Wolverines earn first win in Dyer Classic

ALMA -- Bentonville West's boys still have a month to go before they get to play a basketball game in their home arena. In the meantime, the Wolverines must find success on the road and do so with a lot of new faces. That success came Friday as West used its 3-point shooting to claim a 63-41 victory over Sheridan in the first night of Charles B. Dyer Classic. The Wolverines (1-2) connected on 11 shots from beyond the arc, four of them coming by Dillon Bailey, while Sheridan (1-2) hit only two. "That's going to be one of our strengths," West coach Greg White said. "In the first quarter, I pulled Kade Ruffner and Riley Buccino aside and said, 'do you know what I'm going to tell you?' And they said, 'Make the next one.' "They know I have all the confidence in the world in them, and we want them to believe in us. So we want them to shoot the ball and shoot freely. We're laid-back and pretty relaxed about it, but they know when it matters we're going to put the ball in the hole." West did all of its scoring from 3-pointers in the first quarter and took a 12-11 lead when Bailey hit one before the buzzer sounded. The Wolverines never trailed again as they scored seven straight points to start the second quarter, with Buccino's two free throws making it a 19-11 game with 6 minutes, 24 seconds before halftime. Sheridan pulled within 24-23 on Jarius Adams' 3-pointer with 3:05 left in the first half, but West regrouped and stretched its lead to 31-25 at halftime and 45-34 after three quarters. The Yellowjackets briefly closed the gap to single digits before the Wolverines used a 3-pointer by Buccino, two more by Bailey and a three-point play by Ruffner to turn the game into a rout. "This schedule is tough, and not because it's all on the road," White said. "It's the opponents we're playing -- Little Rock Parkview, Conway, Sheridan, Jonesboro coming up and Batesville Southside. We want to put these guys through a test because we know what our conference does. "This is a special group and has a chance to do something special. You saw the energy, and they love to share the ball. I'm happy with how we played. A win, obviously, was great, but the way we won is what I'm happy about. The defense was solid and our offense was really good." Buccino finished with 16 points for West, which plays Batesville Southside this afternoon, while Ruffner added 15 and Bailey 14. Tyler Cacciatori was the only Sheridan player in double figures with 20.

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Bentonville West High School Athletics

WOLVERINES EARN FIRST WIN IN DYER CLASSIC

HENRY APPLE

Arkansas Online | 12/8/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Bentonville West Athletics