Defending champ Northside outlasts Fayetteville in OT, 74-69

In its season opener, much like its 7A state title win in March, Northside made the plays late to win. The Grizzlies came up with several clutch plays in overtime as they went on to outlast Fayetteville, 74-69, on Tuesday at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse. “We found a way to win and that’s what we did,” Northside coach Eric Burnett said. “I told them this, and I’m only going to say it a couple more times and then it’s over with, but for us to not have any experience, an inexperienced team to go out there and play like that and finish the game (is big). “And I knew we were going to make a lot of mistakes, I knew that; we’ve got a lot of junior high guys coming up and playing varsity and a lot of guys who played (junior varsity) last year that had never been out there on a varsity floor. ... That’s what I want to do right now over the next three weeks is finding a way, putting them in situations to make them grow up and so I was really pleased to get that (Tuesday) from them.” Northside (1-0) went in front to stay inside the opening minute of overtime when junior Javion Releford, off a pass from senior Isaiah Joe, launched a 3-pointer from the left corner to break a 62-all score. The Grizzlies still led by three, 67-64, with a minute left before senior forward Kentrell Jacobs came up with a steal. That led to two foul shots from Javion Releford, extending the lead to five, 69-64, with 33 seconds to go. After Fayetteville hit two free throws of its own on the other end, Joe — the Grizzlies’ lone returning starter who was shifted to point guard and had been playing with four fouls since early in the fourth quarter — drew a foul with the ball in his hands. He went to the line and hit both free throws with 22 seconds left for another five-point advantage. Seconds later, Fayetteville hit a 3 to get within two. But Jacobs was fouled with 12.8 seconds left and made both free throws; then senior Kendall Myers got a defensive rebound while drawing a foul. Myers made 1-of-2 foul shots with five seconds showing on the clock for the final five-point margin. Related More high school basketball “I didn’t know how we was going to respond, but we had some guys (come through),” Burnett said. “Javion Releford hit that big 3 in overtime, and we just need guys to have confidence and believe in themselves.” Joe led the Grizzlies with 19 points, but Burnett was extremely pleased with the play of Jacobs, who finished with 17 points and hit three 3's, all coming in the first half. “That’s really encouraging for him because I’ve been on him the last two months of believing in himself and coming out on the floor with confidence. ... I’m really glad to see him have a game like that,” Burnett said. Jaylin Williams, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, added 14 points while Releford — a transfer from Roland — was also in double figures with 11 points along with making two 3's. Northside had erased a six-point deficit with less than three minutes left in regulation, going on a 9-0 run to take a 62-59 lead. But Fayetteville got a three-point play with 17 seconds left, and the game soon went into overtime. The Grizzlies will now head to Little Rock Parkview Friday and Saturday to take part at the Battle On Barrow Road. Northside will face off against Little Rock Mills at 7 p.m. Friday.

DEFENDING CHAMP NORTHSIDE OUTLASTS FAYETTEVILLE IN OT, 74-69

Photo Credit: Jamie Mitchell

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