Mounties Go On Attack

Rogers High junior Cameron Carroll shoots a layup against Springdale Har-Ber during the second half Thursday in Wildcat Arena in Springdale.
Rogers High junior Cameron Carroll shoots a layup against Springdale Har-Ber during the second half Thursday in Wildcat Arena in Springdale.

— Rogers High went into attack mode on offense and stuck to its normal routine on defense, a combination which seemed to work to near-perfection against Springdale Har-Ber on Thursday.

After a more laid-back approach offensively nearly cost the Mounties in their first matchup with Har-Ber, coach Marty Barnes said his team was focused on taking the game to the Wildcats on Thursday.

And that’s just what Rogers appeared to do, forcing the ball inside against Har-Ber’s zone defense and getting big production in the post from 6-foot-6 Josh Anderson and 6-3 forward Graham Parker, who combined for 27 points in a convincing 45-28 win in Wildcat Arena.

“I thought last time we played (Har-Ber) our kids just settled,” Barnes said. “They play that 2-3 zone and we just sat out there and shot the three (pointer), but (Thursday) we did a better job inside.”

Har-Ber had few answers for the Rogers offensive game plan, but the problems didn’t seem to stop there for the Wildcats (3-23, 2-11 7A-West Conference). Against the Mounties’ matchup zone defense, there was little success all night long.

Jason Holmstrom did manage 17 points for Har-Ber, but fellow senior Matt Bradley — coming off a 25-point effort Tuesday at Fayetteville — was held to one point in a game which quickly was controlled by the Mounties from the outset.

“It was a frustrating night, that’s for sure,” Wildcats coach Adam Simmons said. “They kept us on our heels the whole game.”

While the win helps Rogers (16-10, 7-6) keep up the momentum as the regular season nears an end, it did little to clear up the postseason picture for the Mounties.

Rogers closes out the regular season at Bentonville today, with the possibility of a No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Class 7A State Tournament still up for grabs.

“The main thing is maintaining some momentum as you get closer to state,” Barnes said. “The way this thing is drawn up, you don’t know who you’re going to get. But there’s a little pride factor at stake with (Bentonville) and we just want to finish strong and play our game, and play that defense.”

Har-Ber finishes its season at home today against Rogers Heritage.

Boys Prep Basketball

7A-West Conference

ROGERS HIGH 45

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 28

Rogers 14 8 11 12 — 45

Har-Ber 8 8 7 5 — 28

Rogers (16-10, 7-6): Anderson 15, Parker 12, Carroll 7, Washburn 6, Hampton 2, Jones 2, Gentz 1.

Har-Ber (3-24, 2-11): Holmstrom 17, Williams 5, Rainey 3, Vaughn 2, Bradley 1.

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