Rogers High
The Lady Mounties will enter their toughest test of the year tonight riding the momentum of a strong finish at a tournament in Missouri last weekend.
Rogers will need to be at its best tonight when it travels to play North Little Rock.
"It's amazing what a couple of wins can do for you," said Rogers coach Preston Early. "We have had a little more spirit, a little more bounce in our practices. Obviously, we are stepping into another level against North Little Rock. North Little, when you look at their talent, is a top 50 team in the country."
Rogers (5-4) lost to Nixa, Mo., (50-37) in the first round of the Stephanie Phillips Classic at Springfield Kickapoo last week, but the Lady Mounties rebounded with impressive victories over Jefferson City (54-48) and St. Louis McCluer (51-35).
"The Nixa game was not indicative of what we think we can be," Early said. "We challenged our players to step forward, that is was time for this team to take shape. Our players took that to heart and we had so much purpose our last two games. I thought our team defense was good and we were efficient on offense. That was real encouraging."
Early said he was especially pleased with the play of sophomore forward Mykelle Willams last weekend. Williams was pressed into duty because of injuries and sickness and she scored five points and grabbed five rebounds against McCluer.
"I was so proud of her because she probably hadn't played 60 seconds of varsity for us," Early said. "She played up to her ability."
The Mounties also have a tough assignment tonight when Conway visits King Arena for a 7:30 p.m. game.
"Conway is a very athletic team with good size," said Rogers coach Wayne Herren. "They start four seniors and one junior, so very experienced. They are really strong in the paint and we need to keep them out of there. It is going to be a good test for us."
Rogers went 1-2 at the Arvest Hoopfest last weekend but Herren said he saw a lot positives from the team.
"Will Allen really stepped up and gave us an inside presence," Herren said. "Milacio Freeland really attacked the rim and he played defense. We just need to shoot the ball better."
-- Paul Nielsen @NWAPaul
Springdale High
Springdale High will face the same challenge it did a year ago against Alma and in the Neosho (Mo.) Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will have to compete without all-state point guard Kierra Lang. The dynamic junior will miss a few weeks after re-injuring her patella in Conway's Wampus Cat Invitational last week, but the long-term prognosis is positive.
"It looks like, absolutely for sure, back 100 percent by the first conference game," coach Heather Hunsucker said. "Maybe by Siloam Springs (on Jan. 6). There was no structural damage."
In the meantime, Springdale (5-3) will try to bounce back beginning tonight at Alma after losing to Greenwood and Conway by a combined 80 points last weekend. Both losses exposed the Lady Bulldogs' issues against aggressive zone defenses, which they've worked to fix the last few days.
"Bentonville, Har-Ber, Siloam Springs all ran zone (last year)," Hunsucker said. "We didn't have any trouble attacking. Matter of fact, all those games we won. We were prepared for those teams.
"Both they and I saw zones that were done completely different (in Conway). They blitzed us with something brand new. My promise was we will be prepared in March."
For the boys, senior guard Wyatt Norris has earned a spot in the rotation after scoring a career-high 13 points in a win last week. His emergence is an example of the Bulldogs' lineups taking shape as the season progresses.
"I feel more comfortable with our rotation," coach Brad Stamps said. "We feel like we're starting an identity of who we are and how we want to play."
Springdale (4-5) went 2-4 in competitive tournaments in Fayetteville and Blue Springs, Mo., facing four top-tier Missouri teams. The Bulldogs will continue the tough schedule tonight at an Alma team which upset Bentonville 68-65 before facing Jonesboro on Saturday in North Little Rock.
"From what those coaches told me, all four (Missouri) teams are going to compete for state titles," Stamps said. "And then you go play Jonesboro, which is arguably one of the top three or four programs in the state. We find out a lot about ourselves."
-- Jimmy Carter • @NWAJimmy
Rogers Heritage
The War Eagles had their school record seven-game winning streak snapped in a big way by Waynesville, Mo., but bounced back to down cross-town rival Rogers High to close out the Arvest Hoopfest on Saturday.
