FAYETTEVILLE HOLD OFF ROGERS

Each time Rogers High made a run, Fayetteville's girls had an answer -- and it usually was either Sasha Goforth or Jasmine Franklin. Goforth, a freshman who's listed at 6-foot but may have grown since preseason measurements, finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 steals to power the Lady Bulldogs' 63-49 win on Friday. It was their 15th straight victory and they remained a perfect 10-0 in 7A-West play. Franklin, a 6-2 junior, had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. "Sasha's never scared of the moment," said Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer. "She understands moments pretty well and we try to get her the ball in spots like that and I thought Jasmine Franklin had a couple of big buckets there to help us keep things going, too." Fayetteville (23-2 overall) overcame a sluggish start. The first trip down, a three-point attempt by Goforth hit the backboard before the rim and another from a teammate didn't draw iron at all. Still, all Rogers could muster was a 4-0 lead before the Lady Bulldogs found a rhythm to storm back with a 7-0 run and never trailed again despite multiple rally attempts by the Lady Mounties (13-8, 6-4). "We started a little slow, but kind of got things going after that," Rimmer said. "Hats off to Rogers. Preston (Early) had them ready to go, but we were able to get just enough offense to hang on." After the Lady Bulldogs led 28-14 at halftime, Rogers matched them point-for-point in the second half thanks to seniors Elise Randels and Kelsey Richmond. Randels led all scorers with 22 points while Richmond hit 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. "You cannot fault our effort or our heart," said Rogers coach Preston Early. "Fayetteville just comes at you with so many weapons. They score in flurries and it's hard to keep up with them." The Lady Mounties cut it to single digits (42-34) thanks to an 11-0 run during the third quarter. But Goforth stopped the bleeding with a 15-foot jumper and then blocked a layup at the other end to key a 6-0 flurry to finish the quarter. That run grew to 10-0 when Franklin muscled her way to a pair of back-to-back buckets inside to begin the fourth quarter and blocked Randels' first two shot attempts on the other end. "Randels is a bad matchup for anybody," Rimmer said. "She's so athletic and dribbles and jumps so well. She had a great night tonight." But Rogers put together a 9-0 spurt that included seven points by Richmond as well as a bucket and a steal by Randels, who showed no fear by taking the ball right back at Franklin inside. However, Goforth swished a 3-pointer midway through the fourth to help the Lady Bulldogs hold off Rogers' final rally attempt.

FAYETTEVILLE HOLD OFF ROGERS

Photo Credit: Andy Shupe

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