Bentonville West starts fast, clinches state

Garrett Wilmot buried his fifth 3-pointer of the game from deep in the corner early in the fourth quarter. He clapped his hands together and a big grin spread across his face as he raced back down the floor Tuesday night in King Arena. Wilmot and the rest of his Bentonville West teammates had plenty to smile about as they secured a state playoff berth in the school's first year of existence with a 63-53 win over Rogers High in 7A-West Conference boys basketball. West (12-14, 5-8 7A-West) got off to a red-hot start, making five of its first six shots from the floor -- including four 3-pointers -- to lead 15-0.The Wolverines led 36-22 at halftime and built on that lead in the second half. But Rogers (7-19, 0-13) charged back late, cutting a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to eight, but West made five of six free throws in the final ninety seconds to secure the win. West could have still secured a state tournament bid with a Springdale High loss, but Wolverines coach Greg White said they talked about earning their way in with a win. That's exactly what West did. "We told our kids that from the beginning," White said. "This is about us earning our way in. When we took this job everybody told us 'It'll be a good job down the road, but you're not going to win for a while.' We forgot to tell our kids that. "We came out and made an outstanding run. We started the game off with Garrett Wilmot getting his first or second start of the year and he comes out shooting the ball really well. You're talking about a guy who went from starting JV to starting in the most important game of the year for us." The 5-foot-9 junior, who was still playing some junior varsity up until a week ago, poured in a game-high 24 points -- including five 3-pointers. His 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter gave West a 56-44 lead. Wilmot said his goal's been work to get more playing time throughout the season and that's worked out well. He acknowledged the Wolverines were working to prove the naysayers wrong that West couldn't make the state tournament in its first year of existence with no seniors. "We just wanted to come out and prove everyone wrong that we don't need seniors," Wilmot said. "We don't need anybody. We can compete with everybody in 7A." Boston Barron was also in double figures with 12 for the Wolverines. Aron Jones led Rogers with 14, while Garrett Dake was also in double figures with 11. Girls Rogers High 51, Bentonville West 16 The Lady Mounties held the Lady Wolverines to just one field goal over the final three quarters to win easily. Rogers (16-10, 8-5 7A-West) was led by junior Madison Loyd's 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers. Elise Randels chipped in 12. Shania Wilson led West (4-21, 2-11) with eight points. The Lady Mounties travel to Springdale High on Friday in a game that will decide the No. 3 seed for the upcoming state tournament. West will host crosstown rival Bentonville High in the regular-season finale.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bentonville West High School Athletics

BENTONVILLE WEST STARTS FAST, CLINCHES STATE

PAUL BOYD

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 2/22/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Bentonville West High School Athletics