ROGERS — Rogers High picked up the pace Saturday afternoon and grabbed a much-needed victory to close play in the Arvest Hoopfest.
Guards Keifer Holt and Hunter Hill combined for 40 points as the Mounties bounced back from two losses in the tournament with a 66-54 win over Hot Springs in the seventh-place game at War Eagle Arena.
Rogers coach Wayne Herren likes to play at a faster pace, but admitted the last couple of weeks he’s gone conservative. That changed on Saturday and so did the Mounties’ fortunes.
Hot Springs (1-7) led 18-14 early in the second quarter when Rogers (3-5) turned up the defensive pressure, which fueled a 15-1 run that turned a four-point deficit into 29-19 lead.
“I told our guys we’re not looking at the scoreboard today,” Herren said. “We’re gonna get out and press and run and do some things the way we want to play and I think that helped us.”
Hill, a 5-foot-9 junior, scored all 19 of his points in the first half to give Rogers a 36-26 lead at halftime.
The Mounties host Conway at 6 p.m. today in a boys-only game.
ROGERS 66, HOT SPRINGS 54
Hot Springs 16 10 15 13 — 54
Rogers 14 22 19 11 — 66
Hot Springs (1-7): Nero 18, Blackmon 16, Goffigan 7, Coleman 6, Morrow 2, Counts 2, Thomas 2, Stringer 1.
Rogers (3-5): Holt 21, Hill 19, Jones 11, Street 7, Gentz 3, Quillen 2, Adams 2, Smith 1.
Pea Ridge 69, Fort Smith Southside 44
Jacob Hall and Levi Pitts poured in a game-high 19 points apiece to help Pea Ridge claim fifth place in the tournament.
Hall canned a pair of 3-pointers to start the second half to give Class 4A Pea Ridge (7-1) a 40-22 lead against the 7A Rebels (3-5). Southside got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
Nick DeLeon was also in double figures with 10 for Pea Ridge, which went 2-1 in the tournament. Clayton Pankey led Southside with 14.
All-Tournament Team
Here are the players selected for the Arvest Hoopfest all-tournament team:
Juwan Nero, Hot Springs; Hunter Hill, Rogers High; Clayton Pankey, Fort Smith Southside; Jacob Hall, Pea Ridge; Chandler Myers, Mt. Vernon, Mo.; Shane Williams, Mt. Vernon, Mo.; Donald Hargrow, Waynesville, Mo.; Juwan Morgan, Waynesville, Mo.; Hayden Greenway, Rogers Heritage; Xavier Thomas, Rogers Heritage; Kohl Slaughter, Webb City, Mo.; Phoenix Johnson, Webb City, Mo. (MVP)