Pointers earn berth in 5A State Tournament

Cazzell heeds call; Pointers gain berth VAN BUREN -- During practice this week, Van Buren coach Brad Autry stopped all activity after he saw junior guard Jaxon Cazzell pass up a shot. Autry asked the team if Cazzell should've taken it, and the answer was yes. In the biggest game of the year with a state tournament appearance on the line for both teams, Cazzell listened to his coach and fellow players. He finished with a game-high 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and a block. That helped Van Buren pull away in the second half for a 59-48 victory against Russellville at Clair Bates Arena. "Coach gave it to me a little bit for not taking that shot," Cazell said with a laugh. "We knew how big this game was and we really played together. We found open looks and got the job done. Coach helps brings the energy that I want to bring." With the 5A-West granting the top four teams state tournament placements, Van Buren entered the night in third place at 8-5 while Russellville, Mountain Home and Greenbrier all were in fourth place with 7-6 records. The win allows Van Buren to move on and likely ends the season for Russellville, the four-time defending conference champion. Van Buren (18-12, 9-5) found itself down 13-10 after the initial quarter but tied it up at 23-23 heading into halftime. Cazzell was a big part of the early success, finishing the initial two quarters with 11 points and four rebounds to go with a block, a steal and an assist. ADVERTISEMENT The Pointers turned it on after the break to put the game well out of reach. Van Buren built a 38-31 lead entering the final quarter and that advantage ballooned to 50-33 with a basket from Trenton Cooley late in the game. "I thought the kids showed a lot of toughness in the second half," Autry said. "We felt like we didn't play a very good first half. We talked about playing terrible and it being tied. We felt like when we started playing well, it would turn our way. They had enough heart to go out there and make it happen." Van Buren on senior night got big games from Conner Myers (11 points and 10 rebounds), Chi Henry (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists) and Rodrigo Henriquez (1 point, 3 rebounds and 1 steal) all playing their final home game. "I'm so proud of all three of those guys," Autry said. "Conner is a double-double machine. Chi brought the energy early, and Rodrigo gave us some really key minutes. You want your seniors making an impact in big games, and they did." Russellville (19-10, 7-7) was guided by 13 points from Caleb Carter and 10 points from Luke Stump. Van Buren missed the state tournament last year. The goal was to return this season, and that's just what the Pointers did.

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POINTERS EARN BERTH IN 5A STATE TOURNAMENT

HAROLD MCILVAIN

NWA Democrat Gazzett | 2/25/2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Harold McIlvain