Coach Continues To See Intensity

LADY BULLDOGS REMAIN AGGRESSIVE TO WIN 7A/6A-WEST CONFERENCE OPENER


Tereke Eckwood, right, of Springdale High tries to get past Rogers High’s Brett Gent on Jan. 4 in Springdale.
DRIVING FORCE

Tereke Eckwood, right, of Springdale High tries to get past Rogers High’s Brett Gent on Jan. 4 in Springdale. DRIVING FORCE

Sunday, January 6, 2013

— Springdale High girls basketball coach Heather Hunsucker was impressed with the intensity she saw from her players at the Neosho Holiday Classic.

She hoped that intensity would continue into the start of 7A/6A-West Conference play. It did.

The Lady Bulldogs remained aggressive and opened their conference schedule by holding on for a 54-49 win over Rogers High inside Bulldog Gymnasium. It had been so long since Springdale (6-8, 1-0 7A /6A-West) had beaten Rogers that several school officials couldn’t recall the last time it had happened.

The aggressiveness of guards Brittany Jurgens and Baiyinnah Taylor helped. Jurgens scored a game-high 19 points, Taylor added eight and both players created shots for their teammates by showing a willingness to attack the basket.

“I know a lot of those shots that were open shots were created by drives, and I thought (Jurgens) and Baiy Taylor both created great shots for our team,” Hunsucker said. “And that’s because of the aggressiveness to the basket.

“Baiy and (Brittany) are both capable of getting to the basket, which is something that helps our team.”

PLAY OF THE NIGHT: Springdale point guard Tereke Eckwood showed he had a crossover capable of breaking a player’s ankle, or at least making him fall. The freshman got the student section excited with a crossover dribble in the secondhalf that was so quick it made a Rogers defender nearly do a split on the floor. One leg went forward while the other one went backward - much to the hometown crowd’s enjoyment.

PLAYERS OF THE GAMES: Jurgens was aggressive early on against Rogers, hitting a 3-pointer for Springdale’s first basket of the game and following it up one minute later with a floater in the lane. The point guard scored eight of the Lady Bulldogs’ 11 points in the fi rst quarter and carried them to the big conference win with a gamehigh 19 points.

DaShaun Stark showed his versatility, particularly in the second half of the 79-49 win over the Mounties. The forward scored points in the paint, finished fast-break opportunities and proved to be a match-up problem for Rogers. He scored 14 of hisgame-high 24 points after halftime.

NOTABLE: Springdale’s girls team shot 44.4 percent on 3-pointers against Rogers. All 12 of Javonda Daniels points came on four 3-pointers. ... Several Springdale students showed up at the game dressed as Jackie Moon from the WillFerrell comedy “Semi-Pro.”

THE LINGO: “We talked about today that the only thing we can control is at the end of the night we put 1-0 up in the conference. That’s the most important thing. Right now, we’re 1-0 and it sure feels good.” -BRAD STAMPS Springdale boys coach

UP NEXT: Both Springdale teams hope to continue their good start to 7A/6AWe s t p l a y w h e n t h e y travel for a pair of road games next week. They play at Rogers Heritage on Tuesday, then follow it up with their fi rst conference meeting against Siloam Springs.

Sports, Pages 8 on 01/06/2013