Basketball: Clark provides Lady Tigers with spark off bench

BENTONVILLE -- A little persuasion was just the thing Krista Clark needed.

When Bentonville's girls opened up 7A-West Conference play against Fort Smith Southside, the junior forward couldn't get a shot to fall during pregame warmups, and she considered not shooting the ball during the game. A little pep talk did wonders, though, as she had one of her best games this season during the Lady Tigers' 67-38 victory earlier this month in Tiger Arena.

"Before the game, I said I wasn't going to shoot," Clark said. "I was making nothing -- absolutely nothing. I told Madison (Brittain) that I wasn't shooting in this game.

"She said 'You're shooting. I'm going to pass you the ball, and you're going to shoot.' That gave me a little confidence and when it got to the game, I was focused."

Clark drilled 7 of 8 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and finished with a season-high 18 points. She scored 10 of those points over a 3-minute span in the first quarter as Bentonville raced out to a 24-6 lead.

It's the kind of performance that people normally expect to see from a player who is entrenched in the starting lineup. The 5-foot-9 Clark had expected to be a starter when the season started, but she's proven she can do that when she's the first player off the Lady Tigers' bench.

"As of right now, I think that's what fits best for her," Halbmaier said. "It gives her a good feel of how the game is being played and the tempo of the game. It relieves the pressure off of her.

"A lot of times, you start your best five -- not necessarily your best offensive and defensive players. You start your best five together, and with her coming off the bench she fills that role. Our bench scoring is higher than the other team's bench, and when you have something like that, it's a positive. It's nice to have that kind of firepower."

Clark said she doesn't matter whether she is a starter or as a player off the bench as long as she produces. She said Halbmaier had told her before the season started that she was expected to be a player that could help share the scoring load, and the only thing needed was a few modifications on her game.

She had the reputation of somebody who mainly drove to the basket to get her points, whether it be close to the rim or at the free-throw line after she had been found. She now has improved her outside shooting to give her another means of an offensive attack.

"I've become so much better at being aware of the court and knowing game-type situations," Clark said. "I've been working on my shooting, and I've had the confidence to make those outside shots.

"I got in the gym this summer and started shooting. I knew I get to the rim a lot, but you also have to be diverse and score in different ways. Outside shooting was definitely one thing he told me I need to work on. I love driving, but I feel I can make shots when I need to do it."

Clark still manages to average as much time on the floor as Bentonville's starters during games, and Halbmaier refers a lot to the time she's on the floor as "quality minutes" as far as production is concerned. She's also not one that the Lady Tigers' coaches have to monitor to see if she needs a break.

"She's the only one on the team that takes herself out," Halbmaier said. "When she needs a breather, I'll take her out. When she's ready, she goes back and checks herself back in the game.

"I want her to be able to go hard when she's in there and not pace herself. That's the type of maturity that she brings to the team."

Sports on 01/19/2016