THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

ALMA -- Junior guard Cejay Mann stepped up for Alma when he was needed the most during the closing seconds Saturday night in Charles B. Dyer Arena. Mann drove to the basket and scored with five seconds left in the game to help Alma pull ahead for a 64-62 victory against Pea Ridge in the championship game of the Airedale Classic. "He did a good job there," Alma coach Stan Flenor said. "We knew we were going to get the last shot either way. He just attacked the basket. He had one of his best games of the year on both ends of the floor." Mann, who finished with 14 points in the game, had a big first half for Alma, making four shots behind the arc. His lone points in the second half came on the last shot of the game for the Airedales. Alma (9-1) held a 52-43 lead heading into the final quarter. Pea Ridge senior Nick Coble, who had a game-high 28 points, scored 16 fourth-quarter points to help cut into the advantage. Coble hit one of his four three-point shots in the fourth quarter to trim the Alma lead to 61-58 with just 1:31 left in the game. He later tied the game at 62-62 with field goal with just 41 seconds remaining. "He can hit them from just about anywhere on the court," Flenor said of Coble. "When he gets hot, you just hope he misses so you can get a stop." Alma junior Taelon Peter was a big part of the offense in the second half after finishing with four first-half points. Peter, who scored a team-high 23 points, had four three-point baskets in the third quarter and added seven more points in the final quarter. "He had a great second half and he got hot behind the three-point line," Flenor said. "His teammates did a good job finding him. It takes a team to be a team. And we have a well-rounded team." Pea Ridge (14-4) was able to make 70 percent (14 of 20) of its shots in the second half and had a lengthy shot at the buzzer to attempt to win the game. The Blackhawks made eight of 26 attempts in the first half. The Airedales were able to make 11 of their 22 second-half attempts after making 11 of 21 shots before the break. Alma held a 32-26 lead at the break with big performances from Mann and Tanner Shelton, who finished with 17 points in the game. "We played one of the best games of the season so far," Flenor said. "I thought we played well on offense and defense. We had a lot of kids help out. We played against a great team. This is one of the games you are proud to win." Alex Wilkerson was a big part of the offense in the initial three quarters, as he made five 3-point baskets and finished with 16 in the game for Pea Ridge. Carson Rhine also added 12 points for the Blackhawks.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Pea Ridge High School Athletics

ALMA HAS THE MANN IN WIN OVER PEA RIDGE

HAROLD MCILVAIN

Arkansas Online | 12/30/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Pea Ridge Athletics