WILLIS LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE TO TOURNEY TITLE

VAN BUREN -- The highly anticipated Fayetteville-Van Buren matchup turned into a Payton Willis-Jaylynn Dye showdown for most of the Citizen's Bank Classic championship game Saturday. When Dye fouled out late, it was Van Buren's Mitchell Smith, a Missouri signee, answering Fayetteville's Willis, a Vanderbilt signee, as two of the top teams in Class 7A duked it out in a thriller. In the end, it was Willis who made the plays when they mattered most, scoring a late and-1 and then sinking the two game-winning free throws with 4.5 seconds left to lift Fayetteville to a 60-58 win and tournament title. "I was just trying to get my shot on line and I knew it was going in on line," Willis said of his final free throws. "I felt at ease." Willis finished with 32 points and wowed the crowd numerous times with an array of high-difficulty shots, including knocking down 3-pointers on three straight possessions to end the first half. Dye scored a team-high 19 and was able to match him shot-for-shot for a stretch as the game morphed into a back-and-forth battle between two of the best guards in the state. Both players guarded each other most of the game, taking turns one-upping the other with great moves. "I definitely want to guard the best perimeter player every game," Willis said. "I like challenging myself and I believe I'm a better defender this year. ... For a minute, in the third quarter he hit some shots and it turned into (a back-and-forth)." Fayetteville (5-0) led most of the game and Willis got help from Josh Breathitt, who hit three second-half 3-pointers after sitting most of the first half in foul trouble. But Van Buren rallied late and even took the lead in the closing minutes. Dye fouled out with 1:55 left and the Pointers led 55-53 when Willis stole it from Smith and tied the game with two free throws with 1:34 remaining. Then both teams missed the front ends of 1-and-1s, including a rare miss by Willis. Smith scored on a tough floater to put Van Buren up 57-55 with 43 seconds left, then blocked a Willis shot under the goal on the other end. But Willis stayed with it, got the ball back and converted an and-1 to give Fayetteville a 58-57 lead with 21.5 seconds left. Smith was fouled on the other end with five seconds left. The 6-foot-10 senior made 5 of 9 shots and routinely beat Fayetteville in the post despite drawing double teams throughout the game. "Mitchell's just a horse," Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. "He's so much better than he was last year. Missouri got a steal. We were trying to (push him off the block) and Josh and August (Carlson) couldn't do it." Smith made his first free throw to tie the game, but missed the second. Willis rebounded the miss and was fouled on the baseline 90-plus feet from the basket, setting up his game-winning free throws. Van Buren failed to get off a desperation heave from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer as Fayetteville held on to remain unbeaten thanks in large part to a prime-time effort from arguably the best shooter in the state. "I expect nothing less from him," Adams said of Willis. "I don't think he expects anything less from himself." "These are games that make us better. They prepare you for the state tournament."

WILLIS LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE TO TOURNEY TITLE

Photo Credit: Fayetteville Athletics

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