Heritage (8-1) is off to a strong start behind the 1-2 combination of senior swingman Connor Hirsh and junior guard Lexus Hobbs. Hirsh is averaging 16 points, six rebounds and two assists per game, while Hobbs is next averaging around 12 points per game.
Heritage coach Tom Olsen said his team still has work to do, but the War Eagles are off to a nice start.
"I feel like we're in a good place, but I don't feel like we've played our best," Olsen said. "Some of our new players we can get in a better rhythm. But to be 8-1, we're in a good place."
The War Eagles will participate in the U.S. Bank Holiday Tournament in Rolla, Mo., Dec. 29-31, which has a strong field including Waynesville and Columbia Hickman, before the start of 7A-West Conference play.
The Lady War Eagles (6-3) went 2-1 in the Tahlequah (Okla.) Tiger Invitational last weekend. They have won several close games led by senior Emile Jobst, who averages 13 points per game. The 5-6 guard, who already signed to play next year at Central Missouri, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Russellville.
Both teams travel to Siloam Springs tonight for a nonconference game before the Christmas holiday.
Springdale Har-Ber
High-scoring games and athleticism will be on display when Springdale Har-Ber plays consecutive home game tonight and Saturday at Wildcat Arena.
Har-Ber will face Southaven, Miss., tonight before holding a rematch with Forrest City on Saturday. Both games will start at 7:30 p.m., following junior varsity games at 6 p.m. Southaven (5-3) is led by Terence Davis, a senior guard who is committed to Ole Miss.
Har-Ber (6-1) won 76-73 at Forrest City last Saturday after falling behind 13-0 to start the game. Tereke Eckwood scored 26 points to lead the comeback.
"We got punched in the mouth and I had to burn two timeouts early," Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin said. "But I like the way our kids responded. We led 39-37 at halftime after falling behind 13-0 two-and-a-half minutes into the game."
Har-Ber enters tonight's home-opener averaging 71.8 points per game. Eckwood (20.7) leads the Wildcats, followed by Mason Cline (17.3), Avery Benson (13.7), JP Brandon (9.0) and Mason McNee (7.7).
"We're able to score quick and it can come from about anywhere on the floor," Bowlin said of the Wildcats, whose only loss is to Rolla, Mo. "My biggest concern is on the defensive side. There's a lot of room for improvement there if we hope to compete with the upper tier teams in the state. Plus, I'm looking for two more guys to step it up off the bench. We'd like to play nine or ten and, right now, I'm only comfortable with seven or eight."
The Har-Ber girls are idle for a while after losing their first game of the season in the finals of the Joplin (Mo.) Lady Eagles Invitational Tournament last Saturday. The Lady Wildcats fell 59-43 to Olathe (Kan.) South in the championship game after beating Joplin and Neosho, Mo., previously in the tournament.
Har-Ber (9-1) will return to action after Christmas when the Lady Wildcats play Dec. 29-31 in a 32-team tournament at Mansfield, Texas.
-- RICK FIRES • @NWARick
Fayetteville
The Lady Bulldogs (5-4) have needed players to step up early in the season while waiting on their roster to become fully healthy. Monday, sophomore Lauren Holmes was the latest who showed off an ability to pick up the slack for Fayetteville.
Holmes scored 22 points and sparked a 19-5 run for the in the third quarter as the Lady'Dogs pulled away for a 62-46 win at Van Buren.
"With (Sydney) Crockett out it's a huge deal," Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said. "Lauren is very active and I thought she did a great job for us defensively. We're playing a lot of good young kids and we're only getting better."
Crockett suffered a injury to her left foot in the final game at the Tournament of Champions in Fort Smith on Saturday, a 55-47 win for Fayetteville against 7A-West Conference rival Fort Smith Southside. The team is waiting on results of an MRI to find out how much time Crockett will miss.
The Lady Bulldogs play West Plains, Mo. on Saturday in a neutral site game at Flippin. The Fayetteville boys (8-1), who picked up a big 55-52 win against 7A-Central Conference Van Buren, host Southhaven, Miss. at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Southhaven plays Springdale Har-Ber the night before.
-- Vernon Tarver • @NWAVernon
Sports on 12/19/2014