Lakeside senior Sawyer Lamb scored 23 points in the fourth quarter on Friday, including five 3-pointers, but Texarkana survived a challenge by the Rams as the Razorbacks were 14-for-18 on free throws in the final frame.
Lamb finished with 34 points and the Rams (3-13, 0-5 5A-South) outscored the Razorbacks (4-11, 1-4), 25-20, in the fourth quarter, but Texarkana's 77.8-percent free throw shooting allowed the visitors to claim a 56-52 conference victory at the Lakeside Athletic Complex.
Lakeside junior forward A.J. Winfrey completed a three-point play with less than a minute to play in third quarter to make the score 33-27. The Rams hovered within striking distance throughout the game but were never able to draw level with the Razorbacks.
Two Lakeside players grabbed the ball off the rebound after Texarkana held the ball for one shot on the other end. The Rams were called for a walk with 1.1 seconds on the clock, which was enough time for the Razorbacks to add a 3-pointer for a 36-27 lead to start the fourth quarter.
Lamb scored his first points of the fourth 20 seconds into the quarter. A catch-and-shoot trey cut the margin to 38-32 at the 6:25 mark.
Texarkana shot all 18 of its fourth-quarter free throws in the final 4:44. The first two put the Razorbacks ahead, 42-32, before senior guard Tazz Glover scored two points, the only points by any other Ram in the final quarter. Another basket by Texarkana made it 44-34 with 2:07 on the clock.
Lamb added two more 3-pointers in the next minute of game time as Texarkana went 5-for-6 at the free throw line. He went to the line with 1:04 remaining after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt, making all three shots for a 49-43 deficit.
Texarkana then sandwiched four made free throws around one missed foul shot by Lakeside to make the score 53-43. Lamb was knocked to the ground on his next 3-point attempt. He watched from the ground as the ball bounced several times on the rim before falling through the hoop. His free throw made it 53-47 still with 28.2 seconds left to play.
The Rams remained alive even after a turnover set up the Razorbacks for another free throw with 16.5 seconds to play and the margin at 55-49. Lamb scored his final points on a deep 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds on the clock. A final free throw for Texarkana secured the win with a four-point cushion.
The Razorbacks never trailed after scoring the first nine points of the game. Sophomore Seth Poindexter scored the first points for Lakeside on an easy layup set up by a steal by Lamb.
Lamb's first two points made the margin 13-4 after the opening quarter. The Rams outscored the visitors, 11-8, in the second quarter for a 22-15 spread at the break.
The Razorbacks shot 6-for-9, 66.7 percent, on free throws in the first three quarters. They shot 74.1 percent for the game.
The Rams were 8-for-14, 57.1 percent, at the free throw line. Winfrey was the team's second-leading scorer with seven points.
Lakeside is the last team in the 5A-South without a conference victory. The Rams are scheduled for a road game on Tuesday at J.A. Fair (6-10, 1-4) in Little Rock.
Sports on 01/20/2019