Prep Basketball Report

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHARLIE KAIJO Springdale Har-Ber senior Tyler Garrett (2) dribbles past Bentonville High's Connor Deffebaugh (10) during a basketball game on Friday, January 12, 2018 at Bentonville Tiger Arena. Garrett is 12 points away from becoming the second player in Har-Ber history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. The Wildcats (14-3) travel to Fayetteville tonight.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHARLIE KAIJO Springdale Har-Ber senior Tyler Garrett (2) dribbles past Bentonville High's Connor Deffebaugh (10) during a basketball game on Friday, January 12, 2018 at Bentonville Tiger Arena. Garrett is 12 points away from becoming the second player in Har-Ber history to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark. The Wildcats (14-3) travel to Fayetteville tonight.

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER

Garrett nearing scoring milestone

7A-WEST STATISTICS

Conference games only

BOYS

TEAM OFFENSE^G^PTS^AVG

Fayetteville^3^211^70.3

Springdale Har-Ber^3^198^66.0

Bentonville^3^196^65.3

Bentonville West^3^160^53.3

Springdale High^3^142^47.3

Rogers High^3^140^46.7

Rogers Heritage^3^136^45.3

Van Buren^3^123^41.0

TEAM DEFENSE^G^PTS^AVG

Rogers Heritage^3^129^43.0

Bentonville West^3^144^48.0

Van Buren^3^147^49.0

Springdale Har-Ber^3^159^53.0

Springdale High^3^165^55.0

Fayetteville^3^175^58.3

Rogers High^3^187^62.3

Bentonville^3^200^66.7

LEADING SCORERS

PLAYER, SCHOOL^G^PTS^AVG

Hutchinson, Bentonville^3^82^27.3

Cooper, Fayetteville^3^66^22.0

Perry, Springdale Har-Ber^3^65^21.7

T.Garrett, Springdale Har-Ber^3^62^20.7

Stanley, Rogers Heritage^3^61^20.3

Kindrix, Van Buren^3^48^16.0

Scals, Springdale High^3^43^14.3

Collier Blackburn, Bentonville West^3^42^14.0

Dake, Rogers High^3^35^11.7

Simmons, Bentonville^3^35^11.7

Hornsby, Bentonville West^3^35^11.7

Conley, Fayetteville^3^34^11.3

J.West, Van Buren^3^33^11.0

Shanks, Bentonville^3^32^10.7

Paschall, Rogers High^3^31^10.3

Miller, Rogers High^3^31^10.3

Wilmot, Bentonville West^3^30^10.0

Morgan, Fayetteville^3^29^9.7

Fitch, Springdale High^3^29^9.7

Baggett, Bentonville^3^29^9.7

Johnson, Fayetteville^3^28^9.3

Boyd, Springdale High^3^27^9.0

Olsen, Rogers Heritage^3^26^8.7

Peek, Rogers Heritage^3^22^7.3

Schoch, Fayetteville^3^21^7.0

Buchanon, Springdale Har-Ber^3^20^6.7

A.Garrett, Springdale Har-Ber^3^19^6.3

Stewart, Van Buren^3^18^6.0

Lacewell, Rogers High^3^18^6.0

Barron, Bentonville West^3^18^6.0

GIRLS

TEAM OFFENSE^G^PTS^AVG

Fayetteville^3^181^60.3

Springdale High^3^160^53.3

Bentonville^3^144^48.0

Van Buren^3^137^45.7

Springdale Har-Ber^3^124^41.3

Bentonville West^3^123^41.0

Rogers High^3^111^37.0

Rogers Heritage^3^96^32.0

TEAM DEFENSE^G^PTS^AVG

Van Buren^3^90^30.0

Fayetteville^3^119^39.7

Rogers Heritage^3^130^43.3

Springdale High^3^132^44.0

Rogers High^3^137^45.7

Bentonville^3^139^46.3

Bentonville West^3^161^53.7

Springdale Har-Ber^3^168^56.0

LEADING SCORERS

PLAYER, SCHOOL^G^PTS^AVG

M. Davis, Springdale High^3^86^28.7

Goforth, Fayetteville^3^61^20.3

Kinney, Van Buren^3^48^16.0

Franklin, Fayetteville^3^44^14.7

Mains, Springdale Har-Ber^3^41^13.7

Loyd, Rogers High^3^39^13.0

Hughes, Bentonville^3^38^12.7

Hawkins, Bentonville^3^37^12.3

Sandoval, Van Buren^3^30^10.0

Beck, Fayetteville^3^29^9.7

Dauda, Bentonville^3^29^9.7

Vogel, Springdale High^3^27^9.0

Smith, Springdale Har-Ber^3^27^9.0

Bentonville West^3^25^8.3

Hernandez, Bentonville^3^24^8.0

Kash, Bentonville West^3^24^8.0

Menke, Rogers Heritage^3^23^7.7

Seiler, Rogers Heritage^3^22^7.3

Myers, Van Buren^3^19^6.3

Collins, Springdale Har-Ber^3^19^6.3

Shannon, Springdale Har-Ber^3^19^6.3

Figenskau, Rogers High^3^18^6.0

Henry, Bentonville West^3^18^6.0

Montgomery, Bentonville West^3^17^5.7

Storey, Rogers High^3^16^5.3

Wilson, Bentonville West^3^16^5.3

Evans, Van Buren^3^15^5.0

One half of Springdale Har-Ber's dynamic guard duo of Tylor Perry and Tyler Garrett has already hit the 1,000-career-scoring mark. The other is within 12 points of the same plateau.

