Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hughes leaves her mark at Bentonville
BENTONVILLE — A missed free throw meant Avery Hughes had to wait a while before she joined some exclusive company, and she didn’t even realize it at the time.
When the Bentonville High senior didn’t sink her last free-throw try during a 50-44 victory over Fayetteville two weeks ago, it left her one point shy of 1,000 career points. Hughes wasted little time to become the fourth Lady Tiger to reach that mark three nights later against Rogers High as she quickly slipped inside and scored off a pass from Bella Irlenborn.
“I didn’t know I was that close to breaking the 1,000-point mark,” Hughes said. “But every step of the way, I’m loving it. (Bentonville assistant) Coach (Ray) Mayer told me about it a couple of days later. I wished I could have gotten that one point that night, but it all happens for a reason.”
Hughes, the second of three Bentonville players who were moved up to the high school ranks as a freshman since the larger Northwest Arkansas schools were allowed to do it, will definitely leave her mark at Bentonville. She set three Lady Tiger single-game records last season when she hit 20 of 22 free throws and scored 34 points in a game against Greenwood.
Hughes scored 11 points in her last home game and moved into third place in Bentonville’s career scoring list as the Lady Tigers (24-3) claimed the 6A-West Conference’s top seed for the state tournament. When Bentonville heads into postseason play later this week, Hughes has 1,035 points and needs just five more to pass Martha Hancock — who played for the Lady Tigers from 1995-97 — for the No. 2 spot.
“When you think of that name or think of that player, there’s not a game that I can’t think of that she wasn’t ready to go,” Bentonville coach Tom
“She’s fearless. She’s not afraid to go up against the best players . ... She has that ability to know if she doesn’t start out well; she has the ability to finish well.” — Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier
Halbmaier said. “She had that ability to go ahead and play for four quarters and compete against whoever it might be.
“She’s fearless. She’s not afraid to go up against the best players. I think, early on, she tried so hard to prove herself. Now she comes in and has that sense of confidence. She has that ability to know if she doesn’t start out well; she has the ability to finish well.”
Halbmaier said it’s hard at times to get on to Hughes — who excels in the classroom as well as she does on the floor — when she does something wrong because she already knows it and will try to correct the matter herself. She has such a presence on the floor and a relationship with her teammates that Halbmaier said he and his coaching staff will allow her to talk to other players during practice and go over certain situations before they step in and discuss the matter.
It’s the kind of presence that Hughes admits she wished she knew about when she joined the Lady Tigers as a freshman.
“If I had the mindset that I have
right now,” Hughes said. “Just knowing that it’s all going to work out if you work harder and keep going. But I don’t want to change anything because of the opportunities that I’ve had here. I’ve had the best team and the best coaches. I know
I’ve said it a million times, but I love everything about this school.
“I’m so thankful for this experience because it’s shaped me into the player and the person I am today. Just the relationships I have built over time and getting the extra
year here, it’s really helped me. I’m thankful for all the time here. I was talking the with coaches the other day, and they said it’s been a while, but I have loved every minute of it.”