Freshman embarks on another record

Maryam Dauda broke one Bentonville school record for a second time Tuesday night, and she’s on the verge of taking sole possession of another mark.

The Lady Tigers’ 6-foot-4 freshman post recorded 13 blocked shots during Tuesday night’s game against Rogers Heritage, surpassing the previous school record of 11 she recorded earlier this season against Gravette.

Dauda now has 96 blocks in 18 games this season — an average of more than five per game — and her next blocked shot will make her Bentonville’s career leader in blocked shots. Julia Garrard also had 96 when she played for Bentonville in 2011-13.

“It’s pretty cool,” Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier said of the feat. “She’s really beefed up our defense, and she has matured a lot in terms of playing high school basketball. She’s become tougher, and she’s more confident in her abilities. When she makes a mistake, she doesn’t dwell on it too much.

“The team deserves a lot of credit, as well. They are always encouraging her and picking her up. She has a great supporting cast, so it’s a really good situation for her.”

Dauda also recorded her second triple-double of the season as she finished Tuesday’s game with 11 points and 13 rebounds to go with her blocked shots. She completed the feat with 27 seconds remaining when she picked up a steal near midcourt and scored after Halbmaier yelled “Finish it!” to her.

In addition to her two triple-doubles, Dauda also has three double-doubles this season. Her other triple-double came against Gravette, where she also set the school single-game records for total rebounds (24) and defensive rebounds (19).

“A triple-double is a pretty cool thing to do,” Halbmaier said. “The one against Heritage was a quiet one, where the one against Gravette caught us in awe. I’m proud of her and what she’s done, and she has so much more.”