SPRINGDALE — The Russellville High School Quiz Bowl team took third place Saturday in the Springdale HarBer tournament.
In game one, Russellville faced Shiloh Christian and stormed out to a 140-10 lead only to stall out in the second and third quarters. The Cyclones rebounded in the fourth quarter to win 275-145.
In game two, the Cyclones faced fellow 6A West opponent Greenwood. Russellville took control of the game early and went on to a 345-125 victory.
Game three was Cyclones vs Cyclones between the varsity and junior varsity teams. The varsity team won the game 355-190. The Cyclones earned the third seed and a bye in game four.
In game five the Cyclones again drew Greenwood. Russellville came away with a 335-150 victory.
In game six the Cyclones faced Life Way Christian (Centerton). The teams were tied after the first quarter, but the Cyclones soon found themselves down after a poor performance in the second quarter.
Some poor coaching choices in the third quarter doomed the Cyclones. The final score was Life Way 295 and Russellville 210.
The final game of the day was against Haas Hall Rogers for third place. The Cyclones sputtered out of the gate and were down 80-10 at the end of the first quarter. A strong second quarter performance by Russellville narrowed the Haas Hall lead to 110-80. Russellville charged ahead in the third quarter with a great performance by senior Michael Colburn. The Cyclones played well in the fourth quarter to finish with a 290 to 210 win and a third-place finish.
The Cyclones were led in scoring by seniors Dev Donda with 520 points and Justin Contreras. Contreras had his best day ever scoring 370 points. Sophomore Tyler Mitts scored 170 and senior Eden Robbins had her best day ever scoring 100 points. Sophomore Raynee Bacorn chipped in 30 points. Colburn had critical second and third quarter points especially in the final game of the day.
The junior varsity cyclones finished 0-4 on the day and were leading scoring by sophomore Greg Simpson followed by sophomore Avery Feemster.
Coach Paul Gray had some mixed emotions after the tournament. “The kids played really well overall today. I think the coaches made some bad decisions in the third quarter of game five that cost the kids the opportunity to win that game. That one’s on us,” Gray said.
“We were missing some of our key players today but our kid stepped up especially Robbins and Colburn. That’s something we really like to see this time of year,” Coach Steven Quoss said.
“The JV kids got some good experience and playing time today as we head into region,“ said Coach Johnny Barham. This wrapped up the regular season for the team.
The 6A West Region tournament will be played at Russellville High School this weekend. At stake is a trip to the six AA state tournaments in April.
