Lady Bulldogs Fall Short

KEEPING POSITIVE KEY FOR FAYETTEVILLE GIRLS, COACH SAYS

Jaylah Prude, Fayetteville guard, fights for control of the ball Friday against Rogers Heritage guard Brittany Ward at Bulldog Arena in Fayetteville.
Jaylah Prude, Fayetteville guard, fights for control of the ball Friday against Rogers Heritage guard Brittany Ward at Bulldog Arena in Fayetteville.

— Even before Friday’s 7A/6A-West Conference opener, Fayetteville had endured a season’s worth of close calls gone wrong on the high school girls basketball court.

And then came another.

The Lady Bulldogs had their chances, and at times even appeared to have control, but in the end it was another tough loss, 50-48 in overtime against Rogers Heritage in Bulldog Arena. But with lots of season left, Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer believes it’s vital the Lady’Dogs don’t get their heads down.

“That’s what we spoke to them about after the game,” Rimmer said. “We told our seniors, it’s their job to keep everybody up and positive and we’ve just got to keep working.

“We’ve still got a lot of games left.”

PLAYS OF THE NIGHT: Lauren Schuldt somehow, someway found the ball in her hands with the fourth quarter clock winding down to zero. Schuldt, a 6-foot-2 sophomore post for the Lady Bulldogs, had time to do only one thing. With Fayetteville trailing 46-43, she let go a 22-foot three-point attempt at the buzzer, which found nothing but net to send the game into overtime.

The Lady’Dogs would lose the game, 50-48 in OT, but Schuldt’s unlikely 3-pointer - from the unlikeliest of players - provided fans a defi nite highlight.

In the boys’ game, Tre Boyd took an alley oop pass from Manny Watkins just minutes into the game and sent downa crowd-pleasing dunk to get the crowd on their feet in Bulldog Arena. Boyd would be whistled for a technical foul on the play for holding onto the rim, but the play itself was worth the price of admission.

PLAYERS OF THE GAMES: Watkins did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs on Friday. The 6-2 senior guard scored 19 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and had two steals in a complete effort in Fayetteville’s 59-32 win.

“We’ll take that every night,” Bulldogs coach Kyle Adams said.

Fayetteville sophomore Ellie Breden was in can’t miss mode for the Lady Bulldogs on Friday. Breden finished 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line and scored a team-high 11 points, hitting a pair of crucial second-half baskets to help keep Fayetteville in the game.

NOTABLE: The Fayetteville boys were playing their fi rst game since Dec. 15. ... The Bulldogs chose not to play in a tournament over Christmas Break, instead playingin the Rumble on the Ridge over Thanksgiving this season. ... The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 4-10 overall on Friday. Five of Fayetteville’s 10 losses have come by three points or less. ... The Bulldog Marching Band was in the house Friday night in Bulldog Arena for Fayetteville’s7A /6A-West Conference opener.

THE LINGO: “We’ve got a lot of parts right now that are diff erent, but they can do a lot of diff erent things.” - KYLE ADAMS Fayetteville boys basketball coach

UP NEXT: The Fayettevilleteams begin a two-game road trip next week. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will be the fi rst conference team to visit Van Buren since its re-arrival into the 7A/6A-West, with a trip to Pointer Arena on Tuesday. Fayetteville then travels to Rogers High to close out the week on Friday.

Sports, Pages 8 on 01/06/2013

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