Basketball: Van Buren rolls over Rogers High

ROGERS -- Van Buren applied an early knockout punch in 7A-West Conference boys basketball Tuesday night in King Arena. The Pointers limited Rogers to just five first-half field goals, racing to a 20-point halftime lead, en route to a 56-33 victory over the Mounties. Van Buren (9-8, 2-2 7A-West) outscored Rogers 20-2 to go from a 4-4 tie to a 24-6 advantage with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first half and never looked back. The duo of guard Jordan West and senior post man Beau Beckner did much of the damage, combining for 12 points in that big run. Van Buren Coach Austin Trembley said his young club has shown improvement in picking up their second consecutive league victory. "We have only one senior, so naturally you're going to be up and down," Trembley said. "Our guys play hard in practice, but it's one thing to take it from the practice floor to the game. I think we're playing harder and with more discipline. And then on offense, we're just becoming better basketball players within our system. "They are starting to make basketball plays. That's one thing I noticed early. If a team would take us out of our first option, we'd kinda be stuck. Now, we're starting to say you take away option A, we go to option B and we go make the play." The 6-foot-3 Beckner, the team's lone senior, led all scorers with 18 points, while West was also in double figures with 14 for the Pointers. Tony Casey led Rogers (7-10, 0-4) with 18 points. The Mounties have now lost five consecutive. Rogers Coach Wayne Herren was pleased with his team's effort in the second half, but the poor start for the second consecutive game was too much to overcome. "We're constantly searching, different lineups," Herren said. "I told them at halftime until they get on the same page and play together, it's going to be hard to get this thing turned. The effort in the second half was there. Now it goes back to paying attention in practice, better practice habits, attention to details and being more mentally focused and ready to play at the start of the game." Girls Van Buren 47, Rogers 32 The Lady Mounties didn't get many shots in the third quarter and couldn't make many in the fourth as Van Buren pulled away in the second half. The Pointerettes (13-3, 4-0) finished the third quarter on an 11-2 run to take control, then made 11 of 12 free throws in the final 3:20 to put the game away. Rogers had more turnovers in the third quarter (five) than it did in the entire first half (three). Van Buren took advantage to break away from a 20-20 halftime tie. Jamilyn Kinney and Lani Snowden shared game honors with 13 points each for Van Buren, while Haile Jennen added 10. Madison Sandor led Rogers (10-7, 2-2) with 11. Prep Basketball Boys Van Buren 56, Rogers High 33 Van Buren: 13-18-9-16 - 56 Rogers: 4-7-10-12 - 33 Van Buren (9-8, 2-2): Beckner 18, West 14, Stewart 9, Kindrix 6, Salisbury 5, Fimple 4, Rogers (7-10, 0-4): Casey 16, Dake 5, Uecker 4, Benninghoff 3, Greear 3. Junior Varsity: Rogers 38, Van Buren 36. Girls Van Buren 47, Rogers High 32 Van Buren: 14-6-13-14 - 47 Rogers: 12-8-4-8 - 32 Van Buren (13-3, 4-0): Snowden 13, Kinney 13, Jennen 10, Sutton 5, Jones 5, Sandoval 1. Rogers (10-7, 2-2): Sandor 11, Randels 9, Loyd 6 McKinney 3, Richmond 3. Junior Varsity: Van Buren 45, Roges 32.

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Van Buren High School Athletics

BASKETBALL: VAN BUREN ROLLS OVER ROGERS HIGH

PAUL BOYD

NWA Democrat Gazette | 1/18/2017