Fayetteville Boys Back In Playoffs
STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Payton Willis of Fayetteville drives to the lane Tuesday as Springdale Har-Ber's Cannon Wright defends during the first half in Fayetteville.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE — Fourteen and counting.
Fayetteville ran its streak of consecutive boys basketball state tournament berths to 14 on Tuesday. But unlike many previous seasons in the streak, this one didn't come without a fight.
Senior Boys
Fayetteville 66, Springdale Har-Ber 51
Har-Ber^16^12^8^15^—^51
Fayetteville^11^19^14^22^—^66
Har-Ber (11-14, 3-10): L. Jones 20, Brandon 11, R. Jones 9, Fox 4, Buccher 3, Cline 3, Davis 1.
Fayetteville (13-13, 6-7): Adams 16, Renner 15, Willis 13, O’Grady 7, Matthews 7, Young 5,Cozart 2, Murphy 1.
The Bulldogs had to rally from an early deficit for a 66-51 win over Springdale Har-Ber at Bulldog Arena.
"A string of 14 straight years to make the tournament, and we're proud of that," Fayetteville boys basketball coach Kyle Adams said. "Nobody wants to be the group to have that steak end, and the guys played really hard tonight. I was proud of the way they competed."
Springdale Har-Ber (11-14, 3-10 7A/6A-West) needed two wins and two Fayetteville losses this week to keep its postseason chances alive. And for much of the first half it appeared the Wildcats were willing to hold up their end of the bargain. But Fayetteville began hitting key outside shots and combined that with strong inside play from junior post C.J. O'Grady -- who finished with a season-high 17 rebounds -- to pull away in the second half.
"It's sort of been this way all year long. We just don't have anybody who can make a play," Wildcats coach Scott Bowlin said. "And I'm talking about at the opportune time.
"Our margin of error is very slim and it's tough to win on the road when you have those things working against you."
Senior guards Mason Adams and Luke Renner combined for 31 points for Fayetteville and hit a combined 6 of 18 three-pointers. Sophomore Payton Willis added 13.
Har-Ber led by as many as seven points early, but struggled to keep its offensive rhythm going as the game wore on.
"I was proud of the way we played in the fourth quarter," Adams said. "I was yelling at them to play smart basketball and I don't think we shot anything but layups there at the end. That really made me happy."
The Wildcats got 20 points from Landan Jones and 11 from J.P. Brandon in the loss. Har-Ber closes out the season Friday against Rogers High.
"I appreciate what these seniors have done, but I sort of hate because I feel like I kind of let them down," Bowlin said. "But hopefully they'll leave here better people understanding how hard work and sacrifice can help you in the long run.
"And hats off to coach Adams and his team at Fayetteville. They're in the tournament and I'm happy for them."
Sports on 02/26/2014