Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Andrew steps up big for Har-Ber
6A-WEST GIRLS SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 66,
ROGERS 65
ROGERS — Galatia Andrew walked out of the locker room at halftime and knew she would have to take on more of the scoring load if Springdale Har-Ber had any chance of winning Friday night’s game.
The Lady Wildcats trailed by 13 points at the break, and two of their leading scorers were spectators on the bench with three fouls each.
“I knew if we wanted to win this game, somebody had to step up. I had to score the ball with Pacious (McDaniel) and Delaney (Roller) out of the game,” said the senior point guard. “We needed me to take on that role and I’m glad I was able to step up when we needed it.”
Andrew kept her team in the game and was big down the stretch as Har-Ber rallied for a 66-65 win against upset-minded Rogers, who played almost flawlessly in the first half.
Har-Ber (14-7, 8-2 6A-West) led just briefly in the early stages of the game before Rogers (9-14, 4-6) unloaded a barrage of three-pointers to seize control of the game. The Lady Mounties knocked down eight three-pointers in the first half, led by guard Aubrey Treadwell, who scored 22 of her team-high 25 points in the first half to lead Rogers to a 43-30 lead.
“The situation we’ve had this week with all the weird stuff … it just feels good to get a win at Rogers,” said HarBer coach Kim Jenkins after the game. “They are just such a high-quality program. We have a lot of respect for their game. They came out and hit big shots in the first half, and our defense was just pitiful. To get a win, we’ll just take it at this point.”
Rogers was able to hold on to its double-digit lead through three quarters as sophomore Brooklyn Owens carried the offense. Owens at one point scored 12 straight points and finished with 17. Her layup on a 2-1 break to end the third quarter gave the Lady Mounties a 53-42 lead.
McDaniel, who picked up her fourth foul with 4:31 left in the third quarter, dominated the final eight minutes, scoring 18 of her game-high 28 points. The senior scored 13 straight points at one point in the fourth quarter including backto-back three-pointers. After trailing by 14, 59-45, McDaniel’s spinning inside shot made it a one-point game with under three minutes left at 62-61.
Rogers was able to stem the Har- Ber flood briefly when Avery Ingling scored inside and drew a foul. Her free throw completed the three-point play and extended Rogers’ lead back to 65-61 with 2:29 left. Ingling finished with 14 points.
But Har- Ber kept coming. Andrew drained a long three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:21 left to pull the Lady Wildcats within 65-64, then Har-Ber took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by McDaniel at 66-65.
In the final 32 seconds, Har-Ber went to the line for three consecutive one-andone opportunities, and missed the front end all three times, leaving the door open for Rogers. But the Lady Mounties could not capitalize as HarBer held on for the win.
“When we’re down and out of control and running around with our heads cut off, we just came together at the free-throw line and took a deep breath and just gave it a second,” said Andrew about keeping her teammates calm. “We just said ‘get a score and a stop and a score and a stop’ and that’s what we did.”
Har-Ber will return to action at home on Tuesday by hosting league-leading Fort Smith Northside. Rogers will be on the road Tuesday at Fayetteville.