ROGERS -- Bentonville was just too much for Rogers Heritage to handle Tuesday night.
Malik Monk poured in a game-high 30 points, while the Tigers' inside tandem of Tyler Robinson and Ben Smith controlled the paint to carry Bentonville to a 62-49 win over the War Eagles in 7A-West Conference basketball play in War Eagle Arena.
How They Scored
Girls
Bentonville 53, Rogers Heritage 28
Bentonville^13^12^19^9^—^53
Heritage^6^9^4^9^—^28
Bentonville (13-6, 4-2): Taylor 15, Johnston 14, Clark 8, Martin 6, Murch 3, Hargus 3, Brittain 2, Kincy 2.
Rogers Heritage (9-10, 2-4): Jobst 10, Giesen 6, Scudder 6, Thompson 4, Tiles 2.
Boys
Bentonville 62, Rogers Heritage 49
Bentonville^14^13^15^20^—^62
Heritage^10^11^13^15^—^49
Bentonville (11-5, 5-0): Monk 30, Smith 15, Robinson 8, Head 4, Hemphill 3, Carter 2.
Rogers Heritage (13-6, 4-2): Hobbs 14, Hirsh 14, Breedlove 11, Olsen 8, Jensen 2.
Marcus Breedlove's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter pulled Heritage to within 42-37, but Bentonville (11-5, 5-0 7A-West) responded with a 10-2 run to put away the pesky War Eagles (13-6, 4-2).
The 6-foot-4 Monk, heralded as one of the top juniors in the country, didn't score any points in Bentonville's key run, but he still made it happen. He started a fast break with a defensive rebound, helped beat Heritage's full-court pressure off the dribble for another transition basket, then fed Smith along the baseline for a pair of easy baskets.
Robinson's jumper closed the spurt and gave Bentonville a 52-39 lead midway through the third quarter. Heritage got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said Monk was himself, but Smith (6-9) and Robinson (6-5) also played key roles against the smaller War Eagles.
"I think Ben Smith really got control of the defensive glass for us there in the late third quarter," McMahan said. "We got out in transition and got some baskets there to get that margin. I really feel Ben and Tyler Robinson were big for us with those second-chance opportunities. They made big plays inside offensive and defensively. Ben changed a lot of shots.
"Malik's just so consistent now with his scoring and his efficiency is so good. He's scoring in way fewer shots than he did last year."
Smith was Bentonville's only other player in double figures with 15 points. The Tigers also made Heritage pay at the foul line, making 23 of 27. Monk led the free-throw parade, making 15 of 15.
Heritage coach Tom Olsen agreed Bentonville's size advantage played a big part in the outcome.
"They do such a good job rebounding and defending around the painted area of the floor," Olsen said. "We had some chances attacking the basket, but their length and size bothered us and we didn't get to the foul line like we needed to. Credit to their defense."
Connor Hirsh and Lexus Hobbs led Heritage with 14 points apiece. Breedlove added 11.
Girls
Bentonville 53, Rogers Heritage 28
The Lady Tigers shot a sizzling 57 percent from the floor, taking advantage of lots of chances near the basket to pull away for the easy road victory.
Senior Peyton Taylor scored a game-high 15 points, while junior Maren Johnston chipped in 14 for Bentonville (13-6, 4-2).
The Lady Tigers also limited Heritage (9-10, 2-4) to just 30 percent shooting (13 of 43). It was also the third consecutive game Bentonville has limited opponents to less than 30 points.
Bentonville put the game away, outscoring Heritage 19-4 in the third quarter. The Lady Tigers finished the quarter with a 12-0 run. Emilie Jobst led Heritage with 10.
Paul Boyd can be reached at pboyd@nwadg.com or on Twitter at @NWAPaulB
Sports on 01/28/2015