BENTONVILLE -- Springdale High was whistled for a foul on a 3-point attempt while leading in the final seconds for the second time in nine days Tuesday night.
Malik Monk made the Bulldogs pay for it by knocking down three free throws with 4.2 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime. He then made them pay again, scoring 13 of his 45 in the game's final five minutes to lift Bentonville to a 78-74 win.
Girls
Springdale High 69, Bentonville 59
Springdale^12^23^15^19^—^69
Bentonville^8^13^14^24^—^59
Springdale (11-5, 4-0): Owens 25, Mack 17, Lang 10, Gadison 10, Hood 4, Dougan 3.
Bentonville (13-3, 2-2): Hargus 13, Clark 13, Johnston 10, Brittain 10, Roberts 6, Hernandez 3, Hughes 2, Murch 2.
Boys
Bentonville 78, Springdale High 74 (OT)
Springdale^21^11^16^17^9^—^74
Bentonville^11^14^20^20^13^—^78
Springdale (10-6, 1-3): Young 16, Lindsey 16, Mahar 13, McFarlane 10, Bobo 9, Carachure 4.
Bentonville (10-6, 3-1): Monk 45, Hemphill 11, Robinson 11, Akbar 7, Jackson 4.
The overtime victory capped an impressive comeback for Bentonville (10-6, 3-1 7A-West), which trailed by 13 early in the third quarter thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers from hot-shooting Springdale (10-6, 1-3). Monk scored only seven on five shots in the first half, but came alive after halftime, attacking the rim and either scoring or getting to the line at will.
"I told (Monk) and Jordan (Hemphill), we're getting to the rim every time," Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said. "Quit shooting jump shots. Even if they dare you to shoot a jump shot, move it and get it back and get to the rim. ... Finally getting the message of attacking the paint late."
In overtime, Monk scored on a floater, then drained a 3-pointer to give Bentonville a quick lead. And after Springdale tied the game with a minute left, he tipped in his own miss and flushed a breakaway dunk after a Jordan Hemphill steal to give the Tigers a two-possession lead.
Monk scored his 45 -- the third-highest point total in a conference game -- on 14 of 27 shooting from the floor and 15 of 17 at the line. Hemphill scored 10 of his 11 in the first half, while Tyler Robinson also added 11, including a pair of dunks and a big lay-in late.
"Jordan was really good in the first half and made some critical steals," McMahan said.
Springdale played well and hit 10 of 21 3-pointers, but let another game slip away late after extending its lead to 65-62 on Khaleel Rose's free throws with 9.1 seconds left in regulation. Senior Kyler Mahar was called for a foul on the left wing as Monk went up for a 3-pointer, allowing him to tie the game at the line. The scene was reminiscent of the Bulldogs losing against Har-Ber last week after fouling while up two and watching as the Wildcats sank the three game-winning foul shots.
"We made too many mistakes in the Har-Ber game," Springdale coach Jeremy Price said. "This one, my kids did a lot more things right in regulation to give ourselves a chance to win. I thought our defender made a great play on the basketball. Felt like it was a bad call late. ... We want to contest, but our kid did more than contest. He got his hand on the basketball on the way up. Should've been a jump ball or no call."
Girls: Springdale 69, Bentonville 59
Chasidee Owens and Desiree Mack combined for 42 to lead four Springdale High players in double figures as the Lady Bulldogs notched an impressive double-digit road win.
Owens scored a season-high 25 on 9 of 12 shooting while Mack chipped in 17 points on 7 of 7 shooting with five rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Anna Gadison and Kierra Lang each scored 10, with Lang dishing a game-high seven assists.
Springdale (11-5, 4-0) equaled its best start in conference play since 2002 with the victory. The Lady Bulldogs held Bentonville to 30 percent shooting.
"Defensively we were keyed in and that's where we thought we had to be great tonight," Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said. "I'm going to give a lot of credit to our guards."
Springdale led by 14 at halftime and was never seriously threatened in the second half as Bentonville never got closer than seven. Guards Lauren Hargus and Krista Clark led the Lady Tigers (13-3, 2-2) with 13 apiece.
Sports on 01/20/2016