In a game played in December against Webb City, Mo., Perry completed a three-point play in the first half to become the first Har-Ber boys player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark as a junior. Garrett, a senior, is hoping to join his longtime teammate tonight at Fayetteville. He needs a dozen points to reach the goal.

"To reach the 1,000-point mark, I mean, that would probably be the best moment of my life," Garrett said. "I'm beyond blessed that God gave me the ability to play basketball and something that I love. It will be a great achievement for me."

Garrett, a 6-foot-2 senior, currently ranks fourth in the 7A-West Conference in scoring at 20.7 points per game.

He started his varsity career at Springdale High, getting time on the varsity as a freshman. He transferred to Har-Ber as a sophomore.

The Wildcats (14-3, 3-0 7A-West) carry a 10-game winning streak into tonight's clash in Bulldog Arena and stand alone atop the 7A-West standings. Har-Ber's game against Bentonville West, like all the games in the conference Tuesday night, was postponed because of wintry weather. That game will be made up Jan. 30.

-- Chip Souza • @NWAChip

DEER

Antlers spend week in 'Western Grove' mode

Deer caught a break when it came to the winter weather that affected many basketball games Tuesday night.

The Antlers (23-2) had an open date that night, and the only thing the snow and ice cost them was Monday's practice as Deer prepared for Friday's home game against rival Western Grove.

"We were lucky in that department," coach Elvis Middleton said. "We've been in Western Grove mode ever since we finished Friday's game.

"I didn't bring them into practice Monday because I wasn't sure about some of the back roads. But we've been able to practice Tuesday and Wednesday."

A victory against Western Grove (16-10) will be beneficial because it would give Deer a series sweep, which gives the Antlers a huge tiebreaker advantage. It also gives Deer a two-game lead in the 2A/1A District 2 standings with three games left to play before the 1A-1 East Conference tournament.

Games against the Warriors, however, have not been easy. Deer won the first district meeting 51-45 in a game played Dec. 8 at Western Grove, then the Antlers grabbed a 58-57 victory Jan. 3 during the NorthArk Invitational.

"We had a 10-point lead in both games, but Western Grove found a way to come back and make both games close," Middleton said. "We seem to bring the best out of them.

"They're a good bunch, and they are extremely patient with the basketball. They also hit free throws really well, so if they are able to get a lead, they can be tough to come back on. It changes the way we play a little bit because we will have value each possession."

It won't help that Western Grove finally has Champ Saylors ready to play. Saylors recently became able to play after dealing with an eligibility issue after he moved into the district.

"I don't know much about him," Middleton said. "I just know it gives Western Grove another player that is about 6-1 or 6-2 on its roster."

-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry

COUNTY LINE

Indians piling up wins

Beating larger schools is nothing new at County Line, where the Indians are 25-2 overall and 9-0 in Class 1A/2A District 5 play.

A Class 1A school located 28 miles south of Fort Smith, County Line boasts a list of victims this year that includes Class 6A Greenwood, Class 4A Pea Ridge and Providence Academy, which has lost three times to the team from Branch.

County Line, which beat Greenwood 68-39 on its home floor, has two losses, 46-45 at Ozark in the finals of the Bank of Ozarks Classic and 84-46 to Springfield (Mo.) Glendale in the H.B. Stewart Tournament at Greenwood.

"The No. 1 thing for us is our balance," said County Line coach Joe Brunson, who has led the Indians to three state semifinal appearances in 13 seasons. "We've got six guys who can score 20 points on any given night."

