PREP BASKETBALL CLASS 2A | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

CLASS 2A

HIGH-FIVE BOYS

MATTHEW LESTER

SCHOOL Eureka Springs

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 6-0

THE SCOOP Eureka Springs coach Brian Rambo sums up four-year starter Matthew Lester in one sentence 'He's a proven winner.' ... The versatile Lester is currently averaging 14 points, four rebounds and five assists for the 13-2 Highlanders. Rambo said Lester is a solid 37 percent shooter from the 3-point line, too. ... Lester is a three-time all-conference selection and has been named to back-to-back all-state teams.

DAMIAN BOHLMAN

SCHOOL Acorn

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 6-2

THE SCOOP Bohlman picked up where he left off as a junior, pouring in 36 points during the team's Nov. 11 win over Caddo Hills. ... Seven games into the season, Bohlman was averaging 25 points per game, while dishing out five assists, gobbling up five steals and pulling down eight boards. ... Bohlman scored 40 points and pulled down nine rebounds during Acorn's 56-52 win over Booneville last week. The Tigers are 11-2.

SAM ORTLIEB

SCHOOL Mountainburg

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-9

THE SCOOP Ortlieb earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and junior. ... Last month, he put up a season-high 22 points in the Dragons' win over Greenland. ... First-year coach , Chop Jones has leaned heavily on Ortlieb's leadership. In addition to averaging 11 points per game, Ortlieb is averaging four rebounds and four assists per game.

HAYDEN HUTSON

SCHOOL Cotter

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 6-2

THE SCOOP Hutson led the Warriors with 15.3 points per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field. In addition, he averaged 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. ... Like a lot of teams, Hutson and the Warriors struggled amid covid-19 cancellations in 2020-21, losing 12 of 17 following a 5-3 start to the season. ... Hutson is currently averaging 17 points per game for the 8-5 Warriors.

DRAKE GRANTHAM

SCHOOL Lavaca

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 6-0

THE SCOOP Grantham is a two-time all-conference selection for a team loaded with depth. In addition to his solid scoring and rebounding, Grantham was named to the all-state team in 2021 after being named all-conference the previous two seasons. ... Grantham is currently averaging a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds) for the Golden Arrows.

HIGH-FIVE GIRLS

RYLIE GREEN

SCHOOL Lavaca

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-1

THE SCOOP Green averaged 13 points per game as a junior after averaging eight points per game as a sophomore. ... A football cheerleader, as well as a volleyball and softball standout, Green was selected this fall as the Golden Arrows' Homecoming Queen. ... Green has a 4.0 GPA.

HALEY REED

SCHOOL Mountainburg

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-1

THE SCOOP Haley is a two-time first-team all-conference selection for the Lady Dragons. ... She averaged 13 points per game and four rebounds as a junior. In 2020-21, Reed averaged 11.6 points per outing to go along with four rebounds for coach Zach Dean's squad (10-12). ... This season, Reed has led the upstart Lady Dragons to 10 wins in 11 games.

ALYSON EDWARDS

SCHOOL Mansfield

CLASS Sophomore

HEIGHT 5-10

THE SCOOP Alyson has been unstoppable for the Lady Tigers. A year after winning 22 games, which included five seniors, Mansfield opened the season with sparkling play (and wins) behind Edwards. ... Through 10 games, she was averaging a team-leading 12.2 points per game. ... Edwards has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the school's BETA Club. ... She had a season-high 19 points in last week's 54-43 win over Lavaca.

KYLIE ROBINSON

SCHOOL Magazine

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-4

THE SCOOP Robinson leads the Lady Rattlers with 22.4 points per game (112 points in 5 games, with a high of 33). ... She leads the team in scoring, steals (2.2), assists (2.2), and blocks (1.2) and is second in rebounding (5.4). The Lady Rattlers are 2-3 with a tough 4-game road stretch to begin the season. ... She is shooting 42% from the floor and has hit 16 of 43 from behind the arc.

SOPHIE STRASNER

SCHOOL Acorn

HEIGHT 5-6

CLASS Sophomore

THE SCOOP Just a sophomore, Strasner has come on strong with 10 points per game and 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest. ... Strasner averaged 18 points per game during Acorn's visit to the Booneville Invitational last week, including a 22-point effort in a win over 3A Danville.

CLASS 2A GIRLS SPOTLIGHT

OLIVIA CROSS | EUREKA SPRINGS

Hard-working Cross enjoying senior season

Kyle Farrar spent three seasons game-planning for Eureka Springs' Olvia Cross.

Then one day he became her coach.

"She's been at the top of my scouting reports," Farrar said. "She's one of the ones (players) I remembered when I got here. In fact, she's one of the reasons I was interested in this job."

A Mansfield native, Farrar spent the last 14 seasons coaching at Green Forest before taking over at Eureka Springs last summer.

He quickly gained the respect of his players.

"He realizes we're going to make mistakes," Cross said. "He allows us to do a little more. You're going to miss shots, and that's fine. Just go get the next one."

Cross and the Lady Highlanders opened the season by winning nine of their first 13 games.

Eureka Springs struggled mightily last season.

"Last year was kind of a growing season," Cross said. "We lost four starters after my sophomore season. For me, this year is like a whole new ballgame."

A four-year starter, Cross has been one of the more consistent students in school -- in everything she does. Cross carries a 4.0 GPA, plays basketball, volleyball and golf. And she's involved in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and NHS (National Honor Society).

And, despite playing well for the Lady Highlanders' volleyball team, where she played all the way around in each rotation, there's something special about high school basketball.

"I love the environment here at Eureka Springs," she said. "The crowd, the fans ... to wear that No. 10 jersey makes me feel great."

-- Kevin Taylor • Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette

CLASS 2A BOYS SPOTLIGHT

KOLBY GLIDEWELL | LAVACA

Glidewell a Golden Arrow lifer

If they existed, Kolby Glidewell might have worn a different Lavaca basketball jersey every day of school.

The No. 3 Garrett Eck jersey on Monday; Ryan Dockery's No. 21 jersey on Tuesday.

Eck, Dockery, Joseph Todaro, Chance Walker, Hayden Headley -- these are the players young Glidewell looked up to long before he was guarding elite conference scorers such as Acorn's Damian Bohlman.

"We have four seniors (Glidewell, Luke Watson, Avery Walker and Drake Grantham) this year, and these guys were my managers before they even played," Lavaca coach Renner Reed said. "When we had Garrett Eck and Ryan Dockery and those guys, they (this year's seniors) were part of the program at a young age.

"I've known these guys since they were my son's age, and my son's in the second grade."

Glidewell said he always tried to pattern his game after those older players.

"I always watched them play," Glidewell said. "They won some games, and I wanted to be like that."

Since Reed's breakout season in 2016-17, when Lavaca won a state tournament game on its way to posting 23 victories, the Golden Arrows have averaged 25 wins per season. Already 7-1 this season, Reed's group shows no signs of slowing down.

And Glidewell isn't just a scorer or a defender; he speaks like a coach, too.

"It's early, but we can't slack off; we can't take one team for granted," he said. "Just because they don't have as good of a record as someone else, we're beatable, just like anybody else.

"If we don't try our hardest, we're not going to beat anybody."

-- Kevin Taylor • Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette

Olivia Cross (10) against Pea Ridge in a game earlier this season. Cross is a four-year starter for the Lady Highlanders. NWADG Annette Beard

Kolby Glidewell (13) of Lavaca takes the court on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, against County Line at Lavaca High School. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)