Mustangs rally past Rebels 49-37

Buffalo Island Central overcame a sluggish start to rally past archrival Riverside, capturing a 49-37 victory Friday night in 2A-3 conference play at Lake City.

The Rebels bolted to a 9-0 lead out of the gate, capped off by Brandon Sain's three pointer off the left wing midway through the first quarter. BIC finally got on the board at the 4:06 mark on an inside basket from newcomer Adrian Lopez. Riverside stretched its lead to 14-5 when Luke Baker drained a three pointer at the 2:20 mark, followed by a three point play from Kollin Stone as the Rebels closed the first quarter with a 17-7 lead.

The Rebels led 22-12 with 5:24 left in the first half when Riverside's Bret Snyder scored on an offensive stick-back, but a rash of Rebel turnovers, a staggering 11 during the second quarter alone, allowed the Mustangs to claw their way back into the game. Seth Eatmon drained a three pointer, his second of the quarter, as BIC edged closer. Alan Carmichael scored on a pair of short jumpers, the second coming at the 2:04 mark, evening things up at 26-26 with 40 seconds left before intermission. After a Rebel turnover, BIC played for the final shot of the half. Dax Hurst was fouled while attempting a three pointer as the buzzer sounded, and the sophomore guard sank two of his three foul shots, giving BIC its first lead of the night, 28-26, as the two teams went to the dressing room.

BIC's Cory Turner (5) and Alan Carmichael (41), along with Riverside's Kollin Stone (35), battle for a rebound in 2A-3 conference basketball action Friday night at Lake City.

Riverside wasted little time taking the lead in the third quarter, scoring the first six points of the period. Kollin Stone tied things up 28-28 on an inside bucket, before brother Gavin Stone flashed for a steal and went coast to coast for a driving layup and a 30-28 Rebel lead. Gavin Stone's eight foot pull-up jumper capped off the 6-0 Rebel run, but it would be the last points of the quarter for Riverside, who went ice cold from the field.

BIC meanwhile rallied again, taking the lead for good when Hurst buried a three pointer from the left corner, giving the Mustangs a 33-32 edge with 3:00 left in the quarter. Buckets from Eatmon and Austin Pike upped the Mustang lead to 37-32, before Hurst finished off a 12-0 BIC run with his second three pointer of the quarter as the buzzer sounded, giving BIC a 40-32 lead entering the final frame.

Baker's 15-footer closed the Rebel deficit to six with 6:00 left in the contest, but Riverside would get no closer as the Mustangs scored the next five points, including another three pointer by Eatmon.

"The first quarter was really nice; we played well," said Riverside Coach Buster Campbell. "But it was all downhill after that. We didn't make good decisions and we lost our composure. They got to the free throw line and we didn't. We shot 25 percent in the second half, and when you shoot like that, you're not going to beat anybody. I'll say this; I still think it's going to be a wild league race and I think we will be in it in the end."

BIC's Noah Teeter (22) lunges for a loose ball in junior high basketball action Friday night at Riverside.

"We got off to a terrible start and Riverside hit us in the mouth," said BIC Coach Bill Taylor. "It took us forever to get untracked offensively. Dax Hurst made some shots that kind of loosened us up. Cory Turner's defense on Kollin (Stone) was exceptional. Stone is one of the better players in the league and we held him to a low number tonight. I thought we stuck to our game plan defensively and we were able to do what we needed to do. I thought the second quarter was a key for us. We were able to turn them over and we also did an excellent job on the boards."

BIC (3-1, 1-0 2A-3) was led by Eatmon's 16 points. Carmichael scored 10, Hurst had nine, Pike netted seven, Turner chipped in four, Lopez contributed two while Tyler Myers added one point. The Mustangs hit 13-20 free throws and made six treys while committing just nine turnovers.

Riverside (5-3 1-1 2A-3) was led by Gavin Stone's 15 points. Sain tallied eight, Baker scored seven, Kollin Stone had five while Snyder chipped in two points. The Rebels hit just one of four foul shots and finished with four three pointers. Riverside suffered 20 turnovers on the night.

In junior high action, BIC routed Riverside 49-17. Andrew McFarlin led the Mustangs with 16 while Chayse Carmichael added 10. Blaine Wildy scored nine, Abraham Lopez tallied eight, Jace Couch had four while Noah Teeter pitched in two points.

Dillon Turner led the Rebels with 11 points. Keech Wilmoth scored three, Landon Moyer tallied two while Chase Helms added one point.

Riverside began the week with a 67-52 victory over previously undefeated Marmaduke. Gavin Stone led the Rebels with 21 points while Kollin Stone recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points while snaring 13 rebounds. Brandon Sain also hit double digits with 16 points while Luke Baker added 10. Kody Winstead tallied seven points and grabbed 13 boards for the Rebels.

Hayden Winberry led the Greyhounds with 17 points.

In junior high action, Riverside lost to Marmaduke 35-32. Turner led the Rebels with 14 points. Dillon Boatman scored six, Wilmoth had five, Hunter Swaim tallied three while Moyer and Justin Berry chipped in two points each.

Riverside fell to Armorel in the Bay Invitational Tournament, losing a 46-45 decision. Turner and Moyer led the Rebels with 14 points apiece while Swaim added eight. Wilmoth and Helms scored two each while Boatman chipped in one point.

Matt Wyatt led the Tigers with 16 points while Monroe Carr and Brock Elliott pitched in 14 and 11 points respectively.