The Lady Pointers seized control of the game in the second quarter and pulled away to a 59-29 5A-West girls victory Tuesday at Clair Bates Arena.
Van Buren forward AJ McDonald led the way with 22 points and 9 rebounds, but it was the Lady Pointer defense that limited the Lady Cyclones (7-10, 0-3) to just 25 percent shooting from the field (9 of 36), including 4 of 20 from beyond the three-point arc.
"We got to figure out these slow starts," Lady Pointers Coach Kendall Ruff said. "Thankfully, our defense has been consistent. Being able to rely on our defense when our offense is not where it needs to be is really helpful for us."
Van Buren (13-6, 2-1) also controlled the boards, outrebounding Russellville 33-21, including 11 offensive rebounds.
"We put a lot of emphasis on defensive rebounding," Ruff said. "We want to limit teams to just one shot. We want to take those extra opportunities away from our opponents."
Van Buren led Russellville 9-6 after a first quarter that saw six jump balls and 16 turnovers between the two teams. After that, the Lady Pointers began to assert control of the game.
After four straight points by Jasmine Garcia got the Lady Cyclones to within 16-12, Van Buren finished the first half with a 9-0 run in the final three minutes of the half to open up a 25-12 cushion. McDonald made a couple of baskets in the post and Kyelee Williford drained a three-pointer with 5 seconds left to build the double-digit advantage.
Ruff said once the Lady Pointers were able to handle the Russellville full-court pressure, the offense began to find baskets.
"I was telling the kids that you don't have to make the big play right off the bat (against the pressure)," Ruff said. "We have four other players on the floor and if we can get four to five good passes, we will get a good look."
The Lady Pointers put the game away in the third quarter, using a 13-4 run to blow the game open at 38-16. McDonald had 10 points in the quarter, eight of that dur... Click here to read full article
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