THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

It was hard for Tom Halbmaier to find anything Bentonville High's girls did wrong during the first quarter of Tuesday's game against Van Buren. The Lady Tigers dominated the opening 8 minutes and built a 27-11 lead, then continued to pour on the offense en route to a 73-36 victory during 6A-West Conference action in Tiger Arena. "I think the girls came out focused," Halbmaier said. "We came out flat last Friday and weren't zoned in. They were laser-focused. "They shot the ball, but I was really pleased with the defensive side of the ball. There were a couple of times when we had some miscommunication on the screens, but we gave up no offensive rebounds. Transition-wise, we came out and ran the floor." Van Buren (10-12, 3-6) managed to keep things close through the first 3 1/2 minutes, hitting a trio of 3-pointers to stay within 11-9. Bella Irlenborn then completed a three-point play to spark a 16-2 run as Bentonville (19-3, 8-1) pulled out to a 27-11 lead before the quarter ended. The Lady Tigers then closed out the first half with a 10-2 spurt and claimed a 44-19 halftime cushion. Bentonville then led 60-32 after three quarters and finally forced the running clock when Heidi Baum's 3-pointer made it a 66-34 game with 4 minutes remaining. Avery Hughes had 13 of her game-high 16 points in the first half, while Natalie Smith had all 12 of her points in the first half and Maryam Dauda finished with 11 for Bentonville, which clinched a state tournament berth with the win. Brooklyn Kannaday led Van Buren with 14. "That was one of our goals -- to get to the state tournament," Halbmaier said. "We just have to continue to keep working hard and getting better. We just need to be sure everybody stays humble and get the minutes they deserve." Van Buren^11^8^13^4^--^36 Bentonville^27^17^16^13^--^73 Van Buren (10-12, 3-6): Kannady 14, Evans 7, Greebe 6, Rainwater 4, Schnakenberg 3, Ryan 2. Bentonville (19-3, 8-1): Hughes 16, Smith 12, Dauda 11, Hayes 8, Baum 7, Irlenborn 6, Kultgen 5, Sanders 4, Andrus 3, Johnston 1.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

BENTONVILLE POURS ON POINTS IN WIN OVER VAN BUREN

HENRY APPLE

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 2/6/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: JT Wampler