ROGERS -- Defense and free-throw shooting helped spark Fort Smith Northside to a victory Tuesday night over Rogers High.
Northside struggled to find its shooting touch for most of the game, but the Lady Bears forced Rogers into 23 turnovers and made 20 of 27 free throws to post a 55-31 victory over the Lady Mounties in a 7A-West Conference game. Northside was just 7 of 28 from the floor in the first half, but it made 13 of 17 free throws for a 11-point lead at halftime.
How They Scored
Girls
Fort Smith Northside 55, Rogers High 31
Northside^10^18^15^12^—^55
Rogers^11^6^9^5^—^31
Northside (17-1, 3-1): Jackson 18, McDonald 15, Alston 6, Hood 6, Shepard 3, Moore 3, Bandimere 2, Krissman 2.
Rogers (6-11, 0-4): Randels 12, Sagely 6, King 5, Williams 4, Wisdom 3, Resler 1.
Boys
Fort Smith Northside 76, Rogers High 59
Northside^24^21^13^18^—^76
Rogers^13^11^21^14^—^59
Northside (11-7, 1-3): Brewer 18, Forsey 16, Jones 12, Triplett 10, Patterson 5, Barron 5, Mondier 4, Lewis 4, Phillips 2.
Rogers (5-12, 0-4): Freeland 32, Black 6, Heffley 6, Benninghoff 5, Salvador 3, Cooper 3, Mincks 2, McCullough 2.
Aahliyah Jackson led eight Lady Bears in the scoring column with 18 points while Tiarra McDonald added 15. Jackson made 8 of 10 free throws while McDonald made 5 of 7 free throws. Northside (17-1, 3-1) was 15 of 53 from the floor.
"If you can't win one way, you have to find another way to win," said Northside coach Rickey Smith. "This was not one of our better games, but give Rogers credit for that. We just had to settle down and start pounding the ball inside. We just had some mismatches there."
Northside missed 10 straight shots at one point in the first quarter, and that allowed the Lady Mounties (6-11, 0-4) to take a 9-4 lead after a 3-pointer and layup by Callie King.
Rogers took a 11-10 lead to the second quarter, but the Lady Bears ended the first half with a flurry for a 28-17 lead. Northside ended the first half with a 13-3 run, including hitting 7 of 8 free throws the final three minutes.
Rogers managed just two field goals in the second quarter while turning the ball over eight times, including three straight possessions with the game tied at 12-12.
Rogers, which had five sophomores on the floor at times, was as close as 13 late in the third quarter but missed their first six shots of the fourth quarter as Northside took a 48-26 lead. Sophomore Elise Randels led Rogers with 12 points.
"I thought we battled as well as we could," said Rogers coach Preston Early. "I think we are close, but it is the missed opportunities that get you. But that is characteristic of our age. We are trying to grow. This is the deepest and the most talented our league has been, and this is probably the most inexperienced we have been."
Boys
Northside 76, Rogers High 59
The Grizzlies used an early 8-0 run to pullaway for their first conference win.
Tevin Brewer hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 14-6 Northside lead as the Grizzlies raced to a 45-24 lead at haftime. Brewer scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half while Jackson Forsey added 16 points, including 15 in the first half.
Rogers junior Milacio Freeland scored 16 of his 32 points in the third quarter as the Mounties (5-12, 0-4) cut the Northside lead to 58-45 going to the final quarter. A 3-pointer by Rogers junior George Black cut the Grizzlies lead to nine midway through the fourth but Northside responded with a 13-0 run.
Paul Nielsen can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaul
Sports on 01/21/2015