ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage got off to a quick start and held on to reach the 12th annual Arvest Hoopfest finals.
The War Eagles came out red-hot, but they needed a late flurry to secure a 54-45 win over Waynesville, Mo., on Friday night at War Eagle Arena.
12th annual Arvest Hoopfest
At War Eagle Arena, Rogers Heritage
Friday’s Scores
Game 5: Rogers High 58, Fort Smith Southside 56
Game 6: Carl Junction, Mo. 52, Mt. Vernon, Mo. 56
Game 7: Webb City, Mo. 71, Clarksville 64
Game 8: Rogers Heritage 54, Waynesville, Mo. 45
Today’s Games
Game 9: Fort Smith Southside vs. Mt. Vernon, Mo., 1 p.m.
Game 10: Rogers High vs. Carl Junction, Mo., 2:30 p.m.
Game 11: 7 Clarksville vs. Waynesville, Mo., 4 p.m.
Games 12: Webb City, Mo. vs. Rogers Heritage, 5:30 p.m.
Heritage (4-3) led by as many as 16, but Waynesville (2-1) pulled within five with two minutes and 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter. But the War Eagles hit three of four free throws and came up with a pair of layups by Bryce Breedlove to put the game away.
Seth Stanley led three Heritage players in double figures with a game-high 17 points, while Breedlove chipped in 14 and Ty Olsen added 13.
The War Eagles got off to a red-hot start to lead 25-10 after a quarter, hitting four 3-pointers. Heritage hit 14 of 21 shots from the floor (67 percent) and six of nine from 3-point range in the half. Waynesville climbed within nine at 27-18, but Heritage scored the final seven points of the half, including a long 3-pointer by Olsen at the buzzer.
Webb City, Mo. 71, Clarksville 64
The Cardinals used a big second half to reach the championship game.
Freshman Terrell Kabala scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Cardinals wiped out a 12-point deficit en route to the win.
Webb City (3-0) opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to grab the lead for good and held on late. Senior Trey Gibson was also in double figures with 14, while Alex Gaskill added 11 for the Cardinals, who trailed 35-25 at halftime.
Juan Hernandez led Clarksville (3-4) with 25, while Mekhi Burnett added 15 and Bobby Hurley 13. The Panthers pushed their lead to as many as 15 in the third quarter, but Webb City went on a 12-0 run to tie the game at 50. Clarksville, however, led 53-50 entering the fourth quarter.
The Panthers made just three of nine free throws in the fourth quarter.
Rogers High 58, Fort Smith Southside 56
Sophomore R.J. Roberson canned 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter to help lift the Mounties (3-4) past the Mavericks in a consolation round game.
The 6-foot guard's two free throws with 3:30 left gave Rogers a 50-49 lead it never relinquished. The Mounties took control with a 7-0 spurt to turn a 49-45 deficit into a 52-49 advantage. The Mounties hit 20 of 22 free throws for the game.
Robertson was one of three Mounties in double figures with 13, while Jake Benninghoff led the way with 19 and Tony Casey added 11 for Rogers, which trailed by as many as 10 in the first half. Taye Gatewood led Southside (3-4) with 16, while Zion Releford chipped in 15 and Ike Moore 12.
The Mounties will take on Carl Junction, Mo., for fifth place at 2:30 p.m. today.
Carl Junction, Mo. 52, Mt. Vernon, Mo. 46
Senior point guard Keynan Wade poured in a game-high 21 points to lead the Bulldogs past the Mountaineers.
Carl Junction (1-1) used a 7-0 run to grab a 41-30 lead early in the fourth quarter and held off a late charge for the win. Will Bebee, a 6-5 junior, added 10 for the Bulldogs. Jarrett Massie led Mt. Vernon (0-4) with 14.
Sports on 12/10/2016