Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
On to the finals
Fort Smith Northside guard Jersey Wolfenbarger hugs a cheerleader after Saturday’s triple-overtime victory over Fayetteville in the Class 6A girls semifinals at Centerton.
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 64, FAYETTEVILLE 62, 3OT
CENTERTON — Fort Smith Northside coach Rickey Smith told Jersey Wolfenbarger if she made both free throws with nine seconds left in the third overtime, the Lady Bears could finally celebrate a win in Saturday’s Class 6A state girls’ basketball tournament semifinals.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore just smiled, then sank both free throws to give her team a fourpoint lead and help the Lady Bears earn an incredible 64-62 triple-overtime win over Fayetteville at Wolverine Arena.
Wolfenbarger’s free throws gave Northside a 64-60 lead and made Sasha Goforth’s driving layup irrelevant as the Lady Bears held the ball as time ran out.
“When Jersey came down the court there, we’re up two and her shooting two free throws, she normally puts the dagger in,” said Smith, whose team never led in regulation. “I’ve coached at Northside a long time. I’m just proud of my kids. Next to those state championships, that’s about as special as it gets.”
Northside (27-1) now advances to the state finals to face Bentonville at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs next week.
The Lady Bears had opportunities to win it at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime but missed potential game-winning shots. Smith was afraid his team might regret those missed chances.
“You know we won it, we lost it. We won it. We lost it, so many bumps there that you just don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Smith said. I know we had the opportunity to win it two or three times there at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime. You normally don’t get that opportunity again.
“So I was really worried when we missed two or three right under the goal there at the end of the first overtime. I thought ‘Oh man!’ But [Jazzlyn] Coleman … what about her stepping out and hitting a three and then hitting two free throws? She was the fifth option on that sideline out of bounds play.”
Coleman hadn’t scored until she hit that 3-pointer early in the third overtime to give Northside the lead for good, 5855. The 5-10 junior added two more free throws with 20.4 seconds left to push Northside’s lead to three.
Senior Sara Bershers, who finished with 20 points and three 3-pointers, agreed with Smith that the Lady Bears never really played like they are capable but made enough plays to win. It was Bershers’ three-point play with 3:24 left in the first overtime, which gave Northside a 48-45 lead — its first of the game.
“Nothing but pure bliss,” Bershers said. “It’s amazing that we get to play another game. We’ve just gotta go get it done.”
Wolfenbarger led all scorers with 23 points, while Tracey Bershers chipped in 10. Goforth led Fayetteville (20-5) with 21 points, while Coriah Beck added 19 before fouling out in the third overtime. Freshman Hatianna Releford also contributed 11.
Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said Northside did a better job of rebounding late in the game, which ultimately was the difference.
“The kids were tired,” said Rimmer, whose team led by as many as 10 in the first half. “Both teams were tired. Shots weren’t falling. It came down to them; they got some offensive rebounds and gave themselves second chances, and we weren’t able to do that. It was just a matter of they out-fought us on the offensive glass
“It’s difficult to express how disappointed I am for them. But we played as hard and as tough. I was so proud of our kids. Being in a semifinal, triple overtime and the magnitude of what that means just speaks volumes for our team.”
Fayetteville ...18 11 12 4 4 6 7 — 62
Northside ..... 11 9 15 10 4 6 9 — 64
Fayetteville (20-5): Goforth 21, Beck 19, Releford 11, Bridges 7, Saitta 4.
Fort Smith Northside (27-1): Wolfenbarger 23, S. Bershers 20, T. Bershers 10, Coleman 5, Mays 3, Douglas 3.
BENTONVILLE 66, CONWAY 37
The Lady Tigers had no trouble punching their ticket to next week’s state finals.
Bentonville (25-3) jumped to a 17-0 lead and never looked back en route to the mercy-rule victory in Saturday night’s semifinals.
Conway, the No. 2 seed from the 6A-Central, pulled to within 32-23 with only a minute gone in the second half thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Myia Yelder. But the Lady Tigers responded with a 14-0 to apply the knockout punch.
Avery Hughes’ fast-break layup gave Bentonville a 59-29 lead and invoked the running clock with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter.
Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier couldn’t have been more pleased with how his team played in such a big game. The Lady Tigers, the 6A-West Conference champions, have now won 12 in a row and will be making their first appearance in the state finals since 2003.
“The confidence these kids have been playing with for probably the last two months, it was awesome for them to come in and bring it to this type of game, this type of atmosphere,” Halbmaier said. “They played for all four quarters. They were connected. They played for one another.
“It’s special. This is my second time around. And I love the ride these girls have let me have an opportunity to be with.”
The Lady Wampus Cats missed their first 10 shots from the floor until Thomas scored with 47 seconds left in the first quarter, but Bentonville led 17-5 after a quarter and 32-18 at halftime.
Sophomore Maryam Dauda led Bentonville with 17 points, while Hughes added 15, despite being in foul trouble much of the game. Rylie Hayes chipped in nine off the bench. Yelder led Conway with 14, while freshman Jaiden Thomas added 12.
Halbmaier said his team’s performance was definitely one of the best of the season.
“Just the overall shot selection, the decisions with the basketball, Conway’s a very, very good team. Tonight they handled the pressure and found the open shooter.”
Conway ............... 5 13 11 8 — 37
Bentonville ......... 17 15 20 14 — 66
Conway (25-5): Yelder 14, Thomas 12, McMillen 3, Roetzel 3, Yord 3, Chatman 2.
Bentonville (25-3): Dauda 17, Hughes 15, Hayes 9, Smith 8, Irlenborn 6, Sanders 6, Baker 3, Kultgen 2.