PREP BASKETBALL REPORT

GIRLS

FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE

Lady Bears excel on rare Wednesday game

Northside coach Rickey Smith said his team had already held its Sunday afternoon practice when he found out the Lady Bears' game at Little Rock Central had been pushed back to Wednesday night.

Smith then adjusted his practice schedule accordingly, and Northside recorded its 20th win of the season with a 64-31 rout. The Lady Bears (20-3, 9-0 6A-Central) scored 23 unanswered points in the first half and blew the game open.

"It was the first time my team has played a regular-season game on a Wednesday night," Smith said. "If I had known earlier the game was being pushed back, I would have given the girls Sunday off. Instead, we changed our Monday practice some and used Tuesday as a prep day.

"There wasn't a great crowd there, but luckily I have a veteran group that has played lots of basketball. I told our girls to approach the game like a person going to work and prepare to be their best. I use their parents as an example as they go to work every day, and that's what we have to do to play at the level we want to play."

The win gives Northside a two-game cushion in the 6A-Central standings, but there is little time for the Lady Bears to rest of their latest accomplishments. Northside celebrates homecoming tonight against Mount St. Mary before it embarks on a three-game stretch against league contenders Conway, North Little Rock and Cabot.

"The thing about it -- and our players and coaches agree on this -- is we still haven't played at the level that we know we can play," Smith said. "Our kids are still trying to play that A-plus game, and they are critical of how they play.

"I ask them how they played after every game, and there hasn't been an A yet. So I am challenging them to go out and continue to try to play that game they have been chasing."

-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry

GREENWOOD

Lady Bulldogs set to tangle with Vilonia

The Lady Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak against defending Class 5A state champion Little Rock Christian a week ago, but now they have another big game as rival Vilonia comes to town tonight.

Greenwood (18-4, 8-1 5A-West) has won eight in a row including a 67-52 road win over the Lady Eagles almost a month ago. Vilonia (20-2) hasn't lost since then and the teams come in tied for the 5A-West Conference lead.

Greenwood coach Clay Reeves said the game was much closer than the final score indicated.

"They jumped on us early but our kids have been there before," Reeves said. "Our kids just kept doing what they do and got back in the game. Finally, in the middle of the third quarter, we got a little more of a lead. We were able to get to the basket and score some.

"Toward the end, they extended their defense and started gambling a little more and we were able to get some easy baskets. It was really probably a five- or six-point ballgame."

Point guard Kinley Fisher and 5-foot-11 senior Jaelin Glass have been strong offensive contributors for the Lady Bulldogs. Fisher leads the way averaging 19 points per game. But junior Haven Clements contributes in many ways, Reeves said.

"She can do so many things, she can guard a guard or guard a post," Reeves said. "She gets steals or turnovers when we need them. She'll got out and score six or eight points and get you three or four steals. She just does a. Little of everything you need on the floor."

Vilonia is similar to Greenwood in many ways, Reeves said. In addition, he and Vilonia coach Alvin Riley have locked horns on many occasions over the years going back to 20-plus years before he came to Greenwood.

Reeves has won seven state titles in his career, but his Greenland team lost to Riley's Tuckerman team in the state finals in 1999.

But there's no question the state finals is the goal again for Reeves and company.

"We know we've got five left and we're happy where we're at right now," Reeves said. "But the goal is to play nine more."

-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB

SCRANTON

Lady Rockets claim 1A-4 top seed

It took two overtimes, but the Lady Rockets were able to finally put County Line away Tuesday night 50-49 to lock down the 1A-4 Conference title.

Joshlyn Terry's free throw with 8 seconds left in the second overtime was the difference as Scranton (15-13, 10-2 1A-4) avenged a double-digit loss to County Line a couple of weeks ago.

"That was a big one for sure," Scranton coach Brad Harrison said. "It could have gone either way. Both teams made plays."

Scranton winning championships is nothing new, but this team had to overcome the loss of a key player to injury early in the season and it took away for the team to adjust, said Harrison.

