SPRINGDALE — Springdale High girls basketball coach Heather Hunsucker feels the pressure is building for her team, especially after a “tough” time last week.

The Lady Bulldogs (6-11, 1-4 7A/6A-West Conference) have lost four consecutive games since earning a 54-49 win over Rogers High in their league opener Jan. 4.

Hunsucker said she was disappointed with her team’s inconsistency last week. Springdale had a strong effort in a 42-40 loss Tuesday to Springdale Har-Ber but followed it up with a lackluster performance in Friday’s 53-35 loss to Fayetteville.

With games against Bentonville and Van Buren, Hunsucker said this week could help determine if the Lady Bulldogs qualify for the Class 7A State Tournament.

“We know that next week is kind of a pressing week,” Hunsucker said Friday. “We know that we’ve got to get one of two. We understand that because our goal is still to make the state tournament, and we’ve still got time to do that. But next week is very important.”

Play of the Night: Springdale’s boys team showed its teamwork with a late alley-oop dunk that punctuated its 71-53 win over rival Har-Ber on Tuesday. The play ended with Jordan Johnson throwing a perfect lob to DaShaun Stark, who dunked it. Springdale’s student section erupted in cheers, and Stark let out a loud scream following the play.

Players of the Week: Forward Alex Scharlau showed his shooting range and provided plenty of offense last week. The 6-foot-5 senior scored a game-high 23 points against Har-Ber and tied for the team high with 13 against Fayetteville.

Point guard Brittany Jurgens continued to hustle, even as the Lady Bulldogs lost early leads to Har-Ber and Fayetteville. The senior scored a combined 25 points in the two games, more than any of her teammates.

Notable: The Bulldogs watched as its 22-20 halftime lead over Fayetteville disappeared as they were outscored 20-5 in the third quarter. “You give up 20 points in a half, that’s a 40-point ball game,” Stamps said. “But for some reason when we go haywire offensively, we don’t defend well defensively.”

The Lingo: “That’s kind of been the story of our conference season. When all of our players show up, we play really well. When all of our players don’t show up and we’re not mentally focused and prepared, we have been beaten.”

Heather Hunsucker

Springdale High girls coach

Up Next: Springdale looks to get back on track when it travels Tuesday to Bentonville, which will pit two of the 7A/6A-West’s top boys basketball teams.

Both the Bulldogs and Tigers (14-4, 4-1) are coming off losses with Bentonville suffering its first conference loss in Friday’s 62-53 defeat at Siloam Springs.