THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

Van Buren coach Chris Bryant was quick to credit Bentonville West coach Randy Richardson for having his players ready for Tuesday’s 6A-West showdown at Clair Bates Arena. The Lady Wolverines popped a trio of first half 3-pointers and, with seven minutes left in the first half, were within two. But Bryant also had some good things to say about his players, too. Led by smooth junior Lexi Miller’s 17 points and brilliant distribution of the basketball, the Pointers erupted for 43 first half points and coasted to an easy 65-39 blowout of the Wolverines. “Randy has his kids ready; they attacked us that first quarter,” Bryant said. “They did a really good job of getting in the paint, which allowed them to kick out for some good looks. It’s a credit to our kids, about halfway through that first quarter, for getting refocused and we started contesting a little better.” Up 18-13 after a quarter, the Lady Pointers took control with a 25-8 scoring run that included a barrage of Rylee Ryan and Brooklyn Kannady 3-pointers. Junior Lexi Miller, who led all scorers with 17, did a great job finding Ryan and Kannady, and before long the team’s 18-16 lead had swelled to 43-22. “It’s ridiculous the way Rylee and Brooklyn are shooting the basketball right now,” Bryant said. “A big part of that is Lexi is doing a phenomenal job of finding them. She has this radar right now, and both Rylee and Brooklyn are pushing 60 percent from the 3-point the last five games. Kannady started the Pointers’ second quarter push with a mid-range jumper. Sophomore Carter Schmidt scored on the block following a turnover, and Ryan’s third 3-pointer and two baskets by senior Olivia Schnakenberg extended the lead to 40-22. Ryan finished with 12 points. “We just wanted to come out here and play well,” she said. “With this being our last senior win here, it really made it special.” Bryant was equally happy for the seniors. “I’m very pleased for them,” he said. “Not only for what they’ve done for the program, but for these underclassmen, for the way they’ve played down the stretch, to allow our seniors to get into the state tournament.” Starting with the team’s 59-53 win over Fayetteville on Feb. 5, the Lady Pointers have won four straight games. They’re currently seeded fourth in the 6A-West. “This is the time of the year when some teams peak, and some teams hit their plateau,” senior Mikelle Porter said. “I think we’re playing really well right now.” Fellow Pointer seniors Kayleigh Evans and Schnakenberg finished with nine and eight points, respectively. Schmidt and senior Emmalee Grebe finished with four points each. West 62, Van Buren 38 BOYS — Brothers Dawson and Dillon Bailey combined for 37 points Tuesday to power Bentonville West to a 62-38 win over Van Buren in 6A-West play. Gary Phillips led the Pointers with a game-high 23 points. Dawson Bailey finished with 22 points for the 11-15, 5-8 Wolverines. Brayden Gilmore had eight and Ethan Moore tossed in six. Van Buren concludes the regular season Friday at Springdale.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Van Buren High School Athletics

BIG SECOND QUARTER POWERS LADY POINTERS

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 2/20/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Athletics