Basketball: Rogers High, Huntsville split

ROGERS -- Senior Emma Wisdom didn't make a field goal all night, but she likely came up with the play of the game to help Rogers High claim a tough 37-35 win over Huntsville on Monday night in King Arena.

The 5-foot-5 point guard stepped in front of a pass meant for 5-9 Delanie Tipton in the lane with 13 seconds left to help the Lady Mounties hold on for the win.

Girls

Rogers High 37, Huntsville 35

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Rogers^8^12^12^5^—^37

Huntsville (1-1): Tipton 16, Watkins 7, Gosvener 4, Mccone 3, Campbell 3, Sulffridge 2.

Rogers (2-0): Richmond 15, Randels 8, McKinney 6, Loyd 4, Sandor 3, Wisdom 1.

JV Score: Huntsville 38, Rogers 37.

Boys

Huntsville 45, Rogers High 43

Huntsville^14^6^7^11^7^—^45

Rogers^11^13^5^9^5^—^43

Huntsville (2-0): Eaton 21, Bohannon 8, Yarbrough 7, Siegrist 3, Scott 3, Roach 3.

Rogers (0-2):Benninghoff 13, Casey 13, Dake 12 Roberson 2, Donovan 2, Wilkinson 1

JV Score: Huntsville 54, Rogers 53

Rogers coach Preston Early said Wisdom, who finished with just one point but dished out five assists, is a quiet leader.

"She goes unnoticed a lot because she doesn't score much, but she makes everything work," Early said. "We had an idea they were going to run that set play where they set the back screen for the lob. We told them at halftime if you get caught big on little you've just got to fight like a bulldog and she did. She made a gutsy play. Probably the play of the game."

Huntsville (1-1) had one last shot at a tie or win when Kelsey Richmond missed the front end of a one-and-one with 5.3 seconds left. But junior MaKayla Watkins' driving flip at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Huntsville coach Charles Berry wasn't displeased with how his team performed overall.

"We threw a couple bad passes down the stretch there, but Rogers has a good ball club," Berry said. "I"m proud of my kids. Our guards are pretty small and we didn't get them many good shots."

Early also liked the way his team grinded out a win against a solid opponent.

"I'm really proud of that win," Early said. "To see them have poise under pressure and do tough things. We told them nothing is going to be perfect. Just keep competing, next play, and they did that."

Rogers (2-0) never trailed after Richmond's 3-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Lady Mounties a 25-23 lead. Tipton, who finished with a game-high 16 points, converted a three-point play to pull Huntsville into a 34-34 tie with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.

However, Maddi McKinney drilled a 3-pointer 30 seconds later from the corner to give Rogers the lead for good.

Richmond was the lone Rogers player in double figures with 15, while Elise Randels added eight points and team-high six rebounds.

Boys

Huntsville 45, Rogers High 43 (OT)

The Eagles didn't make a field goal in overtime, but hit seven-of-10 from the foul line to claim a hard-fought win.

Senior Jack Eaton poured in a game-high 21 points, including 19 in the second half and overtime, to help the Eagles improve to 2-0. The 6-3 guard made one of two free throws with 4.9 seconds left to give Huntsville a two-point advantage and Jake Early's long 3-pointer bounded off the iron just before the horn sounded.

The Mounties (0-2) were plagued by poor free-throw shooting, making just 14 of 25 in the game and one of three in the overtime.

Rogers (1-1) led 38-33 with a little more than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Huntsville got a 3-pointer from Eaton and a layup by Kenton Yarbrough to tie it with less than two minutes left. Eaton's jumper at the buzzer to win it rattled in and out.

Tony Casey and Jake Benninghoff led Rogers with 13 points each, while Garrett Dake added 12.

Sports on 11/22/2016

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