Blytheville teams win thrillers over NHS

Blytheville picked up a sweep Tuesday night over the Nettleton Raiders at Chickasaw Gym. The Lady Chicks held on for a 44-41 win over the Lady Raiders in the opener while the boys kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a narrow 55-54 win in overtime.

With only two seniors on the squad, head coach Jeff Flanigan has relied on strong play from a host of under-experienced sophomores and juniors to try to get the Chickasaws back on the winning track. And while they have performed admirably, on Tuesday night, Flanigan called on his most experience senior with the game, and the season, on the line. With 1.8 seconds on the clock and the Chicks trailing, 54-53, in overtime, Bolden buried a 15 foot jumper to lift the Chickasaws to a 55-54 win over the Nettleton Raiders. Bolden had missed two critical free throws in the overtime session but more than made up for those with his game winner.

"He's a senior," said Flanigan. "He missed those two free throws and he felt like he owed us. That was money. He wanted that. That's the thing I have to say about him. He wants to be the leader of this team and that was the biggest shot of his life."

For Flanigan, it may have been the biggest win of his two year tenure at Blytheville. After a host of one-point losses and games that seemed to be snatched out of their hands, the Chickasaws finally pulled a game out in the closing moments.

"It's amazing," he said. "I told these guys before the game, the law of averages has to catch up to us sometime. We just played so hard. We've lost three or four one-point games this year. I felt very confident that we were going to pull this one out. Even at the end."

Bolden's final attempt seemed almost implausible 30 seconds prior. Nettleton had the ball with a one-point lead. With only two team fouls in the second half, Blytheville had to foul four times before Nettleton would be forced to the free throw line. After three straight fouls, the Chicks had one more chance. Instead of sending the Raiders to the line, however, Jermaine Smith came up with the steal on the inbounds play with 8.6 seconds left setting up the final play.

"I was concerned that the clock was going to run out because we had to foul so many times at the end," said Flanigan. "But I told them, this is exactly what I said in the huddle, 'We're going to steal the ball, get a time out, draw something up and we're going to win the game."

In the end, the lack of fouls actually gave the Chicks opportunities to get the ball back without Nettleton scoring.

"Absolutely. We were free to go after the ball. Nobody was in foul trouble. So, we just attacked. We knew their inbound plays. So, we could jump everything. We almost had one before the one we got. I knew it was just a matter of time"

The Chicks were in control much of the game. After taking the lead midway through the first at 8-7, Blytheville led until three and a half minutes left in the fourth.

While a senior gave the Chicks the win in the end, it was one of Flanigan's eight sophomores in uniform Tuesday night that kept them in the game the first four periods. Isaac Kelly scored 16 points on the night and most of them came just when the Chicks needed them the most. Ahead 16-11 to start the second period, Kelly scored the Chicks first six points including a layup off rebound of his own missed free throw and a three point play to put the Chicks up 22-13 with just under seven minutes to play in the half. With time winding down in the half, Kelly picked up a steal and hit a basket as time expired in the second sending the Chicks to the locker room with a 32-26 lead.

"I asked him at halftime, 'Do you have another half like that in you?'" said Flanigan. "He kept us in the game."

Kelly ended the third with a basket and opened the fourth as the Chicks took a 42-38 lead with 7:25 left.

The teams seesawed with the lead down the stretch. Nettleton had the ball with a 50-48 lead with 1:40 left and tried to dribble out the clock but Smith, another sophomore, came up with an open court steal and laid the ball in at the other end to tie the game up and sending it into overtime.

For the game, Bolden led the Chicks with 18 points, Kelly added 16, Smith and Mahlik Lews each chipped in nine points a piece. Silas Finch led all scorers with 21 points for the Raiders.

With the win, Blytheville (5-20, 5-6 5A-East) now trails fourth-place Beebe (6-5 5A-East) by one game after the Badgers' loss to Forrest City Tuesday night. With three games to play, the Chicks will need the Badgers, who own the tied breaker over Blytheville, to lose at least two more games if the Chicks are to have a shot at the playoffs.

Blytheville heads to Forrest City Friday night to take on the Mustangs who are a perfect, 11-0, in 5A-East play.

GIRLS

Blytheville 44,

Nettleton 41

The Blytheville Lady Chickasaws won their second game in a row in a thrilling, 44-41, win over the Nettleton Lady Raiders.

Trailing, 39-37, with just over three minutes to play, the Lady Chicks (9-15, 3-8 5A-East) ended the game on a 6-2 run to win the game. Dejah Prude knocked down a pair of free throws with 14.7 seconds left in the game to give Blytheville a three point lead. A three point attempt from Nettleton missed the mark securing the win for the Lady Chicks.

Prude hit five of six free throw attempts down the stretch to help the Chicks pull out the win.

Nettlton led 17-11 after the first period before Blytheville took a 22-20 lead into halftime. Ali Tucker hit a pair of free throws at the end of the third to give Nettleton a 33-23 heading into the fourth.

Nettleton led by five, 37-32, with just over five minutes to play before Ivery Guyton's bucket sparked a 9-2 Chickasaw run over the next two minutes to give them a 41-39 lead.

Prude led all scorers with 19 for the Lady Chicks and Guyton added seven.

Kiara Johnson led the Lady Raiders with 11.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com

@CN_AaronF