ROGERS — The combination of a key injury and multiple players in foul trouble spelled doom for the Rogers Heritage Lady War Eagles on Friday night.
That Figures
6 — 3-pointers made by Lacey Murray on Friday night.
12 — Current losing streak by Rogers Heritage boys team.
2 — Games left in the regular for Rogers Heritage.
Senior point guard Brittany Ward left in the game in the middle of the second quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return.
Starters Ashley Ward and Ellen Lundy sat out significant stretches because of foul trouble and both eventually fouled out in Heritage’s 53-48 loss to Springdale Har-Ber.
The Lady War Eagles (18-7, 8-4 7A/6A-West Conference) are now in a three-way tie for second place with two games left to play.
Their male counterparts fought back from an early deficit and even took a lead in the fourth quarter, but lost 53-50 to Har-Ber.
PLAY OF THE WEEK: Ashley Ward and Lacey Murray combined on a 12-0 run on Tuesday night to help the Lady War Eagles pull away for a 53-35 win over Van Buren. Ward scored on three layups, while Murray drained two 3-pointers to help Heritage break open a tight game.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Lacey Murray hit three 3-pointers for nine points, including two big ones to help Heritage in its win over Van Buren on Tuesday. The 5-foot-9 senior made six 3-pointers and score a team-high 20 to help keep the Lady War Eagles close in a 53-48 loss to Springdale Har-Ber on Friday.
Crist Olsen scored a team-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Van Buren. The 6-foot junior also had nine points in Friday’s 53-50 loss to Har-Ber.
NOTABLE: The Lady War Eagles pulled off a rare five-point play in second half on Friday as Lacey Murray hit a 3-pointer as Sara Giesen was fouled. Giesen went to the line and made both free throws. ... Three Lady War Eagles players fouled out of Friday’s game. ... Brittany Ward returned to the bench in the second half, but did not go back in the game. Heritage coach Kevin Ramey said the injury did not appear season ending, but would know more after the weekend.
THE LINGO: “It’s a three-way tie and a dogfight. We’ll have to come back and play really well. We knew the stakes going in. For us to get off to such a poor start, give them credit. They were more ready than we were.”
— Kevin Ramey, Rogers Heritage girls basketball coach
UP NEXT: Heritage finishes the regular season with one road game and one at home this week. Heritage travels across town to face rival Rogers High on Tuesday, then hosts Siloam Springs on Friday.
The War Eagles have a chance to play spoiler on Tuesday by knocking Rogers out of the playoffs with a win over the Mounties.
There’s a great deal more on the line in the girls’ game as the two teams come in as part of a three-way tie for second in the league.