Reserves spur Fayetteville to victory

Sasha Goforth and Coriah Beck are the stars, but Fayetteville is a team with many contributors.

That was evident again Tuesday after Fayetteville fell behind 12-9 in the first quarter to Rogers. Beck missed some early shots, and Goforth was on the bench with two fouls for much of the second quarter.

But guards Allison Byars and Emmie Bailey and freshman center Haitiana Releford took over to turn an early deficit into a 27-22 lead at halftime for Fayetteville. Byars made two 3-pointers, Bailey hit one, and Releford dominated inside on the offensive and defensive ends.

Beck and Goforth got going in the third quarter when Fayetteville outscored Rogers 21-6 to turn away an upset bid by the Lady Mounties.

Ten players contributed points for Fayetteville (16-2, 9-0), including 10 from Byars and six from Bailey. Beck managed eight, and Goforth had 10.

“Emmie Bailey and Allison Byars came off the bench and played really well,” Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said. “They were putting the ball in the basket for us. They shoot that way all the time. It’s not a fluke. They just don’t get that many minutes. Georgia Templeton was also terrific off the bench.”

Releford led Fayetteville with 12 points and nine rebounds after missing three games because of a concussion.

“(Releford) averages 10 and 5 for us, and she’s so creative with the basketball,” Rimmer said. “Her energy level was terrific, and she attacked well.”

Fayetteville plays at Van Buren tonight before returning home Tuesday to face Bentonville in a showdown of the top two teams in the 6A-West. Fayetteville won the first game 41-40 on a Beck basket with 1.9 seconds left.