Locked in a back-and-forth battle with Marked Tree through two quarters, Earle's senior boys pulled away with a blistering third-quarter run Thursday night.
Withstanding an early 3-point barrage from the Indians (31-2), Earle (29-7) closed the third period on a 9-0 run to claim its third-consecutive Class 2A state championship with a 69-52 win at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
A free throw by Marked Tree's Paul Coleman knotted the score at 36-36 midway through the third quarter before Earle's Darius Cisero started to heat up.
The junior forward scored seven straight points, burying a shot from behind the arc and knocking down two free throws as the Bulldogs took a comfortable 45-36 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Indians got consecutive 3-pointers from Colby Malone to open the final frame, but the Bulldogs would not be denied. Earle's Leeandrew Millow scored 15 of his 19 points in the last quarter as the Bulldogs pushed their lead to as many as 15 points.
Marked Tree never cut the deficit to less than nine points down the stretch, Earle converting on 10 of its last 14 attempts from the free throw line to keep the Indians at bay.
The Bulldogs outscored Marked Tree 24-16 in the final period to prevent any chance of a comeback.
Marked Tree controlled the first quarter on the strength of its outside shooting. Trayvius Brown buried three shots from behind the arc and Malone added two treys as the Indians closed the opening period on an 8-0 run for a 19-11 lead.
After Malone's basket gave Marked Tree a 25-18 advantage early in the second quarter, the duo of Cisero and Travonta Doolittle came to life to get the Bulldogs back in the game.
Both players connected on a 3-pointer and scored seven points in the second quarter and Earle tied the game at 30-30 at the half.
While Cisero stayed hot with 10 points in the third quarter to give Earle its lead, the Indians were held to just six points on two field goals in the third period.
After knocking down seven of its first 11 shots from the field, Marked Tree connected on just 11 of its next 37 attempts for the remainder of the game.
Cisero was named most valuable player after recording 20 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one assist. Doolittle finished with 20 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Millow added 19 points with eight rebounds and two steals.
Malone paced the Indians with 19 points, including five shots from behind the arc. Brown had 14 points with three rebounds and one steal, and senior Markel Perry-Washington had eight points with a game-high 15 rebounds for Marked Tree.
Thursday's win gave Earle its 10th state championship in program history. The Bulldogs previously defeated Marked Tree, 81-62, in last year's Class 2A state championship game.
Sports on 03/09/2018