SPRINGDALE — By Rick Fires
SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber couldn’t match the eight 3-pointers by Van Buren guard Nick Pagel, but the Wildcats made enough perimeter shots to overtake the Pointers.
That Figures
8 — Three-pointers by Van Buren senior guard Nick Pagel, who finished with 25 points.
5 — New players who replaced the starting five in the first quarter for the Springdale Har-Ber girls.
3 — Quarters where the Lady Wildcats held the Lady Pointers to nine points or less
Austin Fox scored 16 points and made consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead Har-Ber to a 56-52 comeback victory over the Pointers. Har-Ber (6-11, 1-2) won the game after trailing by 10 points midway through the third quarter.
Rickey Jones added 15 points and Alex Rice scored seven of his nine points in the second half. The victory avoided an 0-3 start in conference play for Har-Ber, which plays at rival Springdale on Tuesday.
“Alex Rice was playing sick and he was still battling and diving on the floor,” Har-Ber coach Adam Simmons said. “Alex was the leader then we had guys like Cannon Wright and Andrew Davis come off the bench to give us a spark. To me, it doesn’t matter who the guys are to step up just as long as they’re wearing a Har-Ber jersey.”
PLAY OF THE NIGHT: Har-Ber’s comeback started on the defensive end when Austin Fox forced a five-second call in the backcourt. Cannon Wright followed with consecutive baskets then fed Fox for a layup to pull the Wildcats to within 40-37 after three quarters.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Austin Fox had a stretch in the second half where he forced a five-second call, converted a layup, then made consecutive 3-pointers to give Har-Ber a 49-47 lead with four minutes, 33 seconds left in the game. Fox finished with 15 points after scoring only five points in a loss to Bentonville on Tuesday night.
NOTABLE: Nine players scored for the Har-Ber girls Friday while Van Buren had two players combine for 27 of its points in a 62-32 defeat to the Lady Wildcats. Tayleah Neal and Haley McCarver each scored 15 points for Har-Ber (11-7, 2-1) after the two combined for only six points in a 41-34 defeat to Bentonville on Tuesday.
THE LINGO: “Tayleah battled inside against their big girl (Maria Santillana) and hit some shots from outside. So, I was pleased with Tayleah and McCarver played a good game overall and shot the ball really well.”
Sandy Wright
Springdale Har-Ber girls coach
UP NEXT: Springdale Har-Ber begins a difficult stretch with a road game at Springdale High on Tuesday and a home game against Rogers Heritage on Friday. The Springdale boys are 10-6 overall and 2-1 in the league after a 59-57 defeat at Siloam Springs. The Rogers Heritage girls are 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the 7A/6A-West after a 57-48 defeat to league-leading Bentonville.