ROGERS — Rogers Heritage had an answer for a Rogers High challenge Tuesday night in King Arena.
The War Eagles hit big shot after big shot but still had to hold on for a tough 46-44 win over the crosstown rival Mounties in 7A-West C0nference boys basketball.
Rogers Heritage 46, Rogers High 44
Heritage^11^10^14^11^—^46
Rogers^7^10^14^13^—44
Heritage (13-2, 2-0): Stanley 18, Olsen 10, Peek 7, Breedlove 4, Clines 4, Fincher 2, Kimball 1.
Rogers (7-8, 0-2): Miller 17, Dake 10, Lacewell 6, Uecker 5, Paschal 4, Jones 2.
Heritage (13-2, 2-0 7A-West) picked up its 12th straight win, but it was far from easy as the War Eagles made just 3 of 7 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Seth Stanley scored a game-high 18 points, including 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to put Heritage up 42-35. Rogers (7-8, 0-2) didn’t fold though as Elliot Paschal got a steal and Drew Miller drained a 3-pointer to get the Mounties within 45-42 with 56.1 seconds left.
Heritage made just 1 of 3 free throws in the final 20 seconds, but played strong defense late to finish off the win.
War Eagles coach Tom Olsen said his team didn’t execute great late in the game, but credited Rogers’ defense, too.
“We gotta make a couple free throws and then we made some poor decisions with the ball,” Olsen said. “But I’ve got to give them some credit. They’re putting some pretty good pressure on us on the road on the opposite end of the floor in front of their student section and that ain’t easy. But if we’re going to achieve and try and be a champion we’ve got to handle the last part of the deal.”
Ty Olsen was also in double figures for Heritage with 10, including three 3-pointers. Miller, a sophomore, led Rogers with 17. Garrett Dake added 10, all in the second half.
Rogers High’s Jaden Uecker hit two free throws to give the Mounties a 31-30 lead with less than two minutes left in the third quarter, but Stanley scored less than 30 seconds late to give Heritage the lead for good.
Olsen said the Mounties made it tough on Stanley, who came in averaging 21 points per game. But the 6-5 senior was efficient.
“He stepped up and made them,” said Olsen, whose team led by four at halftime and entering the fourth quarter. “That was a pretty big deal. We got him some shots and he got himself some shots, but he made them. He’s a good player, but they made it tough on him. They’re long. They’re physical. Miller’s a good player. The next team that plays them better be ready.’
Rogers coach Lamont Frazier said his team is making progress.
“We always seemed to have a letdown at those critical times,” Frazier said. “They’ve been used to winning and of course, we’re gonna turn the corner. Every game we’ve gotten a little bit better and I thought tonight was just another testament to our guys and what they’ve done so far.”
FAYETTEVILLE 65, BENTONVILLE WEST 49
Fayetteville opened the second half with a 15-2 run to pull away and take a victory over West on the Wolverines’ home floor.
The Bulldogs (8-7, 1-1) started the second half with five straight points, with Quinn Schach’s free throw
making it a 27-19 game. Fayetteville then followed a Boston Barron bucket with 10 straight points and extended its lead to 37-21 on Frank Morgan’s bucket with 4:51 left in the third quarter, and West (11-4, 1-1) couldn’t get any closer than 41-32 on Dillon Bailey’s 3-pointer to end the third quarter. Collin Cooper had 18 points to lead Fayetteville, followed by Morgan with 13 and RJ Johnson with 12. Collier Blackburn had 13 for West while Gabe Hornsby added 12.
BENTONVILLE HIGH 56, VAN BUREN 52 (OT)
Bentonville High was able to move to 2-0 in 7A-West Conference play, but Van Buren didn’t make it easy. The Tigers opened overtime with a 3-point basket from senior Asa Hutchinson IV, and didn’t look back after that outscoring the Pointers 7-3 in the extra time.
Bentonville battled back after being down 35-27 at the break. Hutchinson hit back-to-back 3-point baskets in the third quarter to tie the game at 38-38.
Hutchison finished with a team-high 20 points for Bentonville (10-3, 2-0). Cadarius Baggett also added 12 for the Tigers.
Van Buren (9-7, 0-2) was led by Presley Kindrix’s game-high 27 points, while Jordan West had 15 for the Pointers.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 55, SPRINGDALE HIGH 49
Tyler Garrett and Tylor Perry combined for 40 points to lead Har-Ber past the Bulldogs.
Garrett led the way with 24 points while Perry added 16 for Har-Ber (13-3, 2-0). The two Har-Ber guards were especially effective in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 18-9. Har-Ber has won nine straight games.
Garrett was aggressive to the basket and scored with 2:11 left when Springdale center Carl Fitch was charged with his fifth foul. Garrett was 10 of 14 from the free-throw line for Har-Ber, which made 15 of 22.
Sophomores Trentez Scales and Jajuan Boyd each scored 11 points to lead Springdale (9-6, 0-2).