By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
The Carlisle Bison rebounded from a devastating first-round loss to Watson Chapel Dec. 27 in the second annual Goldfish Classic at Lonoke High School to get a 58-49 win over Bald Knob in Monday’s consolation round, and on Dec. 30, the Bison closed the tournament with a competitive 52-46 loss to Hazen.
In the Dec. 30 win over Bald Knob, Carlisle led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, and in the second quarter, the Bison outscored the Bulldogs 15-11 to take a 27-22 lead into halftime.
The Bison were outscored 12-9 in the third quarter, which cut Carlisle’s lead down to two at the start of the fourth, but in the final eight minutes, all five Bison starters scored to help Carlisle to a 22-point quarter, and the nine-point win.
Nick Schafer and Devon Kendrick led Carlisle with 16 points each in the win. Brynden Weems finished that game with 15 points, and teammate Dominic Castleberry added eight points to the winning effort.
Carlisle got off to a very sluggish start in the fifth-place game against its archrival Hazen. The Hornets jumped out to an 11-2 lead to start the game, but the Bison ended the opening quarter with a 9-2 run that cut the Hazen lead to 13-11 at the start of the second quarter.
Fifty-five seconds into the second quarter, Carlisle got within one of Hazen’s lead, 15-14, on an and-1 by Kendrick. However, Hazen ended the quarter with an 11-0 run to take a 26-14 lead into halftime.
Hazen’s press gave Carlisle problems in the third quarter, and the Hornets led 34-20 near the three-minute mark of the quarter.
Carlisle’s Lewis Bunch made it an 11-point game with a 3-pointer at the 2:08 mark of the third period, and a three by Weems with 46 tics left trimmed the margin back to single digits by quarter’s end, with the score 36-28 Hazen.
The Bison opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game. That run was capped with a midrange jumper by Cole Sheets near the six-minute mark, which made the score 36-35.
Kendrick, though, left the game shortly after, favoring his ankle, and Hazen scored the next five points before Carlisle could get another basket. Kendrick returned to the game with 3:02 left to play and the score 43-37.
The Hornets furthered their lead to nine with an and-1 by Cody Kee with 2:41 remaining. That made the score 46-37. Schafer fouled out with 1:52 remaining, but Carlisle still found a way to make it a game as the final seconds ticked away.
With 1:05 remaining, the Bison made it a 47-44 game with a Weems’ three, and on the Bison’s next possession, Castleberry scored on a short jumper that cut the Hornets’ lead to 47-46.
Carlisle pressed on the ensuing Hornets’ possession, but Hazen beat the press and got an easy layup with 25 seconds left, and Hazen’s Trenton Mosby made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch, setting the final score.
The Bison finished the fifth-place game 16 of 41 from the floor for 39 percent. Hazen, who narrowly beat Carlisle in conference play recently, made 19 of 46 shots for 41 percent.
Hazen narrowly won the rebounding battle 27-26, and the Hornets won the turnover category 14-21.
Kendrick led all scorers with 15 points. He was the only Bison to finish in double figures, scoring-wise. Weems added nine points in the loss. Mosby led Hazen with 12 points and teammate Grant Booth also finished with double-digit points. He scored 10.
Carlisle resumed conference play Tuesday at home against KIPP Delta Charter of Helena. The Bison will remain in conference play on Friday with a road game at Marvell.
