SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber should’ve known it was in trouble when Marquesha Davis opened Tuesday’s game with three consecutive baskets.
Springdale Har-Ber^12^15^4^13^—^44
Springdale High^16^16^12^15^—^59
Har-Ber (8-8, 0-2): Mains 18, Shannon 12, Smith 12, Fotenopulus 1, Nelson 1.
Springdale (11-4, 2-0): Davis 32, Vogel 9, Sysavanh 8, That Sysavanh 4, Minchew 4, James 2.
Davis kept scoring and finished with 32 points to lead Springdale High to a 59-44 victory over its rival in Bulldogs Gymnasium. It was a stellar performance by Davis, a 6-foot junior who scored with a variety of moves from all over the court.
Davis had 10 points in the first quarter and 19 by halftime to guide Springdale to a 32-27 lead. She scored on two offensive rebounds in the third quarter before putting Har-Ber away at the free-throw line, where she finished 8 of 11.
Davis received a loud cheer from the home crowd when she went to the bench in the fourth quarter.
“What you saw tonight is what Marquesha has been all year,” Springdale High girls basketball coach Heather Hunsucker said. “We’ve been away a lot, so people don’t get to see her as much.”
Har-Ber fans saw plenty of Davis, who made 19 of her 32 points in the first half to give Springdale a 32-27 lead. Davis took control at the outset with six consecutive points and she finished the first half with a drive to the basket after she faked a 3-pointer.
Senior Savanna Collins did not score but Har-Ber stayed close for three quarters behind the play of Maci Mains and Khanni Shannon, who combined for 20 points. Mains had two 3-pointers in the first half and Shannon had a 3-pointer in the second quarter following a missed free throw.
But Springdale outscored Har-Ber 12-4 in the third quarter to pull away. Davis began the surge with a steal and a layup then had a rebound basket to prompt a timeout by the Lady Wildcats. Ashlyn Minchew contributed a basket before Davis ended the third quarter with two free throws to put Springdale ahead 44-31.
Sarah Vogel scored nine points for Springdale while Mains finished with 18 to lead Har-Ber.
VAN BUREN 37, BENTONVILLE HIGH 34
Senior guard Jamilyn Kinney scored five first-half points but quickly picked up the pace for Van Buren when it needed it the most Tuesday night at Clair Bates Arena. Kinney scored all of Van Buren’s 19 second-half points to help hold off Bentonville High down the stretch in a 37-34 victory in a 7A-West conference matchup. Kinney gave Van Buren (11-4, 2-0) a 35-34 lead with a pair of free-throw attempts with 52 seconds left in the game. Bentonville (12-3, 0-2) turned the ball over on its next possession. Kinney missed the front end of a one-and-one to keep the game alive with 23 seconds left. But Bentonville turned the ball over again after that. She finished with a game-high 24 points for Van Buren. Bentonville was led by freshman Maryam Dauda’s team-high 15 points. Fess Hawkins added 11 for the Lady Tigers.
FAYETTEVILLE 54, BENTONVILLE WEST 43
Fayetteville built a 23-point cushion late in the first half, but had to withstand West’s second-half comeback attempt. Fayetteville (10-3, 2-0) led 38-15 after a Lauren Webb free throw with 1:42 left in the first half, but West (7-7, 0-2) pulled within six on two occasions — the last being 48-42 on Kadie Kultgen’s bucket with 5:27 remaining. Sasha Goforth had 20 points to lead Fayetteville, while Jasmine Franklin scored five straight points in the fourth quarter to help the Lady Bulldogs put the game away and finished with 13. Ashaundi Henry led West with nine.
ROGERS HIGH 36, ROGERS HERITAGE 32
Madison Loyd hit three of four free throws in the final 29.8 seconds to help the Lady Mounties (9-6, 2-0 7A-West) hold on for the win Tuesday night at King Arena. Rogers Heritage sophomore Pam Seiler got a steal and layup with 44.3 seconds in the fourth quarter to pull the Lady War Eagles (5-10, 0-2) within 33-32. But they would not score again. Loyd led all scorers with 12 points, while Brooke Menke led Heritage with 11.