Pointers end first half with win

The Van Buren Pointers ended the first half of the 6A-West with their first conference win of the season, rallying past Springdale, 44-42, to go into the conference open date on a high note. Van Buren used an 8-0 run during a four-minute span from late in the first quarter into the second quarter to stretch a 9-6 lead to 17-6 lead with 6:39 left in the first half. “We had a nice lead and executed real well,” Van Buren head coach Austin Trembley said. “Our biggest thing coming into this game, and we worked on it, was ball toughness, being tough with the ball. That’s more of a mentality than anything. Don’t let people come in and punk you and let them take your ball. We did early on. Then we quit doing that.” Van Buren committed six turnovers the remainder of the second quarter, allowing Springdale to force a 19-19 tie at the half. “I told them they can believe they’re a team that’s supposed to lose or they can say, no, they’re supposed to win,” Trembley said. “Usually, you try not to chew into them at halftime, but it was a complement by chewing into them and telling them I think they should win the game. Get tough with the ball.” Springdale took its first lead of the game at 22-21 early in the third quarter but Van Buren had a 30-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Springdale took the lead again with the first five points of the fourth quarter before Gary Phillips tied it at 32-32 with two free throws with 4:56 left. Springdale hit a 3-pointer before Van Buren scored three straight baskets for a 38-35 lead with 2:30 left and went on to the 44-42 win. The Lady Pointers also closed the first half of conference play with a 44-34 win over Springdale on Friday. Springdale held a 19-17 lead at the half before the Lady Pointers scored 11 straight points in the second half to take the lead for good at 28-19 with 4:29 left in the third quarter. “It’s directly related to your fight and your competitiveness,” Van Buren head coach Chris Bryant said. “That’s the toughness we asked those kids to play with coming out in the second half. They definitely responded.” Van Buren hit its first five shots of the third quarter and, defensively, forced four turnovers in the third quarter and seven more in the fourth quarter. “The game becomes simple when you can get stops, and get into transition offense and take advantage of opportunities,” Bryant said. Also defensively, Van Buren held Marquesha Davis to just six points, which is a career low in conference play for the three-year starter. “She’s a heck of a player,” Bryant said. “Arkansas is getting a really good one. We were able to limit some of her opportunities. We feel fortunate.” Davis managed two free throws in the first quarter, and two free throws and a lone field goal in the second quarter.

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POINTERS END FIRST HALF WITH WIN

LELAND BARCLAY

Times Record | 1/29/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Athletics