By Cory Clark
Sun Staff Writer
JONESBORO — Before the season, Valley View basketball coach Jason Manchester said there were plenty of questions about his team this year.
And after Tuesday’s season-opening 54-51 loss to Paragould, the Blazers are still seeking some answers.
The Rams raced out to a lead in the first half and were able to hold off a fourth-quarter Valley View rally when Dustin Jones’ 3-point attempt from just inside halfcourt fell short at the buzzer.
Valley View got within 43-42 with 3:55 left in the game on a 3-pointer from the corner from Jones. Chase Simpson’s putback gave the Rams a 45-42 lead.
The Blazers pulled within 45-44 and had three shots to take the lead in the paint on their next possession, but could not connect and Paragould held onto a slim lead.
After Valley View cut the Paragould lead to 47-46 on a hook shot off the glass from Taylor Lindley, Jon Koy Garmrath and Wes Crossno each scored inside for the Rams to extend the lead to 51-46 with 1:05 left in the game.
Valley View trailed 52-48 when Kaleb Hendrix drilled a ‘3’ from the wing, pulling the Blazers to within 52-51 with 17 seconds left. Chance Sugg’s foul shot gave Paragould a 53-51 lead with six seconds left in the game.
After a Blazer time-out, Valley View had a chance to take the lead, but turned the ball over in the inbound play. Another Sugg free throw gave the Rams a 54-51 lead with three seconds left to play.
First-year Paragould coach Jay Robertson said it felt good to get his first win at his alma mater.
“The boys played hard tonight. Valley View has got a good team, coach Manchester does a great job, and we had to prepare for a lot of different things,” Robertson said. “They have got some good tradition here and we are just trying to get something going.
“We had some guys step up. Early we pounded it in the post and got some good looks. Defensively we did a good job, we kept them off the boards for the most part. “
Manchester said the Rams just outplayed his team most of the game.
“I thought Paragould just outplayed us and were just more prepared than we were, and they played a lot harder than our guys did,” Manchester said. “We’ve just got to knock down some shots that I feel like we normally hit. But at the same time you have got defend a lot better than we did and get to loose balls and do the little things, and I just did not feel like we did those things tonight.”
Austin Moss led Paragould with 12 points while Simpson added 11. Jones scored 12 for the Blazers. Hendrix chipped in 11.
In the junior boys’ game, Valley View defeated Paragould 44-38 as Reed Pitts scored 11 points.