Lady Bulldogs Leave Tournament Upbeat

Monday, December 31, 2012

— Fayetteville will enter 7A/6A-West Conference play next week after three losses in three days, but coach Vic Rimmer saw a lot of positives at the eighth annual 1st Arkansas Bail Bonds Basketball Tournament.

In Saturday’s final game at Mountain Home High School, Greenwood scored the first 10 points and placed four players in double figures in posting a 66-38 victory to claim the tournament championship for the second straight year.

Deneka White, Sydney Crockett and Lauren Schuldt scored seven points each for Fayetteville (4-9). Aubrey Edie added six points for Fayetteville.

“We shot free throws well, and we pressed them a little bit,” Rimmer said. “Our record is not great right now, but the heartbeat of our team is still there right now. I told the kids, ‘We are ready for conference play, and we are 0-0 right now.”

Fayetteville will probably not see a better team the rest of the regular season than it saw in Greenwood (13-1).

Lundon Williams scored a game-high 18 points for Greenwood, and Haleigh Henson hit three 3-pointers to finish with 13 points. Sydnie Henson and Sammy Richards both finished with 10 points each for Greenwood.

“We have a lot of kids that can play,” Greenwood coach Clay Reeves said. “We always have kids that step up, and we have kids that are always ready to play.”

Greenwood forced Fayetteville into six turnovers on its first seven possessions in building a 18-8 lead at the end of the first period. Greenwood then opened the second period with a 12-0 run for a commanding 30-8 lead 3 minutes, 55 seconds before halftime.

“Greenwood can shoot the ball well, and they are so good defensively,” Rimmer said. “They are on another level.”

Fayetteville opens conference play when Rogers Heritage visits Friday.

“Heritage is going to be a tough matchup because they are so guard heavy,” Rimmer said. “It’s going to be a tough matchup, but I feel every conference game is winnable.”

GREENWOOD 66, FAYETTEVILLE 38

Greenwood 18 19 22 7 — 66

Fayetteville 8 11 11 8 — 38

Greenwood (13-1): Williams 18, H. Henson 13, S. Henson 10, Richards 10, Hartness 5, Elkins 4, Branum 4, Crase 2.

Fayetteville (4-9): White 7, Schuldt 7, Crockett 7, Edie 6, Robinson 4, Breden 4, Allen 2, Conley 1.