Basketball: Fayetteville pulls off upset, avenges OT loss to Har-Ber

FAYETTEVILLE -- No one fouled Tylor Roth as he dribbled out the final 30 seconds of game clock.

There was no need. The outcome already was decided as Roth and his Fayetteville squad upset Springdale Har-Ber 71-53 in front of a raucous Colors Day crowd at Bulldogs Arena on Friday.

It was the Purple'Dogs' fourth straight victory and they secured a spot in the state tournament by improving to 11-13 overall and 6-6 in 7A-West play. It also knocked the Wildcats (19-7, 10-2) out of sole possession of the top spot in the conference standings and avenged a 60-59 overtime loss at Har-Ber on Jan. 20.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 22-8 lead in the first quarter and kept the Wildcats at arm's length the rest of the way by slowing down two of their offensive weapons. Har-Ber's Tylor Perry and Zane King combined for just seven points.

"That was huge for us," said Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams. "We scored some points, but the biggest difference for us is we didn't allow any easy buckets. They had to earn everything they got."

The majority of Fayetteville's focus was on how they defended Perry, a sophomore point guard who was limited to five points on 1 of 8 shooting from the field. The 'Dogs attacked him with a rotation by committee that included Jon Conley, Frank Morgan and Barrett Banister.

"He's one of the best point gaurds in the state," Adams said. "You can't lose him anywhere because he can knock down shots from deep and he's very good off the dribble. He's good at drawing contact. He's just a really, really good basketball player and we're trying to run as many bodies at him as we can and we got into foul troubel trying to guard him.

"I don't think one person can guard that young man."

The Bulldogs also adjusted the way they defended Har-Ber's pick-and-rolls by keeping inside position, which limited the Wildcats' to just eight points in the paint. King, a senior post, attempted just three shots and finished with two points.

Fayetteville's Brennon Lewis had "one of his best games as a Bulldog," Adams said. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. He said the one-point overtime loss was tough to swallow against the Purple'Dogs "rivals."

"That game fueled us to play better, especially on defense, for all four quarters," Lewis said. "We had too many breakdowns in the last game, but we studied on film what we needed to do to different and limit them from getting easy buckets inside."

There were three technical fouls on players from both teams, including two on Har-Ber. The most crucial came in the third quarter when Tyler Garrett, who led the Wildcats' with 15 points, was whistled for his fourth foul. He appeared to disagree with the call and was promptly whistled for a technical, giving him five personal fouls and ending his night early.

"It was just one of those nights," said Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin. "We just have to put this one behind us and move onto the next game because we control our own destiny.

"But kudos to Fayetteville. They did a great job and did what they needed to do to win."

Girls

Fayetteville 67, Springdale Har-Ber 44

The Lady Bulldogs (25-2, 12-0) remained unbeaten in 7A-West play with a 21-point victory.

Har-Ber led 6-3 in the early going before Fayetteville responded with a 16-0 run and never looked back.

Junior Jasmine Franklin led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Lauren Holmes added 15 points and Sasha Goforth had 11 points, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.

Savannah Collins was the lone Lady 'Cats player in double figures as she finished with 10 points.

Sports on 02/18/2017