Three players scored in double figures when County Line beat Pea Ridge 52-42 in the Golden Arrow Classic at Lavaca. Gage Gattis had 18 points and Pacyn Reames 16 on Tuesday when County Line beat Lavaca 58-26. The Indians hit their first six shots while building leads of 19-3 after one quarter and 42-8 at halftime against the Golden Arrows (16-5, 5-1).

"I was really pleased with our offensive efficiency in the first half," Brunson said. "We got good shots and made a high percentage of them."

County Line is primed to make another postseason run after the Indians finished with more than 30 victories last season. But there are still some tough games ahead for the Indians before the start of their district tournament at St. Paul.

They'll host Hackett tonight and finish the month at Lavaca, which hopes to avenge its blowout loss at County Line on Tuesday.

-- Rick Fires • @NWARick

PROVIDENCE ACADEMY

Patriots' record is deceiving

A glance at the Patriots' record would indicate that they are having a down season at 13-11. But what's lost in the numbers is the strength of schedule the team has faced this season, said boys basketball coach Austin Bivens.

"This is by far the toughest schedule we've ever had," Bivens said. "This is probably my favorite team I've had here. The guys get along great. We only had one returning starter from last year, but this team has really been our team and our culture."

The Patriots played Springdale Har-Ber within two points in a benefit game early this season but struggled in games Bivens felt like the team should have won.

An example of that was during a tournament in Greenwood. The Patriots lost to County Line, one of the top teams in Western Arkansas regardless of classification in Bivens' opinion. Then County Line was soundly defeated by a team from Springfield, Mo. The following day Providence Academy lost narrowly to the same Missouri team.

"Against teams like County Line, a very physical team, we've struggled," he said. "But against teams that are more finesse types, we seem to match up better."

The Patriots will face two tough games this weekend in the Tri-State Classic in Tulsa, an event Providence is actually hosting. Providence will take on Lawton (Okla.) Christian on Friday, then Life Prep from Wichita, Kan., on Saturday. Both of these will be Heartland Christian Athletic Association conference games.

"Both of these teams are good," Bivens said. "We'll know a lot more about ourselves after this weekend."

Providence Academy will host the regional tournament on its home court starting Feb. 15, then will compete in the state tournament starting Feb. 20 in either Oklahoma City or Tulsa. The site has not been selected yet.

On the girls' side, the Lady Patriots are 11-8 with an equally tough schedule. They also lost a close game to Har-Ber and have played a handful of Class 7A schools. Providence Academy won the Lavaca tournament and won the consolation title at Muskogee, Okla., last week defeating the host team.

The two-time defending state champions will be in tournament action this weekend in Frontenac, Kan., in the Army National Guard Invitational.

-- Chip Souza • @NWAChip

ALPENA

Lady Leopards hitting their stride

Senior Lexi Olmedo has returned from a knee injury recently and has helped the Lady Leopards be more consistent, Alpena coach Larry McKinney said.

"She got back toward the end of December and she's been a settling force and leader on the floor for us," McKinney said.

Alpena (13-8) has won six of eight and hopes to make its seventh consecutive state tournament appearance. The Lady Leopards lost in the second round of the Class A state tournament a year ago, and McKinney hopes this team can do the same or improve on that finish.

The future appears bright as McKinney starts three juniors and a sophomore along with Olmedo. In addition, Alpena's junior girls are currently undefeated, and last year's junior high team lost just one game. Olmedo is one of just two seniors on the team, too.

McKinney said this group has blended well.

"The juniors are really experienced and have played together since sixth grade," McKinney said. "This group cares about one another and likes to play."

Junior Abby Dean is the team's leading scorer, but lately, the team's had more balance offensively, McKinney said.

"We've sort of gelled lately," McKinney said. "We beat Kingston, and they've been a force around here for a long time. We had three in double figures, and we're beginning to figure out the more we have involved, the better it is."

-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB

ROGERS HIGH

Mounties showing improvement

Coach Lamont Frazier has seen his Rogers High team make progress, even though it hasn't managed a 7A-West Conference win yet.

"From nonconference to conference, I think our team has grown," said Frazier, who is in his first season at Rogers. "I can't say enough about how they've kept their heads level, maintained the focus that a lot of teams would just kind of tank it.

"I think in our situation we have to go game-by-game. I feel like our guys have competed in every game, and we can pull something out of every game that gives us something to come back and work through. The one thing we harp on is there's one thing we can control and that's how hard we play."

The Mounties (7-9, 0-3 7A-West) have been led offensively by sophomores Drew Miller and Elliot Paschal. Miller is the lone player averaging in double figures at 12 points per game, followed by Paschal at 8.5.

Rogers has back-to-back home games, hosting Bentonville High tonight and Bentonville West on Tuesday.

-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB

Sports on 01/19/2018

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