Sunday, February 2, 2014
VAN BUREN - Springdale High’s entire boys basketball team crowded into coach Brad Stamps office, turned off the lights and lit some candles Wednesday afternoon.
The Bulldogs spent the next hour trying to get over their heartbreaking 57-56 loss to Bentonville on Tuesday night, talking it out and venting about the showdown they felt they should have won.
The meeting worked. Springdale (14-4, 6-1 7A/6AWest) rebounded with a crucial 44-37 win at Van Buren (15-3, 5-2) on Friday night. The victory ensured the Bulldogs sole possession of second place, well within striking distance of Bentonville, which they’ll get another shot at Feb. 25.
“It’s big,” Stamps said of the bounce-back win. “There was only one way to get this taste out of your mouth. That’s to go win against a good basketball team on the road. We’ll sleep a lot better.”
Play of the Week: Senior forward Josiah Wymer made the go-ahead bucket with less than three minutes left Friday. Wymer was only 1-of-9 from the field before the basket while playing mostly against 6-foot-9 Van Buren Mitchell Smith. But his shot sparked the Bulldogs’ 8-1 run to fi nish the game after briefly losing a 13-point lead and trailing.
Players of the Week: Chris Owens might have had his best week in a Springdale uniform. The junior guard averaged 18 points and ledthe Bulldogs in scoring both games, including finishing with a career-high 24 points against Bentonville. He was noticeably more aggressive offensively, a trend Springdale has to hope continues. Junior guard Ja’Vonda Daniels averaged a teambest 16 points in wins over Bentonville and Van Buren, including a season-high 19 against the Lady Tigers. She knocked down fi ve 3-pointers in her best two-game stretch in conference play, providing an important outside scoring component for the Lady Bulldogs (10-8, 4-3).
Notable: Sophomore post Desiree Mack fi nished three points shy of recording her second double-double of the week against Van Buren after pulling down 10 rebounds. She had 10 points and 14 rebounds against Bentonville. … Senior wing D.J. Evans made all eight of his two-point field goal attempts this week, averaging 10.5 points on 80 percent shooting. He also averaged sixassists, upping his team-high total to 65 this year. … Lady Bulldogs hope to get sophomore guards Kyra Kahn and Tylee Sysavanh back from knee injuries, coach Heather Hunsucker said. Kahn injured hers in the Fayetteville Bulldog Classic in early January, while Sysavanh has been out since the summer. Both would add shooting for Springdale.
Up Next: Springdale will kick off the second half of the conference slate at home against Rogers High on Friday after getting Tuesday off . The Bulldogs routed the Mounties (6-12, 0-7) 67-49 in the conference opener. The Lady Bulldogs will look to atone for a 53-49 loss to the Lady Mounties (6-12, 3-4), a game they led until a late Rogers comeback.
AT A GLANCE THAT FIGURES
3ff ( - Fort Bulldogs Smith losses Northside,
Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo,
Bentonville) have come by a
total of four points 12ff for - Rebounds sophomore per Desiree game
Mack in the Lady Bulldogs’
wins over Bentonville and Van
Buren
2ff went - Weeks 2-0 in Springdale the fi rst half
of conference play after
having none in coach Heather
Hunsucker’s first two seasons
Sports, Pages 8 on 02/02/2014