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The Berryville Bobcats bounced back from a first-round loss in the 15th Annual CS Bank Holiday Hoops tournament to win their final two games and take the consolation championship.
After falling to Mountain View 70-57 in a first-round game on Thursday, Dec. 26, Berryville defeated De Queen 52-48 on Friday, Dec. 27, then topped West Side Greers Ferry 54-36 in the fifth-place game on Saturday, Dec. 28.
Berryville never trailed against West Side, taking the lead for good 41 seconds into the game when junior Peyton Smith scored on a baseline drive to put the Bobcats up 4-2.
Berryville’s lead swelled to 14-4 when sophomore C.T. Hicks followed a three-pointer from the right corner at the 2:26 mark with two free throws with 1:49 remaining.
Hicks scored 12 points in the first quarter. West Side got within 17-13 midway through the second quarter before Berryville sophomore Carson McMellon hit a three-pointer from the right wing at the 3:44 mark and then sank a deep three-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 2:18 remaining in the half.
After West Side answered with a three-pointer and a layup to get back within five points, McMellon beat the first-half buzzer with his third three-pointer of the quarter to give the Bobcats a 26-18 halftime advantage.
McMellon made six of Berryville’s 12 three-pointers and led the Bobcats with 18 points. Hicks finished with 14.
Berryville extended its lead to 11 points when Smith dropped in a three-pointer from the left corner after a kick-out pass from Hicks with 2:30 left in the third quarter. West Side got within eight at 35-27 before sophomore Jachin Houghton hit a three-pointer off an inbounds pass with 1:22 left in the quarter.
The Bobcats put the game away by outscoring the Eagles 13-2 to open the fourth quarter. McMellon had three three-pointers during the run, including two in less than a minute from opposite sides of the floor. In between, Hicks hit a jumper from the freethrow line on an assist from junior John Butler after an offensive rebound. Later, Butler grabbed another offensive rebound and found sophomore Hudson Norris for a bucket that put Berryville up 51-31.
The Bobcats had advanced to the consolation championship by pulling away from De Queen in the second half on Friday. Berryville trailed 33-31 before Hicks hit a three-pointer with 2:51 left in the the third quarter, then followed with a bucket in the lane at the 1:39 mark to put the Bobcats ahead 36-33. After a De Queen basket, Smith hit a pullup jumper as the shot clock expired and Berryville led 38-35 at the end of the quarter.
Smith scored the Bobcats’ first eight points of the fourth quarter, including a driving layup in transition that put Berryville up 44-37 with 6:16 remaining. De Queen cut that advantage to three before Hicks sank a three-pointer on a kickout pass from Smith to make it 49-43 with 2:34 left. De Queen answered with a three, but Berryville closed out the win with a free throw by Smith and two from McMellon.
Smith led the Bobcats with 20 points while McMellon added 13 and Hicks scored 10.
Berryville, which snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over De Queen, will travel to Elkins on Friday, Jan. 3, for a 4A-1 conference game. The Bobcats will host Gravette on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Berryville sophomore Jachin Houghton puts up a three-pointer in the Bobcats' win over De Queen. (Charles Chappell / Carroll County News)
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