FAYETTEVILLE -- The Fayetteville girls basketball team was too much for Springdale to handle Friday night.
Fayetteville, seeking revenge for a nine-point loss at Springdale earlier in the season, started with a flurry and kept piling on for a 81-54 7A-West Conference victory at Bulldog Arena.
"We're a completely different team than we were ... five weeks ago," Fayetteville Coach Vic Rimmer said. "We've been unselfish the whole year, I've not had a problem with that. But now we're knocking down shots. Pink [Jones] driving to the hole, of course Lauren [Holmes] with her big night, and Jasmine [Franklin] around the rim.
"We're just a completely different team now."
Fayetteville (17-6, 8-2) was struggling with its outside shooting and hadn't found a consistent inside presence when Springdale handed it a 58-49 loss Jan. 15. Since then, Fayetteville has reeled off seven consecutive wins.
Fayetteville was fueled by 22 first-half points from Lauren Holmes, and Springdale missed several inside baskets in the opening minutes as the game got out of hand.
"I thought Fayetteville came out and hit some shots early, and we missed some shots," Springdale Coach Heather Hunsucker said. "We had three layups around the rim, and if we hit those shots, it's a 6-6 start and maybe that changes things, and we got a couple of charges called early.
"But all credit goes to Fayetteville. They were ready to win this game, and they played very well."
Holmes hit 8 of 14 field goals and 4 of 8 three-pointers in the first half for her 22 points before halftime. The junior guard finished with a game-high 31 for Fayetteville.
"Thirty points is amazing, and the way she shot and got to the rim, but what I liked was the four charges she took," Rimmer said. "You talk about an unselfish kid that helps our team, and she does a lot for our team."
Jasmine Franklin added 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Pink Jones had 13 points for Fayetteville.
Chasidee Owens led Springdale (15-7, 8-2) with 16 points.
Sports on 02/13/2016