FORT SMITH — The Coke Classic runner-up plaque wound up in a disappointed Springdale locker room moments after the tournament title game at Arkansas-Fort Smith’s Stubblefield Center on Saturday night.
Springdale hung tough with North Little Rock, the consensus top Class 7A team in the state, tying the game three times in the third quarter and keeping it close until the final minutes in a 69-57 loss to the Charging Wildcats.
The result was a somewhat bummed Springdale locker room in the wake of the first Bulldogs’ loss of the season, a defeat that came despite pushing a 10-1 North Little Rock team led by multiple high-profile Division I recruits.
“I’m glad to see our guys hurt a little bit, because it meant something to them,” Springdale coach Brad Stamps said.
The final outcome was the same as last season’s tournament championship game, which also pitted the two schools against each other. But the game was markedly different than the lopsided 103-77 North Little Rock blowout win last year.
“I saw a belief in our kids,” Stamps said. “Last year we were kind of spooked and wide-eyed. This year we came into it with the mentality that we’re going to beat you. I think if you ask them and ask (North Little Rock) coach (Johnny) Rice, he’s going to tell you Springdale came and competed its butt off.”
Rice was impressed with a Springdale team which slowed down his Charging Wildcats after they averaged 81.5 points in beating their first two tournament opponents by a combined 72 points.
“Coach Stamps does a great job with them,” Rice said. “I knew they had a good game plan. We couldn’t get up and down the floor. They did a great job of getting back and controlling the pace of the game. They made us play halfcourt basketball. And we needed to be able to do that, especially down the stretch.”
Springdale (7-1) suffered its first loss of the year a day after notching its most impressive win in a 64-50 victory over Fort Smith Northside. The Bulldogs finished the tournament 2-1 with wins over the Grizzlies and Bryant.
Bulldogs junior point guard Tereke Eckwood and senior forward Brendan Cook were named to the all-tournament team. Eckwood averaged 14 points and six rebounds in the three games, while Cook fought through foul trouble to average 7.3 points.
Junior wing Chris Owens averaged 12.7 points in the three games, while senior forward Josiah Wymer provided a physical presence down low, averaging six points and 10.7 rebounds.
Springdale doesn’t get much time to reflect on its impressive weekend. The Bulldogs jump back into action Thursday in the Fayetteville Bulldog Classic against Liberty, the No. 1 ranked team in Missouri.
“We can’t have any hangover effect,” Stamps said. “We’ve got to come back to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get ready for a tough Fayetteville tournament. And I’m anxious to see how our kids respond.”