"We only had eight players on the roster to begin with, so now we're down to seven," Harrison said. "So we had to figure some things out. We had a big win over St. Paul in December and they are a good team. I think that win gave our kids the confidence that they could compete and since that game, we've started to play with a lot of confidence."

The Lady Rockets were able to put the loss to County Line away and move forward. The difference between that game and the one Tuesday night was hitting shots, said Harrison.

"The first time we played them it was a four-point game with about four minutes left," he said. "County Line made plays at the end and went on about an 8-0 run. Tuesday night, we hit the shots when we needed to."

Scranton will be the No. 1 seed heading into next week's conference tournament at Western Yell County and have already secured a berth in the Region 1A Tournament in Alpena in two weeks.

Libby Kremer leads the way for Scranton, averaging 12 points per game. Kayla Siebenmorgen is averaging 9 points per game and Terry, the only senior on the seven-player roster is averaging 8 points per game.

The Lady Rockets will host Acorn in the regular-season finale tonight.

-- Chip Souza • @nwachip

FARMINGTON

Showdown set for league title

The biggest game of the year in the 4A-1 Conference will unfold tonight when Farmington travels to Harrison.

Both teams are undefeated in league play and on extended winning streaks. Farmington (24-3, 11-0) has won 10 consecutive while Harrison (24-1, 10-0) has won 24 in a row since losing its first game of the season to Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo.

Farmington and Harrison each won easily on Tuesday in preparation for tonight's showdown. Farmington blasted Gentry 58-25 while Harrison whipped Shiloh Christian 61-24.

"We have a lot of respect for Harrison and their program," Farmington coach Brad Johnson said. "It'll be fun with two great programs locking horns and fighting for the conference championship on the final playing date of the regular season."

Farmington can expect a large and active crowd cheering for the Goblins, but winning games on the road isn't a problem for the Lady Cardinals.

"We've played non-conference games in east Arkansas and Mountain Home and we've faced in front of hostile crowds in conference," Johnson said. "For us, we just have to remember the court is 94 feet and the rim is still 10 feet off the ground."

-- Rick Fires • @NWARick

BOYS

ROGERS HIGH

Post combo giving Mounties inside boost

The Mounties are still dealing with a variety of physical ailments but sophomore Joel Garner and junior Van Rhame have returned to give senior Joseph Park some help inside during 6A-West Conference play.

The 6-foot-4 Garner was sidelined with a shoulder injury in December, while the 6-5 Rhame didn't play until January because of stress fractures in his legs that sidelined him much of last year, too.

But Garner poured in 14 points to help the Mounties (19-2, 8-2 6A-West) avenge one their two losses in a big way on Tuesday night at Bentonville West.

The Wolverines handed Rogers its first loss of the season 39-36 back on Jan. 14 in King Arena. But Rogers coach Lamont Frazier said the post rotation has turned into a bit of a "three-headed monster" for the Mounties help control an opponent's inside game.

"Collectively they've developed as a nice rotation," Frazier said. "We'd like for it to improve but Ir's a big piece in our development to be able to do things around the basket. And it's big for us to make it more difficult for teams that have a presence inisde.

"With Garner out with the shoulder and Van with the sins, Joseph was kind of the lone man. Joel is just a sophomore but our senior guards have developed confidence in him."

Garner helped the Mounties turn a close game into a blowout in the second half on Tuesday. West hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second half to get within 39-35 but never got any closer as Rogers pulled away for the 82-53 victory.

Rhame also took steps forward on Tuesday, Frazier said.

"It's mental in a different way for him," Frazier said. "Just being able to jump and land, some take that for granted. It's not always been the most comfortable move for him. I was pleased to see him go get rebounds and see better explosion from him. He hasn't been able to participate in the last two off-seasons at all."

The Mounties are currently tied for second in the 6A-West, a game behind Springdale Har-Ber. They are tied with Fayetteville in the standings but have the tiebreaker over the Purple Bulldogs by virtue of the season sweep.

-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB

PEA RIDGE

Blackhawks use slight as motivation

With just one returning starter back from last year's team, few gave Pea Ridge much of a chance to compete for the 4A-1 Conference title this season.

So the Blackhawks used that as a challenge, said coach Trent Loyd.

