Experience Boosts Decatur
HACKETT FAVORITE IN 2A-4 CONFERENCE
Posted: November 12, 2009 at 5:29 a.m.
BENTONVILLE — The Decatur boys basketball team doesn’t have a lot of players, but the Bulldogs do have experience.
Coach Donnie Smith will look to returning seniors Trent Arnold and Hunter Beal to lead Decatur through the tough 2A-4 Conference.
“They’re our two strongest players,” Smith said. “They have experience.”
Arnold returns to point guard while Beal is a force in the paint and a solid outside shooter.
He’ll be joined by 6-foot-3 Eric Thompson in the post.
“He’ll help us out quite a bit,” Smith said. “He’s going to give us a little inside action. He’s a beanpole, but he’s going to work hard. He’s got some nice moves around the bucket.”
Behind those three, Decatur (0-1) has several inexperienced juniors and some sophomores to round out the roster of nine players.
Eureka Springs doesn’t have as much experience, but the Highlanders (2-3) do return one of the conference’s best post players in left-handed 6-3 senior Jacob Worley.
Worley’s the only returning starter and only senior on a young team. The Highlanders will likely start two or three sophomores.
“We’ve looked great at times and looked terrible at times,” coach Nolan Helder said. “It’s what I expected coming into the season. The goal is as the season goes on, we’ll get more consistent and by end of year be most of the time playing well.”
Hackett will again be the team to beat, Helder said, after the Hornets advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals and boast the league’s top player in guard Blake Branham.
County Line also has plenty of experience returning while Mulberry and Magazine will get boosts from solid junior high teams.
2A-4 Conference
County Line
Decatur
Eureka Springs
Hackett
Hartford
Magazine
Mulberry
FS Union Christian
Johnson County Westside
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