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Roger Heritage's Logan Clines had been one of his team's go-to options on offense all night, but the junior didn't even know his 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the game would be the deciding shot that knocked off the No. 2 team in the 6A-West. "I saw an open shot, and I took it," Clines said. "I was like, 'You know, I'm either going to make it or miss it,' and luckily I made it." Clines scored a team-high 10 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the last minute of the game, to lead Heritage (9-13, 4-6). Heritage coach Tom Olsen's seemingly slow-and-steady approach to the game paid off as his team earned its fourth conference win The team limited Bentonville's possessions by keeping the ball out of its playmakers' hands. The War Eagles took ample time off the clock each time the team came down the court on offense, refusing to rush a shot or force a pass that wasn't really there. "We are a deliberate program, I'm not going to lie," Olsen said. "We always feel that if we have the ball, we have the advantage. Our guys did a great job in the first half that even though they weren't getting buckets, [Bentonville] had to play defense for a long time. Ernesto Rodriguez, who is still recovering from an ACL tear, ran the Heritage offense during the game and helped orchestrate his team's comeback effort. The senior scored a layup to tie the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, then hit a 3-pointer to cut Bentonville's lead to two after the Tigers went up by two possessions. "We struggle to score when he's not out there," Olsen said. Bentonville (18-5, 8-2) struggled from the free-throw line in the final minutes of the game, going 0-for-3. The Tigers had a chance to either tie or take the lead with 12 seconds left but missed two free throws. "They kind of broke down a little bit, we got some open looks and were lucky enough to make them," Olsen said. Rodriguez corralled the rebound off the second missed shot, forcing Bentonville to foul immediately. The Tigers would have to foul Heritage six more times before the War Eagles were in the bonus, which ran crucial time off the clock. After the fourth foul, Clines broke free of his defender and scored a wide-open layup as time expired. Bentonville had three players score for the team with Connor Deffebaugh leading the Tigers with 13 points and Colton Simmons knocked in three 3-pointers on his way to 10 points. Heritage held Bentonville to its lowest scoring total of the season. The Tiger's previous low came in a 39-29 win against Craigmont on Dec. 29.

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ROGERS HERITAGE 35, BENTONVILLE HIGH 32

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Arkansas Online | 2/9/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Bentonville Athletics