SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber had a surprise for Van Buren after pulling its starters in the first quarter.
The Lady Wildcats’ second unit was more effective.
Har-Ber used superior depth and team play to defeat the Lady Pointers 62-32 on Friday in a 7A/6A-West Conference game at Wildcat Arena.
Van Buren 8 9 10 5 — 32
Springdale Har-Ber 17 19 20 6 — 62
VAN BUREN: (4-9, 0-3): Sheppard 15, Burgous 2, Outlaw 3, Santillana 12.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER: (11-7, 2-1): McCarver 15, Gray 6, Schalk 4, Wright 9, Redmond 4, Bohannon 5, Stephens 2, Neal 15, Montgomery 2.
Haley McCarver and Tayleah Neal each finished with 15 points for Har-Ber (11-7, 2-1), which led 36-17 at halftime and 56-27 after three quarters.
Har-Ber was leading 13-5 when coach Sandy Wright sent in five different players with three minutes left in the first quarter. The new group played brought some intensity off the bench while extending the lead to 17-8 after one quarter.
Har-Ber’s starting five returned to start the second quarter and increased the lead to 36-17 at halftime.
“I didn’t think our first five was playing very hard,” Wright said of the lineup change. “That next group had been sitting over there and they’re anxious and they brought a lot of energy off the bench. The starters, they see that and they know they’re going to have to play a little harder when they go back in for round two.”
Har-Ber needed a victory after losing its conference opener at home, 41-34, at Bentonville on Tuesday. Har-Ber was ahead in that game until Bentonville overtook the Lady Wildcats with a 10-0 run to begin the fourth quarter.
Har-Ber was sharp against Van Buren and passed up shots for easier attempts from the outset. Bailey Schalk passed inside to Haley McCarver and Caylee Wright fed Samantha Weber for a fastbreak layup to give Har-Ber a 10-5 lead. McCarver then followed with a three-point play to end the first quarter.
That’s when Har-Ber’s second unit entered the game and continued the momentum. At halftime, seven Har-Ber players had already contributed points while only two Van Buren players had more than one basket.
Guard Kaylee Sheppard and center Maria Santillana and combined to score 27 of the 32 points for Van Buren (4-9, 0-3). Sheppard led Van Buren with 15 points while Santillana finished with 12.