FORT SMITH -- Rogers Heritage Coach Tom Olsen knows a thing or two about coming to Fort Smith and being challenged. He was happy to leave with a win Friday night at Ramsey Gym.
Heritage got off to a hot start, but Fort Smith Southside didn't make it easy for them after that. A strong finish down the stretch gave the War Eagles what they needed for a 68-58 victory in the 6A-West Conference matchup.
"Anytime you can go in conference and go on the road at Fort Smith and get a win, it is big," Rogers Heritage Coach Tom Olsen said. "I've been in this league coaching, and even when I was in high school. It's a big feather in your hat to win at Fort Smith. They battled and gave us a test."
Heritage (6-7, 1-2 6A-West) used a balanced offense. Jaden Torres finished with a game-high 18 points, Taylor Dumond chipped in 13, Micah Hill added 11 and Kirees Sampson had 10. Dumond and Sampson provided their spark from off the bench.
Southside (2-13, 0-4) got a team-high 16 points from Yazed Taforo. Tristan Lane also had a strong night with 15 points, while Jaxon Taylor had 10 points off the bench.
The victory allowed the War Eagles to snap a 12-game conference losing streak.
Heritage jumped out to a 16-4 edge in the first quarter. The War Eagles made 6 of their first 12 shots, while they limited the Mavericks to 2-of-16 shooting in the first quarter.
Southside battled back in the second quarter. The Mavericks used a 12-4 run capped with five points from Xander Naegle. He got a steal then a layup and made a three-pointer before the buzzer that cut Heritage's lead to 29-24 at halftime.
"After that start, we were glad to cut into the lead we gave up early," Southside Coach Stewart Adams said. "We've got a young team. Those first possessions are valuable. We got some momentum going after that."
Heritage came out after halftime and made four three-point shots to take a 41-32 lead.
Southside cut the lead to 60-52 late in the fourth quarter after getting three offensive rebounds and a basket from Lane, but the Mavericks couldn't get any closer.