SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber doubled down on the inside to defeat Rogers High Friday night.
Alex Rice and Landan Jones combined for 26 points to lead Har-Ber to a 59-51 victory over the Mounties in 7A/6A-West Conference play at Wildcat Arena. Rice led the way with 14 points followed by Jones, a junior reserve, with 12.
Har-Ber did most of its scoring from the outside while trailing 27-24 at halftime. The Wildcats then began working the ball inside to Rice and Jones and the strategy paid off for a 44-39 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Mounties were still ahead 39-34 in the third quarter when Jones fed Rice for a layup and a three-point play after a made free throw. Jones then took an in-bound pass, made the basket, and added a free throw to put Har-Ber ahead 40-39 with 1:17 left in the third quarter. Har-Ber increased its lead to 50-39 after Rice scored inside on a bounce pass from the perimeter by Andrew Davis.
Rogers got to within 56-51 after two free throws by Hunter Hill, but Har-Ber (8-13, 3-4) was able to keep the lead and earn the homecourt victory on Colors Night at Wildcat Arena.
“Landan usually comes in and spells Alex, but there’s been times where they’ve played together,” Har-Ber coach Adam Simmons said. “They’re both big men and they have the same mentality. Landan has a knack for the ball and he continues to get better.”
Hill scored 17 points for Rogers (7-13, 1-6), which made 11 3-pointers to six 3-pointers for Har-Ber. The Mounties were 6-of- 11 from the free-throw line while the Wildcats were 13-of-22.
Har-Ber used its outside shooting to take a 16-10 lead early in the second quarter. Four of Har-Ber’s first six baskets were 3-pointers, including two by Justin Malott.
“We’ve got some guys who can knock down shots from the outside,” Simmons said. “They were able to get it going for us and our big guys finished it off.”
Rogers also showed it could shoot outside and used 3-pointers by Keifer Holt and Jake Killingsworth to take a 27-22 lead late in the second quarter. Har-Ber then began taking the ball inside after halftime and outscored the Mounties 35-24 in the second half.
Rogers 10 17 12 12 — 51
Springdale Har-Ber 11 13 18 17 — 59
ROGERS: (7-13,1-6): Hill 17, Killingsworth 12, Holt 6, Quillen 6, Street 5, Adams 4, Jones 1.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER: (8-13, 3-4): Fox 4, Davis 1, Malott 9, Jester 6, Rice 14, Buccheri 7, R. Jones 6, L. Jones 12.