Younger Players Emerge During Bentonville's Strong Finish

STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF • Lauren Hargus (right), the lone freshman on Bentonville's basketball team, played a role in the Lady Tigers' late resurgence when she scored a season-high 18 points in a Feb. 7 game against Van Buren and helped Bentonville snap a four-game losing skid.
STAFF PHOTO BEN GOFF • Lauren Hargus (right), the lone freshman on Bentonville's basketball team, played a role in the Lady Tigers' late resurgence when she scored a season-high 18 points in a Feb. 7 game against Van Buren and helped Bentonville snap a four-game losing skid.

— Tom Halbmaier fully expected to have ups and downs with his Bentonville girls basketball team, especially with the young and inexperience it had as the season started.

He just didn't expect the Lady Tigers to peak so well, especially after they entered their biggest valley.

Bentonville Lady Tigers 2013-14 Basketball Schedule

Date^Opponent^Result/Time

Nov. 26^Clarksville^W, 84-67

Crabtree Invitational

Dec. 4^Russellville^W, 54-41

Vinita (Okla.) Invitational

Dec. 12^Tulsa McLain^W, 77-9

Dec. 13^Miami, Okla.^W, 49-47

Dec. 14^Muskogee, Okla.^L, 62-46

Dec. 20^Greenwood^L, 58-46

Neosho (Mo.) Holiday Classic

Dec. 26^Carthage, Mo.^W, 70-47

Dec. 27^East Newton, Mo.^W, 56-45

Dec. 28^Webb City, Mo.^W, 56-54

Dec. 30^Pea Ridge^W, 61-37

Jan. 2^Huntsville^L, 58-52

Jan. 3^at Carthage, Mo.^W, 62-21

Jan. 10^at Van Buren*^W, 48-27

Jan. 14^Springdale Har-Ber*^W, 57-55

Jan. 17^Rogers Heritage*^W, 47-30

Jan. 21^at Rogers High*^L, 41-29

Jan. 24^Siloam Springs*^L, 78-54

Jan. 28^at Springdale High*^L, 60-51

Jan. 31^Fayetteville*^L, 44-35

Feb. 7^Van Buren*^W, 57-36

Feb. 11^at Springdale Har-Ber*^W, 56-52

Feb. 14^at Rogers Heritage*^W, 63-46

Feb. 18^Rogers High*^W, 68-58

Feb. 21^at Siloam Springs*^W, 70-64

Feb. 25^Springdale High*^W, 60-46

Feb. 28^at Fayetteville*^L, 54-38

Class 7A State Tournament

March 7^North Little Rock^W, 54-48

March 10^Fort Smith Northside^L, 58-40

* — 7A/6A-West Conference game

Bentonville (19-9) won six of seven games during the second half of 7A/6A-West Conference play and finished in a three-way tie for second place, earning the league's No. 2 seed for the Class 7A State Tournament through tiebreakers. The Lady Tigers then took things a step further than they did last year when they defeated North Little Rock -- the team that ended their season last year.

"The only good thing the kids did is they finished strong," Halbmaier said. "Going 6-1 through the second half of the conference, that was some huge momentum going in, and getting that first state tournament against North Little Rock, that speaks volumes about these kids."

Kindal Coleman was Bentonville's only returning starter, and the senior guard was just cleared for action before the season started after she had her second knee surgery. That meant younger players had to take a prominent role for Halbmaier from the outset, and some stepped to the forefront.

Junior Peyton Taylor, untested in varsity play, moved from guard to a forward position provided a steady role inside, teaming with fellow junior Jordan Martin to be the team's top two scorers. Sophomore Maren Johnston emerged during the latter part of the season to provide quality minutes at the post, then fellow sophomore Madison Brittain proved to be a player the Lady Tigers could use in a number of ways before she was injured early in a Feb. 25 game against Springdale High.

"With Maren, I see her steady play and her athleticism," Halbmaier said. "When she's focused and when she understands what she needs to do, she does a great job attacking that role.

"Madison brought some speed and her height. She was probably our most versatile player on our team in terms of getting stuff out of transition, defending the post or defending a guard."

One of the players who proved to be vital in Bentonville's strong finish was also the youngest of the roster. Freshman Lauren Hargus revived the Lady Tigers when she scored a season-high 18 points and ended their four-game losing skid with a win over Van Buren.

That game led to extended playing time for Hargus as the team's backup point guard, and she continued to play well to the finish.

"Lauren came in as a point guard, which is the most difficult to play, and did a great job," Halbmaier said. "She was able to dictate the tempo, not only offensively but defensively.

"The three young kids -- Maren, Madison and Lauren -- turned out to be the most pleasant surprises. They came in and played a lot of minutes. There were games throughout the season that if we didn't have them, we wouldn't have won. They all brought a lot to the table and played a huge part of our success this year."

Sports on 03/17/2014

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