Greatest Game... Ever?

I graduated from Springdale. Let me get that out of the way right now. I am a Red ‘Dog through and through. Also, like most fans in the 7A West, I hate Bentonville with a burning passion. However, I don’t want those feelings to pollute what I witnessed tonight.

I really hate using words like “best” and “greatest,” especially since I used them after witnessing the Arkansas-Kentucky basketball game just two weeks ago, but the Springdale-Bentonville game rivals any other sporting event I’ve ever attended.

The hype leading up to the game alone was incredible.

Springdale and Bentonville were the two best teams in the 7A West and ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the state, respectively. The Bulldogs were coming off of a game in which Tereke Eckwood scored nine points in a span of 32.7 seconds to beat arch-rival Fayetteville, while the Tigers were coming off of a game in which phenom Malik Monk scored 43 points against Siloam Springs, including making 11-of-12 three-pointers. Monk, the younger brother of former Arkansas football and basketball player Marcus Monk, came into the game as the No. 8 sophomore in the country, according to ESPN.com. Springdale students planned a “monk themed” student section, where they dressed up as monks. Everyone was advised to arrive early to guarantee entry, because the fire marshal would be there to turn away fans once the gym reached capacity.

The day before and the day of the game, I texted a couple of my friends and expressed concerns that it wouldn’t live up to the hype.

I was wrong.

My alma mater came out firing, building a 10- or 12-point lead, before ending the first quarter with an 18-8 lead. Springdale’s D.J. Evans played lockdown defense on Monk and forced him to take contested shots. Monk was 1-of-8 from the field and 0-for-3 from behind the arc in the first.

Like all good teams, Bentonville made a run to begin the second half. A quick 6-0 burst in the first minute and a half cut Springdale’s lead to only four points. The half ended after the Bulldogs held the ball for over a minute and a half and Evans made a layup a few seconds before the buzzer. Springdale led 31-24 and Monk’s struggles continued. He had eight points on 2-of-12 shooting, including 0-for-4 from three-point range, at the break.

The third quarter was almost an exact replica of the first half. The Bulldogs built a 10-point lead in four and a half minutes, but a 6-0 run made it 44-40 Springdale after three quarters. Monk still couldn’t find his shot, but he started attacking the basket and drawing fouls. He had 15 points on just 2-of-16 shooting (0-for-5 from behind the arc), but was 11-for-13 from the free throw line.

I knew it was only a matter of time before Monk got in a groove and, sure enough, he opened up the fourth quarter by knocking down a three at the top of the key, making it a one-point game. The next few minutes are a blur, but the lead changed several times.

By this time, Evans had gotten into foul trouble and Springdale put Chris Owens in charge of guarding Monk. Some people, myself included, worried that he would take over the game, but Owens held his own and played great defense.

With less than five minutes remaining, Owens knocked down a three-pointer to give Springdale a five-point lead. When the Bulldogs got the ball back, Evans, Owens and Eckwood took over, running a perfectly executed game of keep-away. Springdale successfully burned nearly three minutes of game clock on one possession, before head coach Brad Stamps called a timeout.

Bentonville was eventually forced to foul, and after Springdale made 1-of-2 free throws, the ball was back in Monk’s hands. The sophomore proceeded to dribble down the court and soar above everyone, coming down with a monster, posterization, and-one dunk. The free throw made it a three-point game with 1:16 remaining.

Then the lead was one point and Springdale was inbounding the ball. Bentonville forced a turnover and Monk was fouled with around 10 or 15 seconds left. I thought the game was over. He was 14-for-16 up until that point, but he missed the first one. He made his second attempt and I just KNEW the game was going to overtime.

Instead, Eckwood went coast-to-coast and made a layup with about four seconds left in the game. Bentonville inbounded the ball, but Evans intercepted it. Pandemonium. Game over…or was it?

After some discussion, the referees determined 0.8 seconds (eight-tenths of a second) should be put on the clock and Bentonville should get the ball, because Evans went out of bounds with time left.

Everyone in the gym knew who was going to get the ball. Despite having two defenders draped all over him, Monk caught the inbounds pass and heaved a fade-away prayer toward the basket. It went in. Bentonville 57, Springdale 56 – Final.

Monk finished with 27 points. By my count, he was 5-of-23 from the field, 2-of-9 from three-point range and 15-of-18 from the charity stripe. I also recorded six rebounds, four assists, one turnover (only one!), two steals and one blocked shot.

I could sit here and argue that the referees gave Monk a lot of calls or that the game should have been over after Evans’ steal or that there was no way Monk could have caught the ball and gotten a shot off in 0.8 seconds, but as I said before, I want to appreciate what I saw.

Immediately after the game, I sat down, speechless. When I finally left the gym, I drove from Springdale High to my apartment in Fayetteville in complete silence. No music, no sports talk. Nothing. I still can’t wrap my head around it.

Two unbelievable teams with incredible talent played one of the greatest games – maybe THE greatest game – I have ever witnessed in person. I may be only 19 years old, but I have been to thousands of games in my life, so that is saying something (click here if you don't believe me).

When I am old and gray, I will tell my grandchildren about tonight’s game.

Here it is. Monk's game-winning fade-away three pointer with

two guys draped all over him and only 0.8 seconds remaining.