and maintained at least a share of the 7A-Central lead.
Northside (20-2, 8-1) is tied for first place with North Little Rock, which won at Conway on Tuesday.
The Lady Bears led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter and were up by two at halftime (24-22) as well as after three quarters (36-34). But Northside managed a 13-11 edge in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win.
Sara Bershers led the Lady Bears with 17 points, one of three players in double figures. She also hit two 3-pointers and registered eight rebounds and five blocks.
Sydney Green had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tracey Bershers finished with 10 points, eight boards and two blocks. Green also went 9-of-11 from the foul line, as the Lady Bears finished 17-of-21 in that category.
Northside returns home on Friday to take on Mount St. Mary.
Southside 65, Cabot 59
Dillon Hamilton and Ike Moore combined for 36 points Tuesday night to pace Southside to a 65-59 win over Cabot — the team's third straight home victory.
“We knew that was a big one,” Southside coach Charlie Cooper said. “We came into tonight tied with them at 3-and-5. I told the kids this was a big one if we could pick up this one tonight.”
Southside (12-11, 4-5) led by 13 at half and by 17 (48-31) with four minutes to play in the third quarter before the Panthers rallied to within four in the fourth quarter.
“We told them at the half, they’re (Cabot) a good basketball team,” Cooper said. “They’re not just going roll over; they’re going to make a run at you. They had some mistakes, but they didn’t roll over on them. I was proud of them.”
Bentonville 42, Van Buren 36
GIRLS — Avery Hughes scored all 12 of her points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth quarter Wednesday, as Bentonville rallied to beat Van Buren, 42-36.
The Tigers (17-5, 6-3) overcame Jamilyn Kinney's 13-point effort.
Also for Van Buren (13-8, 5-4), Kayleigh Evans and Ira Sandoval had nine and seven points, respectively.
Bentonville 65, Van Buren 32
BOYS — Bentonville used a 26-0 first half scoring run to build a 35-21 halftime lead. The Tigers then put the game away with a 10-0 run to open the fourth and the Tigers coasted to a 65-32 win over the Pointers in 7A-West play.
Michael Shanks scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half for the Tigers. Asa Hutchinson had 10, and Jordan West led Van Buren with eight.
The Pointers host Heritage on Friday.
Alma 65, Siloam Springs 48
BOYS — Christian Stahler capped a 24-point third quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and the Alma Airedales rallied to beat Siloam Springs on Wednesday, 65-48, for their 14th victory of the season.
Alma (14-7, 7-2) trailed 32-24 at the half before erupting for 41 second half points. Garrison Jensen led Alma with 15 points, and Ceejay Mann and Brayden Johnson finished with 14 apiece.
Tanner Shelton added 10.
Siloam Springs 49, Alma 45
GIRLS — The Siloam Springs Lady Panthers rallied from a 31-21 halftime deficit with a big third quarter push Wednesday night.
Alma hit seven first-half 3-pointers, but finished with just 14 second half points. Cassidy Cooper led the Airedalettes with 13 points.
Zoie Mcghee and Bailey Hoffsommer finished with nine and eight points, respectively.