ROGERS -- Springdale Har-Ber rained down 3-point shots in the first half to build a big lead, but held off a late Rogers Heritage rally to claim a 71-61 win to secure a share of the 7A-West Conference title on Friday night in War Eagle Arena.
The Wildcats, who made 12 3-pointers in the game, opened the second quarter with a 13-0 run and led 40-23 at halftime behind a big first half from senior Ryan Taylor.
Prep Basketball
Girls
Springdale Har-Ber 60, Rogers Heritage 35
Har-Ber^17^11^13^19^—^60
Heritage^8^10^6^11^—^35
Springdale Har-Ber (16-12, 6-8): Juliza Brown 18, Whaley 15, Smith 11, Mains 7, Weber 3, Terry 2, Juel. Brown 2, Powell 2.
Rogers Heritage (6-21, 0-14): Lakis 12, Menke 9, Thompson 8, Kinnamon 3, Richardson 2, Combs 1.
Junior Varsity: Springdale Har-Ber 29, Rogers Heritage 27.
Boys
Springdale Har-Ber 71, Rogers Heritage 61
Har-Ber^23^17^18^12^—^71
Heritage^19^4^18^20^—^61
Springdale Har-Ber (21-7, 12-2): Taylor 20, Perry 18, T. Garrett 13, King 12, A. Garrett 5, Williams 2.
Rogers Heritage (15-12, 7-7): Stanley 26, Olsen 10, Giesen 6, A. Kenny 6, Moss 6, Breedlove 3, Cooper 2, Peek 2.
Junior Varsity: Springdale Har-Ber 48, Rogers Heritage 44.
The 6-1 senior scored 17 of his team-high 20 points in the first two quarters, but teammate Tyler Perry canned seven of seven free throws in the fourth quarter to help hold off the War Eagles' late charge.
Har-Ber (21-7, 12-2 7A-West) shared the league title with Bentonville, but claimed the No. 1 seed for next week's Class 7A state tournament.
Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin couldn't have been happier about his team's performance, putting four in double figures. But Taylor's effort was exceptional considering his father passed away earlier in the week. He made seven-of-11 shots from the floor and six-of-nine on 3-pointers.
"What a great story for Ryan Taylor," Bowlin said. "The thing you could tell is his concentration was just off the chain. He was just so locked in. What a tribute to his family to be able to do that.
"We're excited. First time we've won one (conference title) in 10 years, but we want more now."
Perry scored 18 points, while Tyler Garrett chipped in 13 and 6-foot-6 Zane King added 12 for the Wildcats. Junior Seth Stanley poured in a game-high 26 for Heritage.
Heritage (15-12, 7-7) sliced an 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven in the final minute, but got no closer. War Eagles coach Tom Olsen wasn't too displeased with his team's effort despite the loss.
"I'm really proud of our guys, I thought Har-Ber played unbelievably well and shot unbelievably well," Olsen said. "They were nine of 16 in the first half beyond the arc. That's just scorching. Then to get the game under 10 late, credit to our guys. We played pretty good tonight and got beat by a conference champion."
Har-Ber gets a first-round bye and won't play until 5:30 p.m. on Friday in Van Buren. Heritage will be the No. 5 seed out of the West and will face the No. 4 seed from the Central at 8:30 Wednesday night.
Girls
Springdale Har-Ber 60, Rogers Heritage 35
Julilza Brown poured in a game-high 18 points off the bench and Karrington Whaley added 15 to help the Lady Wildcats earn the No. 5 seed for the state tournament with the win.
Brown and Whaley, a pair of 6-1 seniors, dominated the inside and helped Har-Ber (16-12, 6-8) pull away in the second half. Krislyn Smith was also in double figures for the Lady Wildcats with 11. Meredith Lakis led Heritage with 12 points.
The Lady Wildcats will be the No. 5 seed from the West and take on the No. 4 seed from the Central at 7 on Wednesday night. Heritage finishes the season 6-12 overall and 0-14 in the 7A-West.
Sports on 02/25/2017