Pointers count by three to clinch berth

The Van Buren Pointers counted by three in a variety of ways on Friday night to clinch a berth in the Class 6A state tournament. Van Buren hit 10 3-pointers, cashed in a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays, and even hit all three shots of a three-shot foul and ran away from Springdale for a 59-37 win at Clair Bates Arena. The win clinch the sixth and final berth in the Class 6A state tournament next week in Bryant for the Pointers, who will play the third seed out of the 6A-Central at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Friday, celebrating Senior Night, seniors Brayden Gilmore and Maury Newton combined for 25 points and 21 rebounds for the Pointers. Junior Avery Salisbury led Van Buren’s three-point barrage, though, drilling six treys, including Van Buren’s first points of the game and long 3-pointer early in the second quarter. The icing on the cake, though, was a three from corner off a kick out from Gilmore, with 6:06 left in the game that put Van Buren up, 48-30. “We had tremendous energy,” Van Buren head coach Brad Autry said. “Obviously, we made a couple of shots and that always helps the energy. I thought our guys were incredibly focused on just the outcome, whatever happens keep battling and keep throwing good pitches.” Van Buren scored 12 straight points after falling behind by a quick bucket. Salisbury drilled his first one, Newton added one, Tiyeze Castleberry hit another, and Newton converted a conventional three-point play. Salisbury also added a conventional three-point play in the second quarter and hit all three shots after being fouled beyond the arc with 1:44 left in the third quarter for a 44-27 lead. “It really energized the crowd,” Autry said. “The crowd was outstanding. The student body came out.” Salisbury added two more in the fourth quarter, and Gilmore highlighted his night with a break-away slam that was part of an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter that erased all doubts. Salisbury finished with 24 points. Newton had 13 points and 13 boards. Gilmore had 12 points and eight caroms. Jordan Owens led Springdale with 10 points VAN BUREN 66, SPRINGDALE 33 GIRLS — The Lady Pointers were the model of consistency on Friday night.They scored 33 points in each half behind quarters of 17 and 16 points in each half in a 66-33 win over Springdale at Clair Bates Arena. Van Buren also had balanced scoring up and down the lineup. Bailee Woodard led Van Buren with 15 points, Brooklyn Kannady and Lexi Miller each scored 11 points, Bri Ball scored nine, Elizabeth Rainwater added eight, and Emmalee Grebe six. “The balance is something we’ve been working on,” Van Buren head coach Chris Bryant said. “That comes back to sharing the basketball and distributing it.” Van Buren wrapped up the sixth seed from the 6A-West on Tuesday night with the road win at Bentonville West and will play the third seed out of the 6A-Central at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Van Buren (10-17, 4-10) led 17-13 after a quarter, stretched it out to 33-20 at the half and to 49-32 after three quarters before invoking the Arkansas Activities Association’s Sportsmanship Rule with a dominating 17-1 scoring edge in the final quarter.Springdale (3-24, 0-14), though, had its biggest scoring run of the game early in the second half at 7-0 to trim Van Buren’s lead to 37-27 with 4:06 left in the third quarter. After Lexi Miller grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup for the Lady Pointers, Julynn Lorenij nailed a 3-pointer for Springdale to whittle Van Buren’s lead a little more to just 39-30. “Defensively, we had our moments where we let go of the rope and allowed their penetration to break us down,” Bryant said. “Defensively, we’ve got to hone in.” van Buren answered with its biggest run of the first three quarters, ripping off 10 straight points to bump its lead back to 49-30. “We answered back,” Bryant said. “That run in the third quarter really helped us, putting it away.” Elizabeth Rainwater scored inside, Bailee Woodard hit a three from the corner, Bri Ball added another trey, and Woodard finished off a fast break off a pass from Miller for a bucket with 1:13 left in the third quarter. The Lady Pointers scored the final 13 points of the game and allowed just a single free throw in the final period. “Offensively, this is as well as we’ve played as far as distributing the basketball and quality of shot selection,” Bryant said. “I couldn’t have asked for any more, offensively.” In addition to Miller’s 11 points, she also grabbed nine rebounds and had seven assists. Grebe had eight rebounds and Rainwater had five.

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Van Buren High School Athletics

POINTERS COUNT BY THREE TO CLINCH BERTH

LELAND BARCLAY

Times Record | 2/29/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Shaffer