Lady War Eagles Win, Remain Tied For Second

Ashley Ward, center, of Rogers Heritage looks to pass the ball Friday under pressure from Fayetteville’s Lauren Schuldt, left, and Alexa Howard during the game at War Eagle Arena in Rogers.

Ashley Ward, center, of Rogers Heritage looks to pass the ball Friday under pressure from Fayetteville’s Lauren Schuldt, left, and Alexa Howard during the game at War Eagle Arena in Rogers.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

— The Rogers Heritage Lady War Eagles finished strong to earn a 43-37 victory over Fayetteville on Friday in 7A/6A-West Conference basketball.

That Figures

3 — Field goals by War Eagles in the second half

2 — Points by War Eagles in the third quarter

12 — Free throws made by Heritage’s Brittany Ward in Friday’s win

Their male counterparts hung tough early against the league-leading Purple Bulldogs, but couldn’t maintain it against a much bigger opponent and lost 56-31.

The Lady War Eagles (16-5, 6-2 7A/6A-West Conference) led by only two entering the fourth quarter, but sophomore Emilie Jobst hit consecutive 3-pointers to give her team some breathing room.

Heritage then put the game away from the free throw line as Brittany Ward hit 10 of 12 in the final quarter and 12 of 14 for the game.

Lady War Eagles coach Kevin Ramey said the win was big for his team, after not playing for a week since a 64-53 loss at Siloam Springs.

“We were able to get some stops down the stretch,” Ramey said. “But we talk a lot about setting the tone whether it’s in a game or in practice. It was huge for us to protect our home court, get some that bitter taste out of our mouth and maybe set the tone for the second half of the conference season.”

The Lady War Eagles remain in a tie for second in the league with Rogers High, both a game behind Bentonville.

The Heritage boys dropped to 9-11 overall and 0-8 in 7A/6A-West, but trailed only 28-21 at halftime. But Fayetteville outscored the War Eagles 13-2 in the third quarter to take control.

PLAY OF THE WEEK: Jobst beat the Fayetteville defense down the floor in transition and nailed her second straight 3-pointer to give the Lady War Eagles a 33-25 lead, their biggest of the game, early in the fourth quarter.

The 5-foot-6 sophomore hit three second-half 3-pointers to spur the Lady War Eagles to victory.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Junior guard Wyatt Kinnamon scored all 11 of his points in the first half to help keep the War Eagles stay close against Fayetteville. He also dished out three assists.

Brittany Ward finished with a game-high 17 points on Friday, including 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. The 5-foot-7 senior scored 10 fourth-quarter points, all from the foul line.

NOTABLE: The Lady War Eagles held a conference opponent under 40 points for the fifth time this season Friday. ... The Heritage boys made just 3 of 20 shots from the floor in the second half and did not make a field goal in the third quarter.

THE LINGO: “I think they shot 75 percent against us in the first half, and we’re only down seven. We go ‘Dang, we feel pretty good about ourselves.’”

Tom Olsen

Rogers Heritage boys coach

UP NEXT: Heritage hits the road this week for games at Springdale High and at Bentonville. The Lady War Eagles will try to stay at least within a game of the league-leading Lady Tigers before their big game on Friday at Tiger Arena.