"They sort of used that as a chip on their shoulder so to speak," Loyd said. "They took it personally."

Whatever the motivation was, it worked as the Blackhawks (19-4, 11-0 4A-1) are on the verge of completing a perfect run through the conference. Pea Ridge ran over Huntsville 50-30 on Tuesday and had already locked down the conference title, a No. 1 seed at next week's conference tournament at Prairie Grove and a berth in the 4A North regional in two weeks in Berryville.

"This has been a fun group to watch and see them grow together," Loyd said. "Their chemistry is off the charts. But I think what I'm most proud of is how this group stuck with it and waited their turn. A lot of kids today, if they're not starting as sophomores, they want to move on, But this group stuck with it. They played a lot of minutes on the JV last year and were successful."

Senior Noah Peterson is one of those players, and this season he is taking advantage of his opportunity by leading the team in scoring at 16 points per game to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior Wesley Wells, a 6-foot-5 post, was the lone returning starter but his numbers have greatly increased this season to 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.

"This team deserves all the credit for how they've done this season," Loyd said. "They really took the bull by the horns and were determined to prove to people they could compete for a championship. They've been a lot of fun to watch."

The Blackhawks close the regular season at Gravette tonight.

-- Chip Souza • @nwachip

SHILOH CHRISTIAN

Saints turn things around with Davis

Unlike most of the state's smaller schools, Shiloh Christian's boys ended their regular season Tuesday night since the Saints have tonight's open date in the nine-team 4A-1 Conference.

There are still games to be played, however. Shiloh Christian (15-9, 8-3) ended its season with a 67-47 victory against Harrison and captured the league's East Division title. That gives the Saints a bye to the semifinals of next week's conference tournament and a berth into the Class 4A North Region tournament the following week in Berryville.

"We're not a deep team, so the rest should help," Shiloh coach Chuck Davis said. "In order to keep from getting rusty, we will incorporate a few scrimmages in our practice (today) and do it again Monday and Tuesday.

"We have a couple of players who are battling the flu, and one or two who are sore or dealing with rolled ankles. Hopefully, we won't get too rusty."

The Saints have enjoyed a big turnaround under Davis, who became their coach after being the junior boys coach at Elkins. The 15 wins this season are more than double what Shiloh enjoyed a year ago.

Seth Rosenfeld leads the Saints offensively and scored 40 points in Tuesday's win over Harrison. Davis also points to his other two seniors -- Stewart Bivens and Cole Oswald -- as key components to the team's success.

"Those three seniors have bought in two what we are trying to do here," Davis said. "They were with me all summer long, and I think getting a couple of wins early in the season gave them a little confidence. That's been huge, and our defense has really been good for most of the season.

"I knew Seth would be a good scorer, but he has exceeded my expectations this year. Cole is our glue guy and does all the dirty work like getting steals and offensive rebounds. Stewart takes about three charges per game for us, and he separated his shoulder earlier this year while taking a charge in a game in Mena. He gets his shoulder back in place, and he takes another charge 10 minutes later."

-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry

ELKINS

Elks eager for rematch with Charleston

The rematch is set.

Elkins will host Charleston today in a game that will help settle the championship in the 3A-1 West Conference. If Elkins (23-3, 11-2) wins, the Elks could finish in a three-way tie for first place with Waldron and Charleston and a point system will be used to decide seedings for the district tournament next week at Waldron.

Elkins has won seven-consecutive games since losing back-to-back road games at Waldron and Charleston. Elkins beat Waldron 54-49 on Tuesday despite 36 points from Bulldogs senior guard Payton Brown. Elkins is eager for a second chance at Charleston, which won 51-50 last month when freshman Brandon Scott dribbled down court and hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Charleston is led by guard Brayden Ross and forward Jordan Fenner. Elkins will counter with a fast-paced and balanced offense led by Paxton Barnett and Kain Johnson.

"Ross and Fenner are nightmares to matchup, but they're really a complete team that shoots well from the perimeter," Elkins coach Jared Porter said. "We have to shore up our rebounding and limit their shots."

-- Rick Fires • @NWARick

Preps Sports on 02/14/2020