ROGERS -- Springdale High got off to a strong start and held off a late Rogers High charge to earn a 61-54 7A-West Conference road win in the regular-season finale.
The Red Bulldogs (16-11, 7--7 7A-West) made 13 of 23 shots (57 percent) from the floor in the first half en route to a 37-20 halftime lead keyed by guard Jajuan Boyd.
The 6-foot sophomore scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the first half, including a second-quarter flurry that put Springdale in control. Rogers got only as close as eight in the second half.
Springdale will be the No. 5 seed in next week's Class 7A state tournament.
The Red'Dogs made their first four shots, including eight points by Boyd that keyed a 14-0 run. Freshman Van Rhame's short jumper pulled Rogers (7-20, 0-14) within 21-18 but the Mounties wouldn't score again until Amonta Jones' basket inside with a minute left before halftime.
In the meantime, Boyd had seven points in the Springdale run capped by Carl Fitch's free throw for a 35-18 lead.
Springdale coach Jeremy Price said Boyd and fellow sophomore Trentez Scales have grown.
"They've grown up a lot with a lot of room to continue to grow," Price said."We gave them the keys. We're rolling with them. Some nights thy are really, really good. If they continue to grown, the good nights are going to be more consistent. We're excited about them."
Fitch, a 6-5 senior, was also in double figures with 14. Price said the guards and the postman have learned to work together.
'Carl relies on Jajuan to get the ball and as good as they penetrating, they get a lot of guys open looks," Price said. "This team's had some tough losses, but they've been real resilient. The come back to work the next day. One of the best characteristics of this team is they love to play basketball. In this conference, you've go to be able to move to the next one real quick and they've done a good job of that this year."
Springdale, which has won three of its last four, will be the No. 5 seed from the 7A-West in next week's Class 7A state tournament.
Sophomore Elliott Paschal led all scorers with 23 points, including four 3-pointers, for Rogers (7-20, 0-14), which got to within eight in the final minutes but never led after the first quarter.
Springdale High 61, Rogers High 54
Springdale 18 19 11 13 -- 61
Rogers 13 7 15 19 -- 54
Springdale (16-11, 7-7): Boyd 17, Fitch 14, Mason 8, Scales 7, Johnson 7, Jibke 5, Donahoo 3.
Rogers (7-20, 0-14): Paschal 23, Lacewell 8, Miller 6, Dake 6, Jones 4, J. Uecker 3.Rhame 2, K. Uecker 2.
Girls
Springdale High 50, Rogers High 39
The Lady Red Bulldogs (18-9, 9-5) finished the game with a 12-0 run to pull away for win and claim the No. 3 seed in next week's state tournament.
Marquesha Davis scored a game-high 21 points, including 17 in the second half, for Springdale, which led 32-27 after three quarters. Madison Loyd led Rogers (12-15, 5-9) with 13 points.
Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said her team will ride good momentum into the state tournament, after going 5-2 in the second half of the conference season. She also utilized a quicker lineup late, which helped fuel the late run.
"We stuck a faster lineup and were a little more aggressive from top to bottom and really thought that did change the game," Hunsucker said. "I really do feel good about the back side. I feel like our team is finding its way. We're comfortable together and man are they being coachable."
Davis, a 6-foot junior, picked up two early fouls and scored just four points in the first half, but scored 12 in the fourth quarter to help Springdale pull away.
Rogers used a 7-0 run to grab a 36-35 advantage, but Davis converted a three-point play to give Springdale the lead back 38-36 with 4:26 left.
Loyd's 3-pointer gave Rogers a 39-38 lead with 3:56 left in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Mounties wouldn't score again.
Springdale High 50, Rogers High 39
Springdale 10 12 10 18 -- 50
Rogers 12 9 7 12 -- 39
Springdale (18-9, 9-5): Davis 21, Sysavanh 8, Guase 8, Vogel 7, Caldwell 4, Minchew 2.
Rogers (12-15, 5-9): Loyd 13, Hatch 8, Figenskau 8, Storey 5, McConnell 3, Carr 2.
Preps Basketball on 02/24/2018