ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage got off to a strong start and held off a late Springdale Har-Ber charge to claim a big 57-51 7A-West Conference win Friday night at War Eagle Arena.
The War Eagles held the Wildcats to just one first-quarter field goal and came up with a huge 15-4 second-half run to finish the first round of league play 2-5 and stay in contention for a state tournament berth.
Boys
Rogers Heritage 57, Springdale Har-Ber 51
Har-Ber^4^16^10^21^—^51
Heritage^12^11^16^18^—^57
Springdale Har-Ber (11-9, 4-3): Benson 18, Brandon 10, Kaunitz 9, Garrett 5, Hampton 5, Benford 2, Eckwood 2.
Rogers Heritage (10-10, 2-5): Stanley 18, Hobbs 15, Breedlove 10, Casey 8, T. Olsen 3, D. Olsen 3.
Girls
Springdale Har-Ber 65, Rogers Heritage 52
Har-Ber^14^15^13^23^—^65
Heritage^14^10^17^11^—^52
Springdale Har-Ber (13-8, 3-4): Collins 21, Smith 10, Higgins 10, Shannon 9, Whaley 6, Horner 4, Mains 3, Brown 2, Weber 2.
Rogers Heritage (6-14, 1-6): Turner 18, Seiler 12 Tiles 10, Lakis 5, Kinnamon 3, Menke 2, Scudder 2.
Sophomores Seth Stanley and Tony Casey made key plays for Heritage (10-10, 2-5 7-West) down the stretch to keep Har-Ber at arm's length.
The 6-foot-5 Stanley poured in a game-high 18 points, including four in an 8-2 spurt to end the third quarter. Casey then ended a 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 46-32 Heritage lead.
Har-Ber (11-9, 4-3) never really recovered. Avery Benson, who led Har-Ber with 18, hit a pair of 3-pointers late, but the Wildcats got no closer than five.
Heritage coach Tom Olsen said the start was definitely key, but he was pleased with his team's overall approach after starting 0-3 in the league.
"We talked before the game and something that's been consistent with our season is good starts usually turn into victories for us," Olsen said."We were really focused coming in and the kids made some plays right at the beginning. I can't be more proud of our kids and the leadership. We're just a couple plays from being 4-3 and in the middle of the pack and threatening the top of the conference.
"To have some things go the wrong way, play our guts out against Fayetteville and Bentonville and then come into this one and play a really, really good team. Lead pretty much from start to finish. I was really proud of our guys."
Lexus Hobbs added 15 points, while Marcus Breedlove chipped in 10. Casey, an athletic 6-2 forward, added eight points and six rebounds.
Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin didn't mince words, saying his team just got outplayed. He also said Heritage's sophomores came up big.
"We got out-played," Bowlin said. "We got out-hustled. We got out-coached. They wanted it worse than we did. Their sophomores gave them a big lift. Our young guys didn't do anything. They did a good job on our young kids. There's not much to say, we just got beat."
J.P. Brandon was Har-Ber's only other player in double figures with 10.
Girls
Springdale Har-Ber 65, Rogers Heritage 52
Savanna Collins spurred a 20-1 fourth-quarter run with a pair of long 3-pointers to help the Lady Wildcats rally for the victory.
Amber Turner drained a 3-pointer to give Heritage (6-14, 1-6) a 47-45 lead, but Collins answered and added another 3-pointer to lead Har-Ber to the fourth-quarter run.
The Lady Wildcats scored 12 straight to turn the 47-45 deficit into a 57-47 lead. Meredith Lakis interrupted the run with a free throw, but Har-Ber came right back eight straight. Jacie Higgins, a 5-11 junior, and 6-0 junior Karrington Whaley added four points each in the run.
Collins poured in a game-high 21 points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line late and 12 in the quarter to put the game away. Krislyn Smith and Higgins added 10 points each for Har-Ber (13-8, 3-4).
Turner led Heritage with 18 points, while Emily Seiler added 12, on four 3-pointers. Hailey Tiles also chipped in 10.
Sports on 01/30/2016