Weber Has Tournament Experience For Har-Ber

Samantha Weber is a senior point guard and top playmaker for Springdale Har-Ber, which will face Little Rock Central in the opening game of the Class 7A state tournament at Conway.
Samantha Weber is a senior point guard and top playmaker for Springdale Har-Ber, which will face Little Rock Central in the opening game of the Class 7A state tournament at Conway.

SPRINGDALE — The Springdale Har-Ber girls are in a funk.

That’s a bad place to be in late February and early March, when the state tournament begins. Har-Ber was tied for the lead in the 7A/6A-West halfway through conference play, but a home loss to Bentonville sent the Lady Wildcats spiraling.

Har-Ber opens state tournament play Thursday as a No. 4 seed after losing four of its last six games. The Lady Wildcats (19-8, 9-5) play at 1 p.m. against Little Rock Central (22-5), the No. 5 seed from the 7A/6A-Central.

Har-Ber finished the regular season with a 54-42 loss at home to Rogers while Central lost 71-63 in double overtime to North Little Rock.

“We haven’t been shooting the ball real well and it’s frustrating,” Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. “We’ve worked on it, but we can’t seem to connect.”

Har-Ber is capable of a turnaround, especially with senior point guard Samantha Weber directing the offense. Weber is a two-year starter who helped guide the Lady Wildcats to 20 wins last season. Har-Ber beat West Memphis in the state tournament at Fayetteville before being eliminated by Fort Smith Southside in the semifinals.

“Samantha has been a great leader for us all year,” Wright said. “She’s going to give it everything she has every time she steps out on the floor.”

Weber (5-foot-5) is a rugged player who dove headlong into the bleachers and hit her head while chasing a loose ball earlier this season. She is a top playmaker but her scoring averaged has dipped to about five points this season. Weber knows she’ll have to be more productive on offense for Har-Ber to make any kind of run in the state tournament.

“I’ve done OK this year, but my scoring has been lacking,” Weber said. “That’s what I need to keep working at. Hopefully, it’ll come around and I can help the team more.”

Har-Ber has a deep backcourt to go along with forward Bailey Schalk, who made all-state last year as a sophomore. Junior Paige Redmond has emerged as a scoring threat at guard and freshman guard Jacie Higgins added 15 points in the game against Rogers.

But only Weber, Schalk, and Carlye Bohannan bring postseason experience into the game against Little Rock Central, which is led by Taylor Lewis, who hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points in her last game.

“We need to play to win and not play to lose,” Weber said. “We have to tune out the crowd and just play the game like most of us have since we were 5 or 6 years old. I tell the younger players on the team that time goes by fast and it’s going to be over before you know it.”

Weber is uncertain about her future when basketball is over. She played soccer last spring for the Lady Wildcats, but is undecided whether she’ll return to the team this year. She wants to go to college, but doesn’t know where yet.

Whatever she decides, her leadership and determined play will be missed by those connected with the Har-Ber basketball program.

“Samantha is a great kid and we’re going to miss her,” Wright said. “She’s going to go on after she graduates and do good things.”

Upcoming Events