Fayetteville girls run past Springdale
SPRINGDALE — The 6A-West Conference girls rematch between Fayetteville and Springdale proved to be one-sided.
Fayetteville raced out to an early 21-4 lead and led by as many as 28 points in the second half before finishing off a 56-39 victory at Bulldog Gymnasium.
It was quite the opposite of the first meeting Jan. 3 when Springdale won 57-55 at Fayetteville. Springdale forced 26 turnovers and shot the three-pointer well in that meeting. This time Fayetteville held up better under Springdale’s relentless pressure. Springdale also struggled to score.
“Our kids were more poised,” Fayetteville Coach Vic Rimmer said. “The offense, the first time we played them, we were in too much of a rush. We were more poised and passed the ball well. We shared the ball well. We really did a great job inside the paint, offensive rebounding [and] post up play.”
Fayetteville (18-7, 9-2) moved into second place in the conference while Springdale (20-5, 9-3) slipped to third.
Fayetteville forward Maiesha Washington scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half, while Syniah Coachman had 10 of her 12 in the first two quarters.
Springdale started the game just 2 of 18 from the field and Fayetteville took advantage. Fayetteville led 19-4 after the first quarter when Kyra Ball caught up with a heave down court and scored with no time remaining.
Down 21-4 after a Whitney Brown basket, Springdale went on a 9-2 run to get within 2313 after a putback by Aubriana Wilson, two consecutive jumpers by Charleen Hudson and a three-pointer from Kaiya McCoy.
Fayetteville responded with an 11-0 run to close the half.
Washington nailed a three-pointer in the corner and Mariyah Moss scored on a putback. Coachman scored back-to-back baskets for a 34-13 halftime lead.
“At halftime, we looked at our little iPad and we were 6% from three, 18% from the field,” Springdale Coach Heather Hunsucker said. “That is something that’s not typical for this team. Give Fayetteville a lot of credit. They played great. … They had a week off, and I thought they looked fresh and sharp.”
Fayetteville pulled ahead by 28 twice in the third quarter.
Springdale went on a 13-0 run between the third and fourth quarters to cut the lead to 47-33, but it could get no closer.
Charleen Hudson and Carolinda Hudson each scored 11 points to lead Springdale.
BOYS SPRINGDALE 54, FAYETTEVILLE 49
Springdale handed Fayetteville its first league loss, taking down the No. 1-ranked team in the state.
Fayetteville (22-3, 10-1) led 14-12 after the first quarter, but Springdale won the second quarter 20-12 and led 32-26 at halftime.
Springdale (15-10, 8-4) led 41-40 going in the fourth quarter and the game was tied at 48 late after an Ornette Gaines putback.
Cy Bates, who led Springdale with 19 points, scored for a 50-48 lead. Xavier Brown split a pair of free throws with 30.1 seconds left to get Fayetteville within 50-49, but Bates answered with two free throws and Brylan Sims and Isaiah Sealy each split a pair to set the final score.
Sealy had 18 for Springdale. Derrick “DJ” Hudson led Fayetteville with 23 points, while Brown had 10.