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The Berryville Bobcats ran out of time, in more ways than one, in the first round of the 4A North Regional Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Morrilton.
A second-half rally by the Bobcats came up just short as Dardanelle held on for a 66-63 victory that ended Berryville’s season — and the high school careers of six Bobcats seniors who were part of perhaps the most successful three-year run in school history.
Berryville seniors Nate Allen, Kanon Coatney, D.J. Colbert, Jack Dignan, Chet Hudgens and Jake Wilson were part of teams that won 68 games over the past three seasons — including three state tournament victories altogether and a run to the state semifinals last season.
A victory over Dardanelle would have sent Berryville to the Class 4A state tournament for the third consecutive season, but time simply ran out on the Bobcats.
“I’m pretty certain they’re the winningest class in school history,” Berryville coach Brent Compton said. “It would have been so sweet if they could have made it to state one more time. But that didn’t happen and that doesn’t take away from anything that they’ve done. They’re just a special group of young men, not just on the basketball court but in life.”
Berryville cut a 14-point Dardanelle lead midway through the second quarter to seven by halftime and rallied again in the third quarter after falling behind by double digits again.
Wilson scored 18 consecutive Berryville points during one stretch in the second half. He finished with 38 points, including 26 after halftime.
“In the biggest game of the year, he had his biggest game,” Compton said. “He gave us a chance.”
Wilson’s three-pointer to close the third-quarter got the Bobcats within two, at 48-46, for the first time since the first quarter.
Dardanelle opened the fourth quarter with a 6-2 run to open up a 54-48 margin before another Wilson three-pointer got the Bobcats back within three. But the Sand Lizards scored six of the next eight points for a 60-53 advantage.
Two free throws by Dignan with 19 seconds remaining got Berryville within five at 62-57. After Dardanelle converted one of two free throws with 21 seconds left, Wilson dropped in a three-pointer to make it 63-60.
With six seconds left, Dardanelle hit the second of two free throws or a four-point lead. Still, the Bobcats wouldn’t quit.
Wilson hit another three-pointer from the top of the key to pull the Bobcats within one at 64-63.
Out of timeouts, Berryville didn’t seem to have any hope of extending the game — until the Bobcats called time anyway for an intentional technical foul that gave them one last faint hope.
“We decided as a team to call that timeout,” Compton said. “We knew it was going to be a technical but it was our only chance to stop the clock.”
Dardanelle made two free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining. Berryville then was unable to steal the inbounds pass and the Sand Lizards held on.
“I’ve seen it work before where the ball gets stolen on the inbounds on the side,” Compton said, adding that he believed there should have been more time left on the clock. “We were just taking a chance. But we did what we could.”
Colbert scored 13 points and Allen had eight for Berryville, which finished 22-9.
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