VAN BUREN — Springdale boys basketball coach Brad Stamps said it wouldn’t be easy to get a win at Van Buren. He was more right than he thought Friday.
The Bulldogs, using a 14-0 run in a six-minute stretch in the second half, built a fourth-quarter lead that almost disappeared. But they held on for a 43-42 win in 7A/6A-West Conference action at Bates Arena.
The win lifts Springdale (18-9, 10-4) to the No. 2 seed out of the West and, more importantly, a first-round by in next week's 7A state tournament at Fayetteville. The Bulldogs will meet the West Memphis-Rogers High winner at 8:30 p.m. on March 1.
“Before tonight, we have had three emotional games, so mentally we are spent,” Stamps. “I told them that they get the weekend off and rest up.”
Van Buren (13-13, 6-8) will also be in the state tournament as the West's fifth seed. The Pointers will face Conway, the 7A-Central's fourth seed, at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, with the winner facing Fayetteville on Thursday.
Mitchell Smith's slam dunk with 4 minutes, 40 remaining in the third quarter gave the Pointers a 34-29 lead, but Springdale dominated the rest of the period thanks to its pressure defense. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers in the stretch and got several easy baskets to get back into the game and take the lead for good.
“Our aggressiveness on defense was really good in the third quarter,” Stamps said. “Our defense gave us some transition baskets, and that was key. We want to sell out on defense with our feet, not our hands.”
DeShaun Stark, who paced Springdale with 16 points, scored nine points in an 11-0 run to end the quarter with a 40-34 lead. He also added a free throw early in the fourth quarter, and Alex Scharlau, who had 12 points, added a tip-in for a 43-34 lead with 6:02 left.
“Except for that 4-5 minute stretch, I thought we played really well,” Pointer coach Randy Loyd said. “Springdale forces you into mistakes, and I thought we got a little tired at that point and they took full advantage.”
Still, Van Buren wasn’t out of it as Springdale went into a drought offensively in the final six minutes of the game.
Ryan Pearson, who scored 16 points to lead the Pointers, hit a 3-pointers and then scored on a 3-point play to get Van Buren to within 43-40 with 3:46 left. The Pointers, though, had several chances to score, but didn’t until a Colton Tucker layup with two seconds left to set the final score.
“I was proud of the way we fought back and had a chance at the end,” Loyd said. “We have played well the last 2-3 weeks. Now we have the state tournament to get ready for.”
BOYS
Springdale 43, Van Buren 42
Springdale 11 12 11 9 — 43
Van Buren 12 11 11 8 — 42
Springdale (18-9, 10-4): Stark 16, Scharlau 12, Wymer 8, Owens 5, Eckwood 2.
Van Buren (13-13, 6-8): Pearson 16, Smith 9, Gardner 6, Pagel 5, Harms 2, Eversole 2, Tucker 2.