Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Bentonville routs Russellville in opener
BENTONVILLE — Tom Halbmaier went into the season-opener hoping to work in a lot of players.
Bentonville High has a gap in its schedule where his Lady Tigers won’t play again for two weeks, so going deep into his bench was a priority if the opportunity presented itself.
The Lady Tigers’ coach got exactly what he hoped for as Bentonville jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back in cruising to a 70-35 win against Russellville in Tiger Arena on Thursday. Three players scored in double-figures for Bentonville (1-0) with sophomore Jada Brown scoring a game-high 17.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Halbmaier of his team’s fast start. “I don’t think we shot that great in the first half, but we got a lot of possessions and a lot of transition buckets.”
Brown’s game included three 3-pointers in the second half that helped Bentonville expand on a 4414 halftime lead. Brown closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer that invoked the 30-point mercy rule and a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“As a sophomore coming in she settled down in the second half and found her shot,” Halbmaier said of Brown. “She wasn’t trying to force anything, she just kind of let the game come to her.”
Bentonville’s 6-foot-4 junior Maryam Dauda played just one half but scored 12 points including the first four points of the game. Dauda also dominated at the defensive end, blocking a couple of shots and altering several others. The big halftime lead allowed Halbmaier to rest his star post.
The Lady Tigers set the tone early with their defense that forced Russellville (2-1) into a number of turnovers. The turnovers led to a number of transition layups. Kadie Kultgen, a 5-5 junior guard, completed a three-point play at the end of the first quarter, getting a steal outfront and driving for a layup and drawing a foul. Her free-throw gave Bentonville a 15-4 lead and the lead expanded from there.
“She just plays fast, and she’s athletic,” Halbmaier said of Kultgen. “She just plays hard and gets after it. She does a really good job of playing within herself. She doesn’t get too crazy, she doesn’t get too out of control.”
Riley Hayes, who scored 10 points for Bentonville, opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers, the second at the 4:19 mark that gave the Lady Tigers a 50-14 lead.
Sara Valazquez led the Lady Cyclones with 16 points.
Bentonville will not play again until Dec. 5 when it hosts Greenwood in a nonconference game.