SPRINGDALE — Bailey Schalk has already made an impression after one game in 7A/6A-West Conference play.
Bentonville girls basketball coach Tom Halbmaier thought so after watching the Springdale Har-Ber sophomore score 11 points in the league opener on Tuesday night.
PROFILE
Bailey Schalk
SCHOOL: Springdale Har-Ber
CLASS: Sophomore
POSITION: Forward
HEIGHT: 5-10
NOTABLE: Transferred to Springdale Har-Ber after playing varsity basketball as a freshman last season at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio. ... Averaging 11 points and 7 points per game as a sophomore. ... Scored the first seven points for Har-Ber in Tuesday’s loss to Bentonville. ... Will run track in the spring for Har-Ber after participating in basketball, volleyball, and track at her former school in Ohio.
“Bailey did a good job of taking it to our post players and punching them in the mouth,” Halbmaier said. “She’s young, but she has the total package. She’s definitely someone to watch in this league.”
Schalk is a newcomer to the 7A/6A-West after her family moved from Massillon, Ohio, where she played varsity basketball last year as a freshman. She spent one semester at Central Junior High in Springdale before joining her Har-Ber teammates to prepare for this season.
Schalk quickly earned a starting spot and is averaging 11 points and 7 rebounds per game for the Lady Wildcats (10-7, 1-1), who host Van Buren (4-7, 0-2) in a conference game tonight at Wildcat Arena.
“I got acquainted with Bailey during the offseason and it didn’t take long to see that she had potential,” Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. “She has a lot of God-given ability with the way she can run and jump and finish her shots. She loves basketball, and she hopes to go on and play college ball someday.
“When you hear that from a kid, you know it’s in their heart.”
Schalk, a 5-foot-10 forward, fills a void after Har-Ber lost much of its inside game from last season. She was a consistent scorer during non-conference games and led Har-Ber’s fast start in its conference opener against Bentonville.
Schalk scored the first seven points for Har-Ber and had 11 at halftime against the Lady Tigers (14-1, 2-0), who were selected by NWA Media as the preseason favorites to win the league. Har-Ber still led 28-24 after three quarters before Bentonville went on a 10-0 run and won the game, 41-34.
Schalk led Har-Ber in scoring despite making all 11 of her points in the first half.
“Bentonville is a very good team, but I was proud of how we played,” said Schalk, who fell to the floor hard during one play in the second half and had to sit on the bench for a few minutes. “We had it, then things slipped away at the end. But we’re going to get better, I’m sure.”
Schalk attended school in Massillon, Ohio, which is less than eight miles from the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. She was disappointed to learn her family was moving, but the blow was softened by the reception she got from her new friends and teammates at Har-Ber.
Relocating to Arkansas was also made easier because both of Schalk’s parents attended Arkansas Tech and she has relatives in the Russellville area.
“It wasn’t much of a culture shock because I knew about Arkansas,” Schalk said. “Still, it was tough at first because I grew up in Ohio and I had to leave my friends. But the girls on the team made that transition a lot easier. Usually, people don’t want the new girl, but they were very accepting of me.”
Although Schalk is off to a good start as a sophomore, her job as a scorer and rebounder for Har-Ber could become more difficult as opposing teams in the 7A/6A-West become aware of the transfer from Ohio.
Still, Schalk is up for the challenge.
“Bailey is not intimidated at all and she’s pretty tough, but we’re going to help her get tougher,” Wright said. “In our league, you’ve got to bring it every night. But she has a huge upside, and I’m confident she’s going to keep getting better and better.”