Bentonville blows past Clarksville

BENTONVILLE -- Bentonville continued its domination Saturday in the 18th annual Crabtree Invitational. Bentonville held Clarksville to only three field goals in the first half while easing to an 81-19 victory over the Lady Panthers. Maryam Douda scored all 14 of her points in the first half to lead Bentonville, which improved to 5-0 after winning three consecutive games by wide margins in the tournament. Twelve players scored for Bentonville, which led 14-3 after one quarter and 42-9 at halftime. Clarksville made only seven field goals in the game and none in the first and fourth quarters. "I was really pleased with all of the kids getting to play," Bentonville coach Tom Halbmaier said. "The overall intensity and focus, the girls were ready to go. The first two games in the Crabtree they were a little lackadaisical at times, but today they were pretty sharp. Saturday's game was played in the auxiliary gym because of a cheerleading competition in Tiger Arena. The move didn't prevent Bentonville, which finished 26-4 last year as the state runner-up in Class 6A, from showcasing its ability against Clarksville. Clarksville's only points in the first quarter came on free three throws when Abby Domerese was fouled while attempting a 3-point shot. Bentonville did not allow a field goal until Emmanline Reider banked in a shot with five minutes, 48 seconds left before halftime. Even then, Clarksville trailed 19-5. Bentonville continued to attack and stretched its lead to 42-9 at halftime. Douda was unstoppable inside, and the 6-foot-4 junior center joined in the fun when she hit consecutive 3-pointers in the second quarter. "This is a game she had fun in," Halbmaier said of Douda, a 6-foot-4 junior center. "She had a little space, and she's been working really hard on her game." Riley Hayes led the transition game for Bentonville and pulled up for three 3-pointers in the first half. Bentonville began to substitute freely in the second quarter and reserves finished the game in the second half. Hannon Melton had four points to lead Clarksville, which beat Bentonville West and lost to Springdale Har-Ber in the tournament. Bentonville will play at Fort Smith Northside on Thursday in a rematch of the Class 7A state championship game last spring.

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Bentonville High School Athletics

BENTONVILLE BLOWS PAST CLARKSVILLE

RICK FIRES

Arkansas Online | 12/15/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Bentonville Athletics