VAN BUREN -- Springdale High used a big second half to pull away in a key 7A-West conference game on the road Friday night at Clair Bates Arena.
Springdale 37, Van Buren 22
Springdale 8 10 8 11 -- 37
Van Buren 6 9 3 4 -- 22
Springdale (17-8, 8-4): Davis 18, Minchew 8, Vogel 4, Guase 3, Thaly Sysavanh 2, T. Sysavanh 2,
Van Buren (16-9, 7-5): Sandoval 8, Ryan 3, Evans 3, Porter 2, Kinney 2, Myers 2, Greebe 2.
Springdale took control after the break holding Van Buren to just seven second-half points in a 37-22 victory after having a three-point halftime lead.
"Anytime you have three games left in the 7A-West, they are all big," Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said. "This was big for the stretch we are in. We felt like we needed to win one to feel good. I'm proud of our effort on defense."
Marquesha Davis finished with a game-high 18 points to lead the way for Springdale, which was tied in the conference standings with Van Buren entering the game.
Van Buren was led by Ira Sandoval's team-high eight points.
The Lady Bulldogs made 7 of their 13 shots in the second half and held the Lady Pointers to just 3 of 13.
"In the second half, we let our offensive struggles affect our defensive effectiveness," Van Buren coach Chris Bryant said. "It got away from us there. I give credit to Springdale they played well."
Springdale started to pull awayby scoring the final six points of the third quarter to take a 26-18 lead. Davis capped a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter with a steal and layup to take a 35-20 advantage.
"I thought our possessions were way better on offense in the second half," Hunsucker said. "We had a better feel of what kind of defense they were playing against. It took us a little bit to figure it out."
The Lady Bulldogs made just one of eight shots from the field in the initial quarter but made up for it at the line. Springdale made six of six free throws to take a 8-6 lead into the second quarter.
Van Buren got off to a slow start missing its first five starts of the game but never trailed by more than four points in the first half.
"We felt good at halftime going in," Bryant said. "We would've loved for some shots to go in in the first half. We were battling. We had some good looks. The ball just didn't go in the hole."
Springdale, which has now won four of its last five games, picked up the pace from the field in the second quarter, making four of nine field-goal attempts.
Van Buren was limited to eight of 29 from the field in Friday's loss after scoring 24 points in a loss at Springdale earlier in the season.
"They have great shooters," Hunsucker said. "We wanted to push them far away. They just didn't go down for them. We wanted to contest all theirs shots. I'm very proud of our defense."
Boys: Van Buren 65, Springdale High 52
Van Buren closed out the fourth quarter strong to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Springdale 11 11 12 18 -- 52
Van Buren 12 12 19 22 -- 65
Springdale (14-11, 5-7): Boyd 12, Jibke 12, Scales 10, Fitch 7, Johnson 4, Coulter 3, Eckwood 2, Mason 2.
Van Buren (14-11, 5-7): J. West 20, Z. West 11, Gilmore 11, Stewart 10, Ball 10, Moore 3.
Springdale used a 13-4 run early in the fourth quarter to cut the advantage to 51-47 with about four minutes to play. Van Buren then outscored Springdale 14-5 after that to pull away down the stretch.
"We control our own destiny now," Van Buren coach Austin Trembley said. "Don't get me wrong we got two tough opponents left. But we are fired up about this. This is awesome and fun. We are fighting and clawing."
Van Buren (14-11, 5-7 7A-West) had all five of its starters score 10 or more points. Jordan West led the way for the Pointers with a game-high 20 points. Zane West and Brayden Gilmore each added 11. Gavin Ball and K.J. Stewart both chipped in 10.
"You try to preach toughness and togetherness," Trembley said. "Looking at that stat line shows it against a great defensive team."
Jajuan Boyd and Joe Jibke each scored a team-high 12 points for Springdale High (14-11, 5-7). Trentez Scales finished with 10 as well for the Bulldogs.
Jordan West was a big part of the Van Buren offense, including finishing with 13 of his points in the second half when he was needed most.
"I remember when they were pressuring us and getting after us, I grabbed Jordan," Trembley said. "I told him that he is one of the best players in the league and he needed to step up. He stepped up for us."
Van Buren helped close out the game making 18 of 21 free-throw attempts in the final quarter.
Van Buren held a 24-22 halftime lead and pushed that advantage to 43-34 heading into the final quarter.
Preps Basketball on 02/17/2018