The Wildcats knew they had to get their first conference win soon, and their Jan. 27 game against Rogers Heritage (12-10,1-6) was their best shot.

The game was a back and forth battle of offense for most of the first half. But Heritage controlled much of the pace, leading by three at half.

Coming out of halftime, Heritage went on a short run to put them ahead by 9 points.

The big story for the Wildcats was who brought them back into the game, junior Justin Mallott.

Mallott came off of the bench to score a quick eight points, including back-to-back threes.

“I was glad I got a chance to prove myself. It felt good,” said Mallott.

This gave the Wildcats a huge momentum swing and helped them regain the lead. Har-Ber controlled the remainder of the game, even extending their lead to double digits.

Senior Jacob Berry deserves much of the credit for helping the Wildcats run away from Heritage in the 4th quarter.

Berry scored a total of 23 points, 21 of those points came late in the 2nd half.

“God it feels good to win,” tweeted Berry shortly after the game.

The Wildcats (8-13, 1-6) hope to continue this success against Fort Smith Southside on Tuesday (Jan. 31).