BENTONVILLE — The second time around in 7A-West Conference basketball play hasn’t always gone the way Bentonville’s boys would like, but the games have become more interesting.
The Tigers have found a way keep things closer the second time they played a conference foe. Bentonville coach Jason McMahan contributes much of that to the steady improvement his young team has shown throughout the season.
“It’s coming with experience,” he said. “We’re definitely getting better, and our players are learning how conservative and how physical teams are in this league.”
Bentonville suff ered double-digit losses to Fayetteville, Springdale High, Fort Smith Southside and Fort Smith Northside the fi rst time through league play. The Tigers turned things around in each rematch, staying in each game until the end and even recorded an 40-37 victory over league-leading Southside on the Rebels’ home court Monday night.
“Jason is doing an outstanding job with those kids,” said Springdale coach Brad Stamps, whose team defeated Bentonville 42-37 at home Tuesday night. “Those players are buying into what he is trying to do there.
“I told a bunch of the Bentonville kids after the game that their best basketball is still yet to come. Bentonville is one of those programs that is going to get even better down the road.”
Bentonville even made things interesting against Northside, when the two teams played twice in a five-day span. The Tigers lost 73-55 in Fort Smith, then had a brief lead in the final minute of the rematch in Bentonville before suffering a 75-71 loss.
This turnaround came despite the fact Bentonville played the rematch without having a single practicebetween the two games because of snow.
“I still don’t have a real answer for that,” McMahan said about the two Northside games. “I think we’ve had better focus and better preparation for the second games.
“Our players know how to prepare for these teams and know they can’t make mental mistakes out there. The two games against Southside and Springdale are good indicators of what we can do. It’s a compilation of confidence and preparation.”
Bentonville should be in for two interesting games if the current trend continues. The Tigers will play at home Friday against Rogers High and Saturday against Rogers Heritage - two teams Bentonville defeated earlier this season.
“What we need to set that tone is one good practice (today),” McMahan said. “A positive spin on playing back-to-back games is it helps us get ready for the state tournament next week. If we win one game, then we’ll have to prepare for possibly another game the following day.”
Sports, Pages 9 on 02/24/2011