ROGERS -- Rogers High used a balanced offense to cruise past Camdenton, Mo., 65-39 in the opening round of the First National Bank of NWA Great Eight Classic on Thursday night at King Arena.
Kelsey Richmond led three Lady Mounties in double figures with 18 points, while Elise Randels chipped in 17 and Madison Sandor contributed 12. The offensive balance was key against Camdenton, which likes to trap and force a fast tempo, Rogers coach Preston Early said.
First National Bank of NWA
Great 8 Classic
At Rogers High
Thursday’s scores
Game 1: Webb City, Mo. 51, Alma 42
Game 2: Ozark, Mo. 68, Siloam Springs 43
Game 3: Rogers High 65, Camdenton, Mo. 39
Game 4: Fort Smith Southside vs. Rogers Heritage, 8:30 p.m.
Today’s Games
Game 5: Southside-Heritage loser vs. Siloam Springs, 4 p.m.
Game 6: Camdenton, Mo. vs. Alma, 5:30 p.m.
Game 7: Rogers High vs. Webb City, Mo., 7 p.m.
Game 8: Southside-Heritage winner vs. Ozark, Mo., 8:30 p.m.
Prep Basketball
Girls
Rogers High 65, Camdenton, Mo. 39
Camdenton^11^9^10^9^—^39
Rogers^16^17^12^20^—^65
Camdenton (2-1): Rezabek 15, B. Kurtz 7, Meier 5, Vest 3, Basham 3, Shockley 2, Schesnol 2.
Rogers (3-0): Richmond 18, Randels 17, Sandor 12, McKinney 8, Sherrill 5, Loyd 3, Williams 2.
"I think that's who we are," Early said. "To be honest, that's the only way you're successful against a team like that. They are going to force you to make plays. It's not like you can pick and choose and isolate people because of the way they play. Just constant trapping and relentless pressure.
Rogers (3-0) took control with a 10-2 second-quarter run to help take a 33-20 halftime advantage. Sandor's 3-pointer gave the Lady Mounties a 28-16 advantage with less than two minutes left in the first half.
Camdenton, the defending Great Eight champions, tried to rally in the third quarter behind the play of junior Coley Rezabek, who led the Lady Lakers with 15 points. However, Rogers responded with Richmond's 3-pointer from the corner after Camdenton (2-1) came within nine.
Lady Lakers coach Staci Caffey her team's struggles were mainly on offense against Rogers. The athletic Randels also gave the Lady Lakers trouble with five blocked shots and a team-high 11 rebounds.
"I think our girls just stepped back offensively," Caffey said. "Randels was a big threat inside as far as blocking some shots. I think after she made a couple of those blocks we started backing off. Offensively, we lost our aggressiveness and we missed some shots that we don't usually miss."
Early said his team lost to the Lady Lakers a year ago, after enjoying a nice halftime lead. The difference this year was maturity, Early said.
"Last year, we had about a 10-point lead on them at halftime," Early said. "And we went out, turned it over 20 times and lost by two. This time we had a 10-point lead and turned it into a 20-point win. One of the things that stood out was the way we just compete the next play. If we put ourselves in a bind, we always found a way to dig ourselves out whether it was a big stop or a big bucket."
Rogers Heritage 54, Fort Smith Southside 51
Sydney Kinnamon hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to give the Lady War Eagles the lead for good and they hit key free throws down the stretch for the win.
Shelby Thompson led all scorers with 16 points for Heritage (3-0), while Meredith Lakis added 11 and Brooke Menke 10 before she fouled out. Kelly Carson led Southside with 15.
Webb City, Mo. 51, Alma 42
The Lady Cardinals opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to pull away for the win.
Webb City (2-0) trailed 37-36 entering the fourth quarter, but rallied for the win. Hannah Woodcock, a 5-10 junior led all scorers with 26 points for the Lady Cardinals. Sierra Bailey led Alma (0-2) with 18.
Ozark, Mo. 68, Siloam Springs 43
The Lady Tigers steadily pulled away to advance to the semifinals behind four players in double figures.
Mikayla Putt scored a game-high 17 points, while teammates Madi Braden and Bre Johnson chipped in 12 and 11, respectively for Ozark, which was playing its season-opener. Macey Putt also added 10. Morgan Vaughn led Siloam Springs (1-3) with 11 and Chloe Price had 10.
Sports on 12/02/2016