High school basketball report

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --3/9/2013--
Jonesboro's Justin Ross blocks a shot from Hall's Gregg Easter during the Class 5A boys high school championship game on Saturday.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN --3/9/2013-- Jonesboro's Justin Ross blocks a shot from Hall's Gregg Easter during the Class 5A boys high school championship game on Saturday.

Hurricane bolstered by a break

Jonesboro has played one game in the past 12 days.

Starting tonight, the Hurricane could be playing in as many as nine games in the next 15 days.

“We haven’t done much since the Rumble [on the Ridge],” Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift said. “We’re itching to play. … We’re getting a chance to play a lot of games, but like I told our kids, there’s not a win sitting out there that we can count on. Every win we get is one that we would have earned.”

Jonesboro (3-1) starts its series of games with a home game tonight against Benton. The Hurricane play Fort Smith Northside on Saturday in the Arkansas Hoops Challenge at Maumelle High School.

After Christmas, Jonesboro travels to Fort Worth to play in the 56th annual Whataburger Tournament.

On Jan. 2, Jonesboro will host the rescheduled Barry Pruitt Classic.

Since finishing second in the Rumble on Nov. 30, the Hurricane have managed to get in one game - a 71-49 victory over Wynne on Dec. 13. Swift said his team has had several great practices and that the addition of several football athletes to the basketball program has made the Hurricane’s second team very competitive. That, Swift said, also has made the team’s leading scorers Marquise Pointer and Kahron Ross more effective.

Swift said his team learned from its 68-41 loss to North Little Rock in the Rumble final.

“Everybody else was looking for Pointer and Ross to score,” Swift said.

“We had ball movement on only one side of the court.

It was either one pass and a shot or no pass and a shot. North Little Rock shot lights out that night, but let’s face it, we panicked.

We have learned from that.”MAYNARD

Watsons spur Tigers

Colton Watson has been a scoring machine for the Maynard Tigers this season.

The 6-0 junior guard is averaging 36 points a game.

He has had six with 40 or more points, including a career-high 51 points in a victory over Crowley’s Ridge Academy.

Watson’s coach is also his brother.

“It’s been fun for me,” said Braden Watson, Maynard’s first-year head coach. “I try to treat all the players the same, but admittedly I’m a little harder on Colton. It helps out that he can play.”

Braden Watson, who graduated from Maynard in 2003, played four years for Williams Baptist College and then spent the next six years as a junior high coach at Hoxie. Colton Watson, who attended Maynard schools through the eighth grade, attended Hoxie as a freshman and sophomore.

When Braden took the job at his alma mater, Colton also returned to Maynard.

Braden Watson, who turns 29 next month, is 12 years older than his brother.

“The reaction by the rest of the team has been good,” Braden Watson said. “They see how I treat Colton. They know I don’t cut corners when it comes to him.”

After a 2-2 start to the season, the Tigers have won 11 of their past 12 games. It has been a big step up from a team that won only six games during the 2012-2013 season.

“We’re pretty good,” Braden Watson said. “My main concern is just being consistent. There have been games where we have done a really good job at defending and rebounding, and then there have been games where it looked like we haven’t ever done those things before.”RECTOR

Dean’s list impressive

Matt Dean notched a coaching milestone Monday, the same night his Lady Cougars tied a school record for three-pointers in a game.

Rector rolled to a 94-61 victory over conference-rival East Poinsett County. The Lady Cougars made 18 three-pointers that night as Dean earned career victory No.

500.

“I’ve been blessed,” said Dean, who is in his 19th year of coaching with a record of 500-164. “This is only my third year at Rector, but they have been really good to me.”

Dean also has coached at Marmaduke, Trumann, Hillcrest and Swifton.

Rector was 13-3 going into Thursday’s 2A-3 Conference game with Marmaduke.

Senior Kendal Gunn, who made 110 three-pointers as a junior, is the team’s leading scorer with 18 points. She is also averaging 6.8 rebounds.

Anna Blackshare, who had 20 points in Monday’s game, is averaging 12 points a game.

Against EPC, the Lady Cougars had 11 girls hit three-pointers. The team tied a school record that was originally set by the 2007-2008 team. Dean said his team had two games in which the Lady Cougars made 16 and 17 three-pointers.

“I don’t know exactly how many threes we’ve made this year, but it’s a ton,” Dean said. “We fire it up.”

While Rector is having a superb season, the Lady Cougars are in one the 2A’s toughest conferences.

Marmaduke, Buffalo Island Central and Marked Tree are all jockeying for the top spot this season.

“It’s been crazy how tough our conference has been the last two years,” Dean said. “I thought it might lighten up a little this year, but it really hasn’t. Every night, you’ve got to come to play.”ODDS & ENDS

North Little Rock’s opening opponent in the Snow Jam in Milwaukee is Arch Bishop Mitty of San Jose, Calif. Mitty is 4-0.

Tip off for today’s game is 5:40 p.m. … Cave City’s girls improved to 11-0 on Wednesday night by winning a semifinal game in the Lyon College Invitational in Batesville. Trailing by six points in the final minute, the Cavewomen scored the next 10 points.

Senior Morgan Miller hit a three-pointer to tie the game with 25 seconds to play. Jamie Holley’s three-point play and ensuing steal gave Cave City the victory.

Melbourne and Southside Batesville are scheduled to play in the other semifinal Monday. The date and time of the championship game has not been set. … Topseeded Riverside won the Williams Baptist College Invitational in Walnut Ridge on Wednesday, defeating No. 3 seed Pocahontas 45-44. Devon Austin led Riverside with 11 points. Clark Brewington scored 13 to lead Pocahontas.

Sports, Pages 24 on 12/20/2013

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