SPRINGDALE — Fess Hawkins was headed to the basket and she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her.
Hawkins drove the baseline past two defenders and made a bank shot with two seconds left in overtime Tuesday to give Bentonville a 35-34 victory over Springdale High. Bentonville (19-5, 8-3) moved into second place in the 7A-West Conference after beginning the night tied with Springdale High (16-8, 7-4), which lost by 20 at Benton-ville in January.
The rematch was a tight, defensive battle on Colors Day at Springdale, which took a 34-33 lead on a shot by Marquesha Davis with 18 seconds left. Bentonville called two timeouts and set up a play for Hawkins, a senior who scored 12 points to lead the Lady Tigers.
Bentonville inbounded the ball with 12 seconds left and eventually found Hawkins, who moved aggressively past two defenders and banked in the winning shot to give Bentonville the road victory.
“We ran baseline and Fess popped out, doing what she’s been doing all year while being aggressive,” Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier said. “She had a tough game tonight but she finished great.”
Both teams shot poorly from the free-throw line after using free throws last Friday to win games. Bentonville was 5 of 10 and Springdale was 4 of 8 from the line. Hawkins missed two free throws in the fourth quarter and was called for a double dribble in overtime before making the winning shot.
“I turned the ball over and thought I had just lost the game,” Hawkins said. “When coach drew up the play, that gave me confidence and I knew I had to score for my team. I got hit a couple of times, but that doesn’t matter. I made the basket and that’s why I work. That’s why I play.”
Davis scored 19 points and led a comeback after Benton-ville jumped to an 11-2 lead. Sarah Vogel added six points, including a 3-pointer to give Springdale a 20-19 lead at halftime.
Maryam Dauda added nine points for Bentonville, including two free throws in overtime to put the Lady Tigers ahead 33-31. Each team made 12 field goals and two 3-pointers.
Bentonville........13 6 5 7 4 — 35 Springdale..........8 12 4 7 3 — 34 Bentonville (19-5, 8-3): Hawkins 12, Dauda 9, Sanders 6, Hernandez 5, Hughes 3. Springdale (16-8, 7-4): Davis 19, Vogel 6, Sysavanh 4, Minchew 3, Tt. Sysavanh 2.
FAYETTEVILLE 62, ROGERS HERITAGE 25
The Lady Purple Bulldogs jumped ahead 17-0 to start the game and never looked back to cruise to the 7A-West Conference win Friday in Bulldog Arena.
Fayetteville (19-3, 11-0 7A-West) posted its 11th consecutive win and wasn’t really pushed. Sophomore Coriah Beck led all scorers with 16 points, including 10 in the first three-plus minutes of the game. Jasmine Franklin added 11 and Sasha Goforth 10 for the Lady Purple’Dogs, who led 37-10 at halftime. Kayla Richardson led Rogers Heritage (5-18, 0-11) with six points.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 44, BENTONVILLE WEST 36
Har-Ber clinched a berth in the Class 7A State Tournament with its win over West, thanks to outscoring the Lady Wolverines 12-2 in the third quarter. The outburst helped the Lady Wildcats (13-12, 5-6) turn a four-point halftime into a 38-24 lead after three quarter. West (8-15, 1-10) couldn’t get any closer than 40-35 after Shania Wilson’s two free throws with 2:33 remaining. Maci Mains had 13 and Savanna Collins 10 to pace Har-Ber, while Wilson finished with 11 for West, which was eliminated from postseason play with the loss.
VAN BUREN 37, ROGERS HIGH 24
Playing a tight zone defense, Van Buren limited Rogers High to only 27-percent shooting from the field. Van Buren (16-8, 7-4) held Rogers to only seven points in the first half. Lady Pointer senior Jamilyn Kinney led all scorers with 11 points. Madison Loyd led Rogers (12-12, 5-6) with 10 points.