Trojans prevail with buzzer-beating basket

TEXARKANA — Hot Springs forward Santiair Thomas scored a game-high 26 points in a 67-66 win over Texarkana Tuesday night, none bigger than his last two.

Trailing 66-65, the Trojans (12-9 overall and 7-0 in conference) had one last possession with nine seconds remaining. Following a timeout, freshman guard J.J. Walker got by his defender and threw a lob pass to Thomas, who knocked in the game-winner as time expired.

“It’s amazing to watch these guys get better as the season progresses,” Hot Springs coach Rodney Echols said. “They showed poise, and they faced adversity. I thought we punched adversity in the mouth tonight. That’s a tribute to these guys, and their will to win. We all have each others back.”

Hot Springs raced to a 25-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and stretched it to 43-33 at the half, but the Razorbacks (8-5, 3-4) stayed in it. Texarkana rode a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to an eight point lead with less than three minutes to play.

“We had some careless turnovers in the second half that allowed them to get back into it,” said Echols. “We were sloppy with the ball, and Texarkana knocked down some shots. That’s a testament to (Texarkana) coach (Thurlon) Weaver and the job he does. They’ll win a lot of games in their conference tournament.”

The Trojans chipped away at the lead in the final minutes before Thomas delivered the dagger. Walker finished with 12 points for Hot Springs, while sophomore guard Kaleb Hughley added 11 points. Thomas grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to record a double-double.

The win gave Hot Springs its third straight win. The Trojans will host crosstown rival Lake Hamilton (14-3, 4-1) in a battle for conference supremacy Tuesday at Trojan Fieldhouse.

“It’s great to be in first place (in conference), and these guys are continuing to get better each day,” Echols said. “This team is like a family. Everybody trusts one another and nobody gets their head

down after a missed shot or a turnover.”

Girls

The Hot Springs Lady Trojans built a commanding 46-24 lead at the half before cruising to a 78-57 win over Texarkana.

Senior guard Ariana Guinn led all scorers with 28 points for Hot Springs, while senior guard Imani Honey finished with 18 points, junior forward Jaidan Thomas had 15 points and junior forward Nya Moody scored seven points.

With the Lady Trojans holding a comfortable advantage, Texarkana outscored Hot Springs 20-18 in the third quarter before the Lady Trojans bounced back with a 14-13 fourth quarter to set the final margin.

Hot Springs outscored the Lady Razorbacks 26-13 in the first quarter and 20-11 in the second quarter.

Now 15-3 overall and 5-0 in conference, the Lady Trojans will take a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday’s matchup with Lake Hamilton (7-10, 1-2) at Trojan Fieldhouse.

Hot Springs edged the Lady Wolves 50-39 in the Kameron Hale Invitational championship on Dec. 30 at Lake Hamilton’s Wolf Arena.