Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Dec. 18, 2024 – The Nettleton Raiders rose above the Mountain Home Bombers in a high-scoring and high-octane affair, winning 85-74.
The win bettered Nettleton’s season record to 10-1 overall, while Mountain Home fell to 7-5 after the non-conference game.
Nettleton’s Jakobe Jamison’s inside shot marked the game’s first points. He dribbled into a shot moments later to get on the board again. T.J. Whitney made his mark early as well, as just a few plays later he skied for a big offensive rebound, went back up, and drew the foul.
After making both free throws, Whitney burst into a passing lane to steal the ball and excite the crowd with a one-handed dunk on the break. Tejay Daley, Nettleton’s sophomore point guard, added a layup, and the home team jumped out to an early 12-2 lead. Nettleton continued finding shots inside the paint, but Mountain Home’s Jackson Corp kept his team in the game as he drained a pair of threes consecutively.
Whitney responded with his own 3-point make, and the hosts led 22-13. Mountain Home’s Ryder McClain-who bolstered eight points in the quarter-rose above his defender and knocked down a mid-range jump shot. His shot made the score 22-15 after one.
Corp landed a 3-point shot to get the second quarter going, but Whitney’s counterpunch was another shot from deep. Corp came right back down and made a 3-point shot again, and this time it was Jamison who returned the blow from outside the arc. McClain got in on the impromptu 3-point shooting contest, knocking one down right after.
Later in the quarter, Jamison moved the momentum the way of his team. The senior made a cut down the baseline, received a pass from Vince Hardaway, and elevated for a two-handed dunk which pulled down the rim. The Raiders kept forcing the Bombers into tough shots, causing Nettleton to enter halftime up 42-28.
Jamison opened the third quarter with an inside hook, and Whitney drew a foul around the rim. The Bombers’ strategy remained the same as they looked for outside shots. This approach led to some transition opportunities for Nettleton, as Mountain Home went through a rough stretch, missing some shots. McClain knocked down a heavily contested shot from deep to end the drought.
Seeing the ball go in seemed to spark the Mountain Home offense back to life, as they’d score again. Walker finished a reverse layup inside, then carved the Raiders defense inside once more. The deficit was reduced to single digits at 49-40 until a Nettleton 3-point shot forced Mountain Home into a timeout halfway through the quarter.
Nettleton’s Braylin Green induced another timeout from the guests whenever his corner 3-point shot extended the lead to 14 points, bringing the score to 59-45. The Bombers could only draw a bit closer after the timeout, ending the third quarter trailing by a dozen points, with the score 64-52.
Green came up with a steal in the back court, couldn’t find his shot, but kept battling inside for a second and third chance until he was fouled. On Nettleton’s next possession, Whitney got his own rebound and dunked with no running start. The following play, he brought down another offensive rebound and drew a foul.
Then, Green’s 3-point shot grew the lead to 16 points and elated the home crowd. The guests would not lie down, though, as McClain fired back. Mountain Home’s Wyatt Gilbert checked into the game, starting with a tough turnaround shot inside the arc. Then, he stepped back behind the line and hit another shot. He took the ball up the court on the next play and walked right into a 3-point shot without hesitation.
This closed the Bombers’ gap to just nine points. The run saw Nettleton call a timeout with just over three minutes to play. During the timeout, the Raiders made sure stopping Gilbert was a top priority.
The Raiders came out and went on an 8-3 run topped off by Jamison’s layup from an alley-oop pass. With the score now 84-70 and a minute to play, Nettleton’s starters were substituted out of the game. As Whitney exited the game, Raider head coach Blain Brewington commended his performance. The final score was 85-74.
Nettleton forced several long shots which led to long rebounds and enabled fastbreak chances, which Brewington said this was part of the strategy going into the game.
“We knew our advantage would come when we got that first rebound and pushed the ball in transition,” Brewington said. “We knew that’s what they like to do, getting up a lot of 3-point shots. I didn’t think we could beat them tonight if they hit as many threes as they ended up hitting, but we really moved the ball around well whenever they made their late run and didn’t let the lead get smaller than seven points.”
The win brings Nettleton’s streak to five games unbeaten. They currently hold the best overall record in not only 5A East, but all of Class 5A in Arkansas. They’ll take that honor into the holiday break, as they’ll be off until Jan. 6 when they host 7-3 Stuttgart.