Lady Mounties Beat ’Dogs

By Alex Abrams

Posted: January 7, 2012 at 5:15 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — Taylor Strickland had already established herself as an inside presence, using her size to get easy shots around the basket against Springdale High.

    Showing her range, the Rogers High forward stepped outside and drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key midway through the third quarter.

    Springdale’s players tried to slow Strickland in the paint, but the Lady Mounties showed they could score both inside and outside in a 54-40 win in the 7A-West Conference basketball opener Friday.

    “For a while, it took our kids some time to get acclimated to where the holes were,” said Preston Early, Rogers girls coach. “And then I thought we found them, and at some key times, we were able to get the ball where we needed it and found some purpose.”

    Strickland scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, and with guard Sarah Grace Groves also providing inside help, Rogers (12-2, 1-0) managed to get open shots along the perimeter.

    The Lady Mounties sank six 3-pointers, helping them build a 17-point lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter and preventing Springdale (5-10, 0-1) from getting any closer than 38-30 in the second half.

    “You have to pick your poison, so to speak. And so we picked and tried to defend Groves and Strickland and let them shoot the perimeter shots and tried to get a little bit of pressure,” said Heather Hunsucker, Springdale coach. “But we were determined not to give up layups and see if the outside shots could beat us.”

    At one time trailing 30-13, the Lady Bulldogs used a balanced attack led by guard Brittany Jurgens to mount a comeback in the third quarter. The junior scored fi ve of her 10 points during a 15-5 run that allowed Springdale to cut Rogers’ lead to 38-30 with 27.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

    But Groves drained a 3-pointer to end the quarter and gave the Lady Mounties a double-digit lead they never relinquished. The guard finished with 16 points, Lydia Wilkerson added nine and Nicole Scott had 11 assists and three points.

    Baylea Swearingen and Sarah Ussery each finished with 10 points for Springdale.

    “We just kept telling them, ‘We’re a play or two away from avalanching this thing,’” Early said. “But to Springdale’s credit, they never went away.”

    7A-WEST CONFERENCE

    GIRLS

    ROGERS HIGH 54

    SPRINGDALE HIGH 40

Rogers 13 7 21 13 — 54 Springdale 6 5 19 10 — 40

Rogers (12-2, 1-0): Strickland 21, Groves 16, Wilkerson 9, James 5, Scott 3. Springdale (5-10, 0-1): Jurgens 10, Swearingen 10, Ussery 10, Taylor 6, Gilyard 2, Dederich 2.

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