The Benton Lady Panthers were cruising in their 6A West Conference second-round matchup with the Siloam Springs Lady Panthers on Tuesday at Benton Arena. Benton went up 37-22 off of sophomore Kati Morrow’s layup early in the fourth and held that lead as four minutes remained in the game.
But, Siloam Springs caught fire complemented with Benton turnovers and reeled off 13 consecutive points to get within two, 37-35. Although Siloam had a chance to win it in the end, Benton never gave up that lead, holding on to a 41-40 victory to secure a 6A State Tournament bid and extend its season.
“We just came unglued,” Benton Coach Jerry Chumley said of the last four minutes of the fourth. “We gave them the basketball six straight times. They went down and converted and that’s what tightened it up. Then we got tight and the next thing you know we’re not doing anything well – missing free throws there.”