Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fort Smith Northside girls rout Conway for big win
FORT SMITH — Sophomore guard Jersey Wolfenbarger told Fort Smith Northside coach Rickey Smith before the game she would play well Tuesday night at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse.
Wolfenbarger did just that, scoring a game-high 28 points to help nationally ranked Northside pull away for a 71-57 victory against Conway in a 6A-Central Conference matchup.
“Before the game she fist-bumped me and said, ‘Coach, I got you,’” Smith said. “I then turned and told the bench that Jersey has us. And she sure did. We are proud of her.”
Wolfenbarger helped lead the offense by making 10 shots from the field, including four behind the arc. She helped set the tone early scoring 21 first-half points. Senior forward Sara Bershers added 19 points for the Lady Bears while also making four 3s.
Northside took a big step toward securing the Class 6A-Central Conference championship with the victory against second-place Conway. The Lady Bears now hold a two-game lead with three regular season games left.
“To play and win in this conference is really, really tough,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lead, but we aren’t there yet. We got another big game Friday night, but this was a big step. Tonight was a huge basketball game.”
Northside (23-0, 11-0) was able to make 52 percent (23 of 44) of its shots in the game, while Conway was limited to 33 percent (19 of 58) from the field.
Northside surged out to a 45-21 lead heading into halftime behind the hot shooting in the first half. The Lady Bears were able to make 17 of 26 shots (65 percent), while Conway made 6 of 26 field goals (23 percent).
Northside jumped out to a 21-9 lead after the initial quarter of the game with the help of five 3-point baskets early in the game.
“We shot the ball well,” Smith said. “Your fear as a coach is you go into halftime thinking you won’t shoot it as well in the second half. Conway played fearless. We knew they’d make a run. It got a little closer than we wanted it to get.”
Conway (22-4, 9-2) was able to outscore Northside 36-26 in the second half but could only get the edge down to nine points late in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Wampus Cats were playing without starting senior point guard Asiyha Smith, who is out with an ACL injury.
“This was our first big game without our point guard,” Conway coach Ashely Hutchcraft said. “We knew we’d be throwing ourselves into the wolves with our chemistry. We were able to win the second half, and we played well, so we’ll take that the rest of the way.”
Conway was able to keep itself in the game down the stretch with shots behind the arc, making nine in the second half with two in the first half. Reagan Roetzel and Jenna McMillen each had three 3s each after the break.
Conway was able to make 41 percent of its shots in the second half, making 13 of 32 attempts, to help cut into the advantage.
“I was really proud of the girls,” Hutchcraft said. “They could’ve given up and stopped. But they kept playing. We’ve got some good players to step into the point guard role. We gained valuable experience.”
Conway was led by Jaiden Thomas scoring a team-high 13 points, while teammate Roetzel added 12 for the Lady Wampus Cats.
Northside scored the initial eight points of the game with the help of making the first three shots and never trailed in the contest. The Lady Bears closed out the first quarter with a 12-2 run to help maintain the early momentum.
“We shared the basketball really well,” Smith said. “We have been going after the perfect game all season long. We had it for a few quarters. That will give us something to work on. Conway played well and hit a few shots.” Conway ......................... 9 12 22 14 — 57 Northside .................... 21 24 15 11 — 71 Conway (22-4, 9-2): Thomas 13, Roetzel 12, Pickens 9, Yelder 9, McMillen 9, York 3, Chatman 2. Northside (23-0, 11-0): Wolfenbarger 28, S. Bershers 19, T. Bershers 9, Douglas 6, Coleman 5, Mays 4.