Buzzer-beater
Junior guard CJ Williams drove the baseline and hit a layup as the buzzer sounded to give the Fayetteville boys a 67-65 victory over Bentonville West.
“I was waiting to make a big play for my team, whether it was down the stretch or any time I got the opportunity to.” Fayetteville junior guard CJ Williams
CENTERTON — CJ Williams didn’t need to wait another second to make the big play Fayetteville needed Friday night.
The junior guard drove the baseline and hit a layup as the buzzer sounded to give the Bulldogs a 67-65 victory over Bentonville West to start the second half of 6A-West Conference play at Wolverine Arena.
“I was waiting to make a big play for my team, whether it was down the stretch or any time I got the opportunity to,” Williams said. “I got the ball and I just hit them with a stepback hesitation. They went for it, and the layup went in. I’m so thankful for it.”
Fayetteville (15-4, 6-2) faced a 56-49 deficit after Tucker Anderson’s consecutive three-pointers capped a 10-0 Bentonville West run with 5:51 remaining, but the Bulldogs slowly chipped away. Landon Glasper, who finished with 32 points to lead Fayetteville, made it a 64-63 game with 27 seconds left. Then Sawyer Keith hit two free throws to tie the game at 65-65 with 18.8 seconds left after Evan White’s free throw had given Bentonville West a two-point cushion.
Dalton McDonald tried to give the Wolverines (11-9, 4-4) the lead again, but his jumper from inside the lane didn’t fall. Kaiden Turner grabbed the rebound and the ball eventually landed in the hands of Williams, who briefly went to the left wing before he drove past Anderson and scored just before the buzzer sounded.
“I was proud of how we handled adversity,” Fayetteville Coach Brad Stamps said. “There was never any panic whatsoever. We knew what we had to do, but we executed and made plays in the final 3 minutes when we had to.
“The last play takes all of us. Kaiden Turner gets a huge rebound when we had to have one. CJ didn’t settle for a jump shot. He attacked the basket, and that’s what you do in a tie game to win it. He’s just a winner. I think in times past he would have trusted his jump shot, but his maturity showed to say, ‘I’m going to either win it at the free-throw line or win it at the buzzer.’ ”
Fayetteville had a 36-28 halftime cushion and led by as many as 11 points before Bentonville West made its move. The Wolverines closed out the third quarter with an 11-2 run, and White’s three-pointer at the buzzer tied the game at 46-46.
The Bulldogs regained the lead with Jack Erck’s threepoint play to start the fourth quarter before Bentonville West went on its run to take its first lead since Riley Buccino’s free throw put the Wolverines ahead 10-9 with 3:01 left in the first quarter.
“Every game is big for us right now,” Stamps said. “It’s the second half of the rotation, and we get a road win against a good team. I’m very pleased and very happy.”
Williams finished with 10 points and was the only other player in double figures for Fayetteville, which moved into sole possession of second place in the conference standings. Anderson had 17 points and was the only Bentonville West player in double figures as nine Wolverines scored.
GIRLS FAYETTEVILLE 73, BENTONVILLE WEST 28
Fayetteville limited a short-handed Bentonville West team to just 10 points over the last three quarters as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to an easy win.
Bentonville West (6-11, 3-5 6A-West) closed out the first quarter with a 9-2 spurt and was within 15-14 after one quarter, but Fayetteville (9-6, 5-1) started the second quarter with 14 unanswered points and went on to take a 35-20 halftime lead. The Lady Bulldogs then turned the game into a blowout by outscoring the Lady Wolverines 28-2 in the third quarter.
Caroline Lyles led Fayetteville with 21 points, followed by Allison Byars with 14 and Wynter Beck with 10. Ashley Rangel had seven to lead Bentonville West.