Senior Dawson Bailey poured in a game-high 22 points Tuesday night, including 16 in the second half, to lead Bentonville West to a 6A West Conference win and kept its post-season hopes alive heading into the final game of the regular season.

"We started out a little slow offensively -- the shots weren't going in, but then we were able to turn it around by playing good defense," Bailey said. "The shots started falling and my teammates kept getting me the ball, so I shot it. But it was team effort all the way around."

After an offensive-challenged first quarter ended in a 4-4 tie, the teams continued to trade buckets until late in the second quarter. After a pair of free throws from Van Buren's Ethan Moore knotted the score at 14-14 with 3:30 left in the half, West finished on a 7-0 run.

Two buckets from Austin Conner and three from Evan White gave the Wolverines (11-15, 5-8) a 21-14 lead at the intermission.

Bailey opened the second half with a three to make it a 10-point West lead. The Wolverines stretched the lead late in the third with a putback from Traven Hardiman and a pair of layups by Bailey to go up 39-24.

"We knew Van Buren was going to present a tough matchup for us, because they are always so well-coached," West coach Greg White said. "We literally had to draw something up at halftime and make some adjustments and get our offense going. Credit to my assistant coaches. That's the kind of guys I have on my staff."

A 10-0 run midway through the final stanza, including a three from Evan White, on a pass from Dillon Bailey, made it 55-32 with 2:50 to play.
