VAN BUREN -- The Lady Pointers utilize a big run late in the second quarter to gain some separation from Springdale and are now two games ahead in the 7A West after Friday.
Van Buren defeated Springdale 58-38 on at Clair Bates Arena and have not lost since Dec. 17.
Girls
Van Buren 58, Springdale 38
Springdale^14^7^6^11^—^38
Van Buren^16^18^15^5^—^58
Springdale (9-9, 3-2): Davis 11, Minchew 9, Dougan 7, Vogel 6, Jackson 3, Gause 2.
Van Buren (14-3, 5-0)L Snowden 16, Jones 13, Kinney 9, Jennen 8, Sutton 6, Meyers 5, Sandoval 1.
Boys
Van Buren 42, Springdale 35 (OT)
Springdale^5^11^13^2^4^—^35
Van Buren^6^6^10^9^11^—^42
Springdale (5-12, 2-3): Bilyeu 11, Iraheta 9, Fitch 6, Robinson 5, Aquino 2, Jibke 2.
Van Buren (10-8, 3-2): Beckner 19, Salisbury 9, Kindrix 8, West 4, Stewart 2.
"Springdale kind of needed this game to wrap an arm around us, so they came ready," said Van Buren coach Chris Bryant. "So for our kids to come out and play the way they did -- they demonstrated they know what the stakes are."
The Lady Pointers (14-3, 5-0) gained separation in the second quarter on an 11-0 run and led 34-19 with 1:16 remaining in the half.
Springdale (9-9, 3-2) shot 0 of 5 during the stretch. Van Buren's Jamilyn Kinney fed Hallie Jennen a couple of the points during the core part of the run.
Snowden finished with 16 points to lead the game and Bailey Jones had 13 for Van Buren. Kinney added nine while Jennen tossed in eight.
"I can't even tell you who scored what," Bryant said after the game. "I just know they share, which is unusual for a group with this many good shooters."
The Lady Pointers led 27-14 in rebounds with Snowden grabbing seven and Taylor Sutton pulling down six.
"We talked about limiting Springdale in rebounds because (the team) has the ability to get into the paint and make the plays," Bryant said.
Marquesha Davis led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 and Ashlyn Minchew added nine.
Boys
Van Buren 42, Springdale 35 (OT)
After it was announced that Van Buren would serve as the host site for the Class 7A tournament, the Pointers have won three consecutive games after their win at home.
It was also Van Buren's second consecutive win at Clair Bates since the team came back from the holiday break.
The Pointers shot 9 of 12 from the line in overtime while Springdale was 2 of 8 from the floor. The Bulldogs gained the first possession in overtime, but missed three shots before KJ Stewart grabbed the rebound. Van Buren's Beau Beckner drew the first foul and the race was on.
Springdale undermined any chance for late momentum with a pair of turnovers. The Pointers converted both into a couple of points. However, when the second free throw bounced off the rim, Presley Kindrix grabbed it, and put it back into the basket. In a span of 34 seconds, Van Buren went from a 34-31 lead, to go up 37-31 with 52.9 seconds remaining in the game.
Springdale utilized an 11-0 run to close out the third quarter and take its biggest lead of the night, 29-20. Jordan West put Van Buren back on the board with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter.
West's basket coupled with a 6-0 run in the fourth quarter put the Pointers with one, 28-29. Joe Jibke had a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to three at the 1:11 mark.
Caleb Salisbury, who finished with nine points, drained Van Buren's only trey for the night to tie up the game. Springdale had an opportunity to retake the lead with 36.3 seconds left, but missed both free throws.
Stewart pulled down the rebound and the Pointers held on to send the game into overtime.
Sports on 01/21/2017