Bulldogs Adjust To Slow Pace

Ellie Breden, left, and Sydney Crockett, both of Fayetteville, battle for a rebound Friday with Rogers High’s Taylor Strickland in Fayetteville.

Ellie Breden, left, and Sydney Crockett, both of Fayetteville, battle for a rebound Friday with Rogers High’s Taylor Strickland in Fayetteville.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

— One mark of a great basketball team is an ability to play all styles of the game. Up-tempo, half-court, transition-style hoops, you name it, great teams can handle the different styles.

That Figures

0 — Combined field goals attempted and points scored in third quarter of Tuesday’s Fayetteville-Van Buren boys game

33.7 — Points allowed per conference game by Fayetteville boys, best in the 7A/6A-West

41.0 — Points allowed per conference game by Fayetteville girls, second best in 7A/6A-West

This past week, the Fayetteville boys basketball team were challenged with two opponents who decided a methodical, stalling offense was the best tactic against the bigger, stronger and more experienced Bulldogs. And while playing against an offense that at times came to a screeching halt — as was the case in Tuesday’s 35-23 win against Van Buren when neither team even attempted a field goal in the third quarter — Fayetteville handled the style of play as well as possible.

“The last two games we’ve had the opportunity to see things that we could possibly see against teams in the state tournament, or even later on in the conference season,” Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. “My guess is some other teams will try to do that to us.

“But I don’t think there’s anything anybody can try to do that we haven’t prepared for. You just have to credit the coaches in our league. They’re going to give their teams the best possible chance to win a ball game and I thought (Rogers) coach (Wayne) Herren did a good job, just like (Van Buren) coach Randy Loyd did earlier in the week.”

Plays of the Week: Fayetteville was still allowing Rogers High to hang around late in the fourth quarter, when back-to-back steals near midcourt with just under two minutes left led to a pair of dunks by Caleb Waitsman and Ja’wan Smith, pushing the Bulldogs lead up to 38-25 with 1 minute, 24 seconds left on Friday.

In the girls contest on Friday, it was the Lady Bulldogs’ defense and rebounding in the closing seconds against Rogers senior Taylor Strickland that made the difference. Strickland, the 7A/6A-West’s leading scorer, had a clean look at a tying basket with four seconds left. But her shot attempt fell short and Fayetteville’s Sydney Crockett, Elle Breden and Jayla Prude collectively fought Strickland off for the rebound to secure the 31-29 victory.

Players of the Week: Both of Fayetteville’s varsity boys wins this week had little offense, as the Bulldogs scored a combined 74 points against Van Buren and Rogers. But senior guard Manuale Watkins scored 27 of those 74, leading Fayetteville with 16 points against the Pointers and 11 against the Mounties.

Crockett, a sophomore, was the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive breakout in the win against Rogers, scoring 10 of the 31 points. Brittany Austin, a senior post, also continued her strong play, with 12 points in a 55-48 win on Tuesday against Van Buren.

Notable: The Lady Bulldogs recorded their second 2-0 week in conference play last week, the other coming against Siloam Springs and Springdale High on Jan. 15 and Jan. 18. .. The Fayetteville boys allowed just six field goals combined in the second half against Van Buren and Rogers. .. Fayetteville’s 31-29 win against the Rogers’ girls on Friday came despite the Lady Bulldogs making a field goal in the fourth quarter.

The Lingo: “This second half of the season, we feel like we can come out and win every ball game. That’s our goal. The Rogers Heritage one got by us, but that’s what is on our mind right now and Siloam Springs is the next one.”

VIC RIMMER

Fayetteville girls coach

Up Next: Fayetteville visits Siloam Springs on Tuesday, before closing out the final home game of the regular season on Friday against rival Springdale High. The Bulldogs defeated Siloam Springs 52-26 in the first meeting on Jan. 15 and the Lady Bulldogs won, 54-40, over the Lady Panthers.