ALMA -- The number of fouls Bentonville's boys basketball team picked up Tuesday night didn't settle too well with Tigers coach Jason McMahan.
Bentonville was whistled for 30 team fouls -- 20 in the second half -- and that lead to the Tigers' first loss of the season as Alma claimed a 68-65 nonconference victory at Charles B. Dyer Gymnasium.
How They Scored
Girls
Bentonville 63, Alma 45
Bentonville^17^17^18^11^—^63
Alma^11^8^16^10^—^45
Bentonville (4-1): Martin 21, Johnston 21, Brittain 9, Clark 6, Taylor 4, Hernandez 2.
Alma (1-2): Rainwater 11, Ostrander 10, Wright 9, Jones 8, Cochran 3, Fagen 3, Dunbar 1.
Boys
Alma 68, Bentonville 65
Bentonville^8^20^13^24^—^65
Alma^14^11^18^25^—^68
Bentonville (4-1): Monk 25, Robinson 17, Smith 8, Carter 6, Loy 5, Head 2, Hemphill 2.
Alma (3-0): Lee 25, Parker 11, Folkerts 10, Beneux 8, Cluck 7, Corder 4, Dotson 2, Friddle 1.
"A lot of that came from a lack of focus on our end and poor execution, compared to Alma's great execution of its game plan," McMahan said. "I think we got out of position and made some fouls.
"We had eight turnovers in the first quarter, and I don't feel like those were forced as much as they were self-inflicted. We didn't come in here to get a tough road win. I think we thought we were better than we were, and that was from a lack of focus. That's my fault."
Free throws accounted for more than half of Alma's 45 second-half points as the Airedales (3-0) hit 22 of 30 from the line over the final 16 minutes. Austin Lee, who finished with 25 points, hit all 11 of his attempts in the second half, and the Alma took the lead for good when Jake Folkerts' two free throws snapped a 39-39 tie with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Airedales had a 43-41 lead entering the fourth quarter, then took its biggest lead when Lee's 3-pointer and a bucket by Braylon Parker made it 48-41 with 7:13 remaining. Bentonville (4-1) was able to pull within 61-58 on two Malik Monk free throws with 1:02 remaining, but the Tigers couldn't get any closer.
"It was a great team effort," Alma coach Stan Flenor said. "When you have an opportunity to play someone highly ranked, you need to relax and play your game. I thought we did that. Our guys did it at a really high level."
Monk finished with 25 points to lead Bentonville, but he struggled with his outside shooting throughout the game and hit his only 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Tyler Robinson was the only other Tiger to finish in double figures with 17, while Braylon Parker had 11 and Folkerts 10 to help Alma's cause.
Bentonville doesn't return to action until Dec. 19, when it plays in the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., where it will take on Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler.
"We look forward to these next few practices because we need them," McMahan said. "This makes us realize how much we need practice. One of those things you can't bottle up is chemistry and momentum, and that comes from a deep focus and understanding your job and doing it well."
Girls
Bentonville 63, Alma 45
Maren Johnston and Jordan Martin recorded double-doubles to lead Bentonville to victory in its first road game of the season.
The Lady Tigers (4-1) used a 12-0 run to take a 14-6 lead on two Johnston free throws with 2 minutes, 3 seconds left in the first quarter and never trailed again. Bentonville led by as much as 21 points midway in the fourth quarter.
"This was a good game for us to get rid of those first road game jitters," Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier said. "I thought the girls did a nice job. It wasn't the best game, but they fought and found ways to score.
"I thought Maren did a great job on the offensive boards and with the putbacks. She did a nice job rebounding. The second half got a little ragged, but Maren played really well."
Johnston finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, as did Martin to lead Bentonville, which heads to Vinita, Okla., for a first-round game Thursday against Tulsa (Okla) Holland Hall in the Big Dawg Invitational. Cierra Rainwater had 11 points and Hailey Ostrander 10 for Alma (1-2).
Sports on 12/10/2014