BENTONVILLE — Brooke Mabeus’ biggest duty this season likely goes unnoticed by many of those watching Bentonville’s girls basketball games this season.
Lady Tigers coach Tom Halbmaier needed the senior guard to become the team’s defensive stopper. It’s a job that brings a lot more pressure than it does glory, but it’s one Mabeus doesn’t mind.
“With all the pressure it brings, I like the pressure,” she said. “More than get nervous, I do better under pressure.
Class 7A State Tournament
at Fayetteville
GIRLS
Wednesday’s Games
GAME 1: C4 North Little Rock 58, W5 Fayetteville 35
GAME 2: W3 Rogers High vs. C4 Cabot, 4 p.m.
GAME 3: W4 Rogers Heritage vs. C5 Fort Smith Southside, 7 p.m.
Thursday’s Games
GAME 4: C3 West Memphis vs. W6 Bryant, 1 p.m.
GAME 5: W1 Bentonville vs. North Little Rock, 4 p.m.
GAME 6: C2 Fort Smith Northside vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Friday’s Games
GAME 7: C1 Little Rock Central vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
GAME 8: W2 Springdale Har-Ber vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
GAME 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, noon
GAME 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 6 p.m.
Championship
at Barton Coliseum, Little Rock
GAME 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, date and time TBA
“I’m OK with this role because we have a bunch of girls that hold their own, and the scoring is pretty balanced among them. I still score a little bit, but I like the defensive pressure.”
The 5-foot-2 Mabeus guards the opposing team’s leading scorer on most occasions, and she’s asked to hold that player’s point total as low as possible. More times than not this season, she’s been successful.
Halbmaier has watched Mabeus progress during the three years she’s been a starter, and he believes she takes a lot of pride in that defensive role.
“She was by far the best choice to put her on the best offensive players,” he said. “She’s grown into that role and took it on as a challenge, and she’s done quite well.
“There’s a number of games where she did a fantastic job. Whoever she guarded, she kept those kids well below their season average.”
That’s not to say she became the forgotten player when Bentonville had the ball. Mabeus hit 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range and scored a season-high 14 points in a Feb. 15 game against Siloam Springs, and Halbmaier isn’t afraid to turn to her for help when the Lady Tigers are in an offensive lull.
The team player Mabeus has become still shows most of the time. She’s just as content when she records an assist as she is when she scores.
“If I’m open and have a 3, I’ll still shoot it,” she said. “If I drive to the basket and the shot isn’t there, I’ll kick it out and get an assist.
“That’s what I really like to do on offense: get an assist for my teammates. If I pass up a 3-pointer that I might miss and get it to another player who hits a shot, I still like that feeling that I helped create that shot.”