Strickland Leads Lady Mounties

— After watching Taylor Strickland score nine points on five touches against Springdale High last week, Rogers High coach Preston Early promised his senior more touches.

Early kept his word.

Strickland scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Tuesday to lead Rogers to a 64-54 victory against Siloam Springs in a 7A/6A-West Conference game.

Strickland scored 23 points in the first half and she was 10-of-24 from the field while making all 13 of her free throw attempts. Strickland played all but 50 seconds of the game.

“I told her the Springdale game was on me,” Early said. “ I didn’t get her enough touches and I told her that wouldn’t happen against Siloam Springs. We had to be a little more disciplined on offense, and Taylor had to be a little more aggressive. That happened.”

Strickland scored 14 points the first eight minutes of the game to help Rogers to a 19-12 lead. Strickland then tallied a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to push the Lady Mounties to a 57-44 lead with just over three minutes left in the game.

Strickland said her nine points in the conference opener was one of her worst efforts in her three seasons as a starter.

“I could have done some things to get myself open against Springdale,” Strickland said. “That really motivated me because I didn’t want to let my team down. I just did what I had to do.”

Cassandra Trexler was also in double figures for Rogers with 12 points while McKinzie James added nine points, including a steal and layup the final three seconds of the first half that gave the Lady Mounties a 35-26 lead.

Morgan Miller led Siloam (7-6, 0-2) with 23 points but the Lady Panthers went scoreless the first 6 minutes, 39 seconds of the fourth period after they had cut the Rogers lead to 46-44.

“I thought Cassandra and McKinzie were difference makers for us,” Early said. “The ability of them to handle Siloam’s pressure was big. We answered every time Siloam made a run on us.”

ROGERS HIGH 64, SILOAM SPRINGS 54

Siloam Springs 12 14 18 10 — 54

Rogers 19 16 12 18 — 64

Siloam Springs (7-5, 0-1): Miller 23, Cameron 8, Owens 5, Eldridge 5, Gay 4, Pippin 4, Jones 3, Stock 2.

Rogers (9-6, 1-1): Strickland 35, Trexler 12, James 9, Warren 6, King 3.

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