SPRINGDALE — Bentonville struggled most of the night on the road at Springdale Har-Ber Tuesday and still trailed entering the fourth quarter.
That’s when the Lady Tigers took over.
Bentonville scored 10 consecutive points to begin the fourth quarter and defeated Har-Ber 41-34 in a 7A/6A-West Conference game at Wildcat Arena. Taylor Lee finished with 15 points for Bentonville (14-1, 2-0), which trailed 28-24 after three quarters.
“It was definitely an ugly game,” Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier said. “Our shots were not falling and I give Har-Ber a lot of credit for that. It wasn’t a fluid game offensively, but we still somehow still found a way to win. It was a typical 7A-West battle.”
Bentonville’s two 6-foot-1 centers, Julia Garrard and Jasmine Secrest stayed on the floor together in the fourth quarter after rotating for much of the game. Both players contributed offensive and helped limit Har-Ber (10-7, 1-1) to only six points in the fourth quarter.
Lee made six consecutive free throws before Secrest took an inbound pass near midcourt and hit a layup to give the Lady Tigers a 34-28 lead. Secrest finished with nine points, Garrard added eight, and both girls helped seal off the inside for the Lady Wildcats.
Har-Ber center Tayleah Neal finished with four points while sophomore forward Bailey Schalk scored all 11 of her points in the first half. Senior guard Caylee Wright was held to four points, including a 3-pointer that got Har-Ber to within 37-34 with 45 seconds left.
“We had a four-point lead with four minutes to play, but they made the plays at the end and we didn’t,” Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. “We had some mental letdowns and they took advantage. I know we can do better.”
Har-Ber got off to a good start behind Schalk, a 5-foot-10 sophomore forward. Schalk scored the first seven points for Har-Ber but Bentonville rallied from a 13-8 deficit to lead 20-19 at halftime after consecutive 3-pointers by Brooke Mabeus and Jamyne Casey.
Paige Redmond and Marleeya Montgomery contributed baskets off the bench to help Har-Ber regain 28-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
BENTONVILLE 41, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 34
Bentonville 12 8 4 17 — 41
Springdale Har-Ber 15 4 9 6 — 34
BENTONVILLE (14-1, 2-0): Lee 15, Mabeus 5, Rashaun 1, Potts 3, Secrest 8, Garrard 9.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (10-7, 1-1): Weber 9, McCarver 2, Schalk 11, Wright 4, Redmond 2, Neal 4, Montgomery 2.
JUNIOR VARSITY SCORE: Har-Ber 57, Bentonville 31.