They not only got a spark for the game, but maybe for the season with a 15-point run for a 69-59 win against Greenwood on Tuesday night.
"For our program, we haven't won against them in 10 years," Van Buren Coach Kendall Ruff said. "Obviously, they've been really good, have really good players and have a great program. For our kids to see it finally happen is really good for our confidence going forward, too."
The win was the first for the Lady Pointers since 2016, when current assistant coach Jamilyn Needham, then Kinney, scored 17 points in a 61-32 win against Greenwood in the blended 7A/6A-Central Conference.
Van Buren trailed until the fourth quarter, including a 34-20 deficit after Greenwood reeled off a 12-3 run to open the second quarter.
"We called a timeout and challenged them a little bit about toughness and urgency and fighting," Ruff said. "The rest of the game, speaks for itself. The kids went to work. We won the rebounding battle. On the road, that's huge."
Van Buren finished with a 41-17 edge on the boards, which helped the Lady Pointers cut the 14-point deficit back to 38-31 at the half and 49-48 after three quarters when Hope Oden drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Van Buren still trailed, 57-52, when A.J. McDonald started the 15-0 run with a bucket inside and a three-point play off an offensive rebound and ensuing free throw that tied the game with 2:52 left.
After a miss by Greenwood, McDonald added two free throws, Jayden Warden added another free throw after another miss, Fiona Huang converted a fast-break layup off a feed from Oden for a 62-57 lead.
"The difference was when we turned them over, we made them pay," Ruff said. "Fiona had a couple of huge layups for us. Seeing that happen for her is really good."
McDonald added two more free throws off an offensive rebound, Oden cashed in two freebies, and Warden added another free throw to cap the 15-0 run.
McDonald finished with one of the best games in Van Buren history with 37 points and 21 rebounds, a single-game school record. The 37 points is the most since Kirbey Blake scored 39 points against Springdale in 2011 in the Neosho, Mo., Tournament.
"She was outstanding. You can't coach a lot of the things she does," Ruff said. "She's a leader by example, she's a leader by her voice. She made some big plays."
Oden contributed seven steals to the Lady Pointers.
"Hope played her best defensive game of the year," Ruff said. "She was extremely active. She was really vocal. She's one of the leaders for this team. We need her to be that person every time, every game."
Van Buren moved into third place with the win behind Farmington, which Van Buren has yet to play, and Mountain Home, which defeated Van Buren earlier at Van Buren. The Lady Pointers hold a two-game cushion over Greenwood as well as the tie-breaker in head to head with the 10-point victory.
Van Buren hosts Siloam Springs on Friday and will celebrate homecoming after the road win on Tuesday.
"We enjoyed it until midnight," Ruff said. "That's kind of our rule. Siloam Springs is doing some really good things. We've got homecomi... Click here to read full article
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