Seminoles clicking for Wilson

Injuries and quarantining slowed Osceola's progression earlier this season, but luckily for Coach Vernon Wilson, things have picked up.

According to Wilson, his Seminoles are starting to round into form.

"We've finally got most of our guys healthy," he said. "We're starting to click a little bit, and at the right time. This is usually the time we start clicking anyway, right around mid-January to February.

"So I like what I'm seeing right now."

Wilson may like what he's seeing, but opposing teams around the 3A-3 Conference may not. Osceola (8-2, 7-0), ranked No. 3 in Class 3A by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won its past four games and is coming off an impressive 68-56 victory at No. 2 Manila.

The 12-point conquest over the Lions was especially satisfying for the Seminoles, the reigning Class 3A co-champions. Not only did it put Osceola alone in first place in league play, but it also ended a three-game losing streak to Manila.

"We got up by 15 on them," Wilson said. "We really should have pushed it out, but we started messing around. But the guys are playing good right now, they really are. They're playing really, really hard."

That effort has been evident in a number of his players, starting with junior Daylen Love. The 6-6 guard is averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks this season. Against Manila, Love was dominant with 16 points and 10 boards, and the game before against rival Rivercrest, he had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks.

"He can get multiple shots," Wilson said of Love. "But at 6-6, he's also one of my better ballhandlers. He used to be just 6 feet in the ninth grade. We've got to get him a little bigger and work on his outside shot. But he's the real deal."

Wilson was also high on senior Chris Littleton, who's averaging 16 points per game. Those two, along with a capable supporting cast, has the immediate future looking bright for Osceola, which is set to play at Walnut Ridge tonight in the second of a five-game road trip.

"These kids play so hard, and they're athletic," he explained. "This group is also one of the best shooting teams I've had in a while. And then we've got good size inside, so it's almost like pick your poison."

BRYANT BOYS

Showing mettle

Tuesday night's showdown with Little Rock Central didn't end the way Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson envisioned it would. However, he walked away from the game feeling good about his team's prospects in Class 6A following th Hornets' slim 67-64 loss.

"I can live with that," he said after the Hornets missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer. "[Central] is a really good team. Our kids played as hard as they could, and under the circumstance, we got a decent look there at the end."

The game was the closest Bryant (10-1, 2-1 6A-Central) has had all season. The Hornets had won their previous 10 games by an average of nearly 20 points.

Abrahamson remained upbeat despite the loss. Bryant made more than 50% of its shots, turned the ball over just 10 times and was outrebounded by two against a Tigers' team that was one of the preseason favorites to win a Class 6A title.

It's safe to say the Hornets can throw their names into that mix as well.

"I love our kids," Abrahamson said. "I thought they played really hard. I think we can play better in some areas, but you can't fault the effort. And we're going to learn from it."

VILONIA GIRLS

Rounding into shape

Greenwood and Vilonia have both quietly made noise in Class 5A this season. One of them will be silenced tonight -- for a short time anyway.

The winner of tonight's battle between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will move to the forefront of the 5A-West standings.

"Just the amount of confidence that Greenwood plays with sticks out," Vilonia Coach Jeremy Simon said of the Lady Bulldogs. "Obviously coming off the state championship team, they've got a lot of girls back. They play a bunch of girls and get up and down the floor as fast as anybody we've ever played. So we're going to have to prepare for that."

Greenwood (8-3, 1-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, has a number of familiar faces leading the way this season, namely senior guard and Mercer commit Kinley Fisher. But Vilonia (13-1, 3-0), ranked No. 4, also has a veteran bunch. Eight seniors power the Lady Eagles, including all-state guard Lauren Patterson.

"We're finally starting to get some girls healthy and back," Simon said. "I'm excited about that. Just like anybody else, it's been a crazy year. We've had players out all year with either injuries or due to covid quarantines or whatever.

"We were quarantined all over the Christmas so we've gotta get back in shape some."

JONESBORO BOYS

Upward trajectory

All three of Jonesboro's losses this season have come against the state's top teams. However, the Golden Hurricane might have learned a thing or two from those setbacks because they have seemingly taken those lessons out on their 5A-East competition.

"We lost at Central in game No. 2 where they spurted on us a little bit in the fourth quarter, and we really didn't get it to a one possession game late," Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift said. "Those other two games, we led Little Rock Christian almost the whole game and had a bad foul at the wrong time. We missed the front end of a one-and-one, and then they made a shot almost at the buzzer.

"And then against North Little Rock, we led by six with 25 seconds to go, give up two threes and lose in overtime. It's just those end of game situations that we haven't been in, but we're getting better."

Jonesboro (7-3, 3-0) has handily beaten everyone it's faced in conference play going into tonight's game at Searcy. The Golden Hurricane, No. 5 in Class 5A, have defeated its three 5A-East foes by at least 15 points.

The confidence that the team is building could be vital as the season goes on. Jonesboro hosts cross-town nemesis Nettleton on Tuesday before traveling to play Class 5A No. 1 Marion in a week. Still, Swift feels there's a lot his team can improve on.

"The thing that came out of those losses was that our guys believe they can play with anybody," he said. "But finishing is important. Closing out games and details are important. We're trying to figure it out, but we're getting there."

MOUNTAIN VIEW GIRLS

Big-game mentality

Not having in-season tournaments have forced Mountain View to change its approach a bit this season. For Coach Casey Scribner, every game is a big one, no matter who his Lady Yellowjackets are facing.

"We're putting more emphasis on each game," he said. "Not having those classics and things like that have been tough. So we treat each game like a tournament final, where you can't just take a regular season game for granted."

That mindset has worked for Mountain View (9-2, 5-0 3A-2), No. 3 in Class 3A. The Lady Yellowjackets, last season's Class 3A co-champion, dropped their first two games of the season to Class 2A No. 2 Tuckerman and Class 5A No. 1 Batesville, but Scribner's ladies haven't lost since.

Scribner said his group has been doing virtual learning and not required to quarantine, which has helped with their consistent play. The big positive, he said, was that he feels they're getting even better.

"Now we're in a routine of playing two games a week or three games a week," Scribner noted. "We're getting in good shape, too. So I think our best basketball is in front of us."

OVERALL TOP TEN

No holds barred

The parity surrounding the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's boys overall top 10 teams in the state has been obvious during the first two months of the season.

Bryant, currently ranked No. 1, has lost to No. 3 Little Rock Central but knocked off No. 2 Marion and No. 8 Maumelle earlier in the season. Central, in turn, has defeated No. 4 North Little Rock but dropped games to Marion, No. 9 Little Rock Parkview and No. 10 Little Rock Christian.

Parkview has taken down No. 7 Fayetteville and lost to both North Little Rock and Maumelle. North Little Rock also has beaten No. 6 Bentonville.

TIP-INS

North Little Rock boys' Coach Johnny Rice picked up career victory No. 200 on Tuesday in the Charging Wildcats' 82-36 victory over Little Rock Southwest. ... Conway sophomore Chloe Clardy needs just three points tonight against Fort Smith Northside to reach the 1,000-point mark for her short varsity tenure. Clardy had 27 points in the Lady Wampus Cats' 18-point victory against Cabot in their previous game. ... Booneville junior forward Joleigh Tate notched her 300th career rebound earlier this week for the Lady Bearcats.