ROGERS -- Both Fort Smith Northside and Rogers Heritage entered Friday night's game in search of its first 7A-West Conference victory. The Grizzlies started fast and never looked back to snatch the 58-36 win in War Eagle Arena.
Northside (9-7, 1-2 7A-West) used some red-hot outside shooting and solid defense to grab a 28-9 lead midway through the second quarter. The Grizzlies made six 3-pointers in the first half, while limiting the War Eagles (8-8, 0-3) to just three field goals in the first 13 minutes of the first half.
Boys
Fort Smith Northside 58, Rogers Heritage 36
Northside^16^15^10^^17^—^58
Heritage^6^11^7^12^—^36
Fort Smith Northside (9-7, 1-2): Brewer 15, Lewis 10, Norwood 8, Griffin 8, Forsey 7, Perry 6, Joe 5.
Rogers Heritage (8-8, 0-3): Hobbs 14, Breedlove 9, Stanley 4, Moore 2, M. Stanley 2, Casey 2, D. Olsen 2, Moss 1.
Girls
Fort Smith Northside 67, Rogers Heritage 45
Northside^18^22^15^13^—^67
Heritage^7^11^14^13^—^45
Fort Smith Northside (18-1, 3-0): Jackson 16, Hawkins 10, Kinnard 8, Evans 8, Krissman 7, Bandimere 6, Hardesty 5, Moore 5, Terry 2.
Rogers Heritage (5-11, 0-3): Seiler 13, Turner 11, Kinnamon 6, Tiles 5, Scudder 5, Lakis 3, Morris 2
Northside coach Eric Burnett said it was just good to have his team healthy again.
"I thought we played a little better than we did the last two games," Burnett said. "Two of my starters have been hurt. Tonight, the whole team was back together. When we had the whole team together back at the Coke Classic, I thought we were playing at a pretty high level."
Junior Tyrell Perry played for the first time since late December, while senior Gage Griffin missed the Bentonville game with an ankle sprain.
The Grizzlies hit 11 3-pointers and that made guard Tevin Brewer even more dangerous. The 5-foot-7 Brewer finished with a game-high 15 points, but he also dished out seven assists to go with four steals.
"We haven't been shooting the ball well, but tonight for us to shoot it well, we're getting that confidence back," Burnett said. "It opens up everything for Tevin when they're shooting it well. That puts a big ol' grin on his face when they shoot it well because that allows him to get to the hole."
Brennon Lewis added 10 for the Grizzlies, while Griffin and Tre Norwood chipped in eight each.
Lexus Hobbs was Heritage's only player in double figures with 14.
Heritage coach Tom Olsen said his team could not overcome the poor start.
"You can't fall behind Northside with a kid like Brewer," Olsen said. "When you stretch out and try and get back in the game, they made 3-point shots. But the beginning of the game is where we really fell apart. A lot of credit to them, they really guarded us. We took some quick shots and they got out in transition and made some shots."
Girls
Fort Smith Northside 67, Rogers Heritage 45
The Lady Bears overwhelmed the Lady War Eagles with defensive pressure in the first half and cruised to the win.
Northside (18-1, 3-0 7A-West) forced 18 first-half turnovers en route to a 40-18 halftime lead. Heritage (5-11, 0-3) managed just eight shots from the floor in the first two quarters, making four.
The Lady Bears took command with a 13-1 run midway through the second quarter, fueled by a couple of steals by Topazia Hawkins that led to layups. Meagan Bandimere's 3-pointer started the surger and a stickback by Fatarah Kinnard finished it off for a 36-13 Northside lead with less than four minutes left in the first half.
Senior guard Aahliyah Jackson, a Texas A&M signee, finished with a game-high 16 points, including 12 in the first half as the Lady Bears jumped to the big lead. Topazia Hawkins, a 5-8 junior, was also in double figures with 10.
Emily Seiler led Heritage (5-11, 0-3) with 13 points, while Amber Turner chipped in 11.
Sports on 01/16/2016