Lady Bulldogs stymies Lady Wildcats

SPRINGDALE -- Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber are no longer tied in the 7A-West Conference standings. Fayetteville took care of that with a 64-54 victory Tuesday at Wildcat Arena. Lauren Holmes scored 15 points and Pink Jones 14 for Fayetteville, which withstood a Har-Ber rally after leading 30-20 at halftime. Har-Ber got to within three points in the second half behind the outside shooting of Maci Mains, who made four three-pointers and finished with 19 points. But Fayetteville scored late baskets off rebounds in the fourth quarter and made 15 of 20 free throws to secure the victory. Ten players contributed points for Fayetteville (11-6, 2-2), while Mains and Jacie Higgins, who had 13, did most of the scoring for Har-Ber (11-7, 1-3). "Maci Mains was unbelievable shooting the basketball in the third quarter," Fayetteville Coach Vic Rimmer said. "But Lauren Holmes answered a couple of those, and our offensive glass work was tremendous." Fayetteville took control by outscoring Har-Ber 18-9 in the second quarter. Grayce Spangler, Holmes and Delaney Osborne each made three-point baskets for Fayetteville. Har-Ber was stuck on 18 points, and the Lady Wildcats missed four of their last six free-throw attempts to end the half. Har-Ber finished 12 of 21 (57 percent) from the line. "Our kids don't realize how possessions matter," Har-Ber Coach Sandy Wright said. "Three or four possessions can turn a game around, and free throws were a difference. You look at that and you can tell why we got beat." Mains, a sophomore, provided much-needed help after Higgins scored nearly half of Har-Ber's points in the first two quarters. Mains opened the second half with a three-pointer and converted a four-point play after she was fouled while making a shot beyond the arc. But the Lady Bulldogs were able to respond to the Lady Wildcats' comeback attempt. "We've had to open at (Fort Smith) Northside, at Springdale, at Har-Ber, and that's tough," Rimmer said. "We needed this win pretty bad and, hopefully, we can get some momentum going out of this." Fayetteville returns home against Rogers Heritage on Friday while Har-Ber will attempt to end a three-game losing streak at Fort Smith Southside. "We've yet to put four quarters together, but I have faith it's going to happen," Wright said. "Our kids have to believe in themselves."

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NWADG | 1/20/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: NWADG