FAYETTEVILLE -- After three consecutive close losses in 7A-West Conference play, Fayetteville's boys made sure to leave no doubt Monday.
The Bulldogs held Rogers High without a point for the first seven minutes, building a 15-point first quarter lead on their way to a 60-41 win at Bulldog Arena.
Boys
Fayetteville 60, Rogers High 41
Rogers^4^13^13^11^—^41
Fayetteville^15^18^10^17^—^60
Rogers (5-14, 0-6): Freeland 14, Salvador 7, Benninghoff 6, Cooper 6, McCullough 2, Mayer 2, Allen 2, Heffley 2.
Fayetteville (15-4, 3-3): Willis 11, Wymer 11, Scott 8, Brown 6, Carlson 6, O’Grady 5, Breathitt 4, Lockett 4, Paslay 3, Carter 2.
Girls
Fayetteville 65, Rogers High 39
Rogers^7^11^8^13^—^39
Fayetteville^17^17^19^12^—^65
Rogers (6-13, 0-6): Richmond 10, Turner 6, Sagely 6, Randels 5, McKinney 5, Sandor 4, King 2, Williams 1.
Fayetteville (14-5, 6-0): Crockett 11, Schuldt 11, Morgan 9, P. Jones 8, Holmes 8, Mayberry 4, B. Jones 4, Posey 4, Osburn 3, Ratcliff 3.
7A-West Conference Basketball Standings
Boys
^Conference^Overall
^W-L^Pts.^W-L
Bentonville^4-0^37^10-5
Springdale Har-Ber^4-0^27^13-3
Rogers Heritage^4-1^29^13-5
Fayetteville^3-3^27^15-4
FS Northside^2-3^18^12-7
Springdale High^2-3^12^7-10
FS Southside^1-4^2^7-11
Rogers High^0-6^0^5-14
Monday’s Score
Fayetteville 60, Rogers High 41
Today’s Games
Bentonville at Rogers Heritage
Springdale Har-Ber at FS Northside
FS Southside at Springdale High
Girls
^Conference^Overall
^W-L^Pts.^W-L
Fayetteville^6-0^50^14-5
FS Northside^4-1^40^18-1
Springdale Har-Ber^4-1^12^15-4
Bentonville^3-2^29^12-6
Rogers Heritage^2-3^12^9-9
Springdale High^1-4^10^10-8
FS Southside^1-4^9^7-11
Rogers High^0-6^0^6-13
Monday’s Score
Fayetteville 65, Rogers High 39
Today’s Games
Bentonville at Rogers Heritage
Springdale Har-Ber at FS Northside
FS Southside at Springdale High
Fayetteville, which had lost the previous three games by a combined nine points, did not allow a Mounties score until 55 seconds remained in the first quarter to set the tone for the runaway victory.
"We're still having some breakdowns on the defensive end, but this feels a lot better in that locker room after this one than after those last few games," Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. "I was proud of our kids tonight. I thought they started hard. The bench was into the game and we were playing for each other, so we're on the right path."
Fayetteville (15-4, 3-3 7A-West) went heavy to the bench in the second quarter and leveled off to a 33-17 halftime lead after the margin had grown to 22 points early in the second quarter. Rogers (5-14, 0-6) showed signs of fight early in the second half, trimming the deficit to seven before the Purple'Dogs pulled away down the stretch.
"We spotted them way too big a lead to start the game," Rogers coach Wayne Herren said. "We started out in a zone and were hoping we could catch them on an off night shooting. But give them credit, they knocked down the shots and of course we knew Payton (Willis) could shoot it.
"But I was proud of my kids. I thought we battled back. We're down about four kids to illness right now. But no excuses, everybody has some of that right now and I'm proud of the way we keep battling."
The Mounties hit just 4 of 24 field goals in the first half and finished 12-for-48. Fayetteville was 21 of 46 from the floor, led by Willis and Drake Wymer with 11 points each. Milacio Freeland led Rogers with 14.
Girls
Fayetteville 65, Rogers High 39
The Lady Mounties battled head to head with the 7A-West Conference leaders for a half a quarter before Fayetteville used an 11-0 run to turn the momentum for the rest of the game.
Lauren Schuldt and Sydney Crockett scored 11 points each, and Fayetteville (14-5, 6-0) forced 16 turnovers while holding Rogers (6-13, 0-6) to just 32 percent shooting from the floor.
"We were playing at a good pace," Lady Bulldogs coach Vic Rimmer said. "We took care of the basketball and for me that's been big. And kept them off balance with our defensive intensity."
Vernon Tarver can be reached at vtarver@nwadg.com and on Twitter @NWAVernon
Sports on 01/27/2015