One more Hurricane goes down
Jonesboro cannot seem to stay away from injuries.
Junior guard Marquise Pointer injured his left foot during the Hurricane’s Jan.
28 game with Cabot. If there is any good news for the No.
3 ranked Hurricane, it’s that Pointer is expected to return before the beginning of the Class 6A State Tournament.
“We will get him back, I just don’t know exactly when that day will be,” Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift said. “The target is during the third week in February.”
Swift said Pointer was averaging 19 points a game, which “is the most I’ve ever had a player average for one of my teams.”
Senior guard Kahron Ross responded with what Swift said was “one of his better games.” He scored 21 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and made 2 steals in a 50-36 victory over Marion on Jan. 31. Swift said Marion attempted to defend the Hurricane with an unusual array of defenses.
“That’s the first time we’ve seen any junk defenses [box-and-one or triangle-and-two] against us,” Swift said. “Usually we’re so balanced that you can’t defend just one or two players. I’m thinking we may see more junk in our next few games.”
The Hurricane picked up plenty of support Friday from junior Jarma Perkins, who scored all 28 of his points in the first half of a 75-60 home victory over West Memphis.
Pointer is the second starter the Hurricane have lost this season. Aaron Washington, a 6-5 junior, suffered a knee injury against Benton on Dec. 20.
“Aaron’s therapy is going really well,” Swift said.
“There is a possibility - and I mean a very slight possibility - that we would get him back before the state tournament. I don’t know how much we could get out of him, but it would be nice to see him back.”
Jonesboro is scheduled to play at Little Rock Central on Tuesday and host No. 2 North Little Rock on Friday.
EAST POINSETT COUNTY On a hot streak
East Poinsett County appeared vulnerable to the rest of the 2A-3 after Malik Monk transferred to Bentonville before the season started, and the Warriors found themselves in a hole after dropping three of their first four conference games.
But East Poinsett County has bounced back nicely.
The Warriors (22-4) are one of the hottest teams in Class 2A after winning of 18 of 19 to finish as the No. 2 seed for the district tournament.
“I think this is the toughest 2A conference in the state and there are some really good coaches in our conference,” EPC Coach Josh Hill said. “I’m not making excuses, but we had a lot of guys coming straight out of football and we just weren’t quite ready to play.
… Some of the schools in our conference don’t play football and they get an early start and win a lot of games.
But I’ve enjoyed being at a football school. We may get our guys a little later, but they seem to peak at the right time.”
East Poinsett County has played in three consecutive state championship games, winning in 2011 and 2012.
The Warriors defeated Augusta and Riverside on back-to-back nights last week, allowing them to earn the No. 2 seed. Buffalo Island Central holds the conference’s top seed despite losing two of its final four league games.
Byron Scales, a 6-3 senior guard, has been the Warriors’ most consistent player, averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds a game and shooting 68 percent from the floor, but EPC has a variety of weapons. In Friday’s 61-42 victory over Riverside, Scales had 19 points to lead the team while junior T.J.
Young came off the bench to score 10 and Aaron Scales added nine. In Thursday’s victory over Augusta, sophomore Clay Malone was the Warriors’ leading scorer with 12.
“There’s no telling who’s going to lead us on a given night,” said Hill, who is in his eighth year at the school.
“We’re at our best when we’ve got three guys in double figures.”
Monk, a 6-3 sophomore, led the Warriors in scoring last season as a freshman and is ranked as the No. 1 player from Arkansas for the Class of 2016. Hill said the Warriors’ winning tradition is one reason EPC remains among the elite in Class 2A.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve won multiple championships with different guys,” Hill said.
CLARENDON Defense on Lions’ minds
Clarendon is averaging 66.3 points a game, but Coach Kendrick Hudson said defense will be the key if the Lions want to make a deep postseason run.
“If we continue to share the ball we’ll have a chance, but if we really want to play for a state title we’re going to have to rely on our defense,” said Hudson, whose team improved to 20-1 after Thursday’s 78-47 victory over Palestine-Wheatley.
“We have to know how to get stops, and our guys have to realize that defense is the most important thing we do.”
Junior 6-2 guard Styleen Tyler leads the Lions in scoring, averaging 20 points a game, but two other juniors - guards Richard Knox and Donnie Lowery - are providing plenty of offensive support.
Hudson said Knox is a 6-1 point guard who has the wing span of someone who is 6-7 and averages 18 points a game. Lowery has a knack for knocking down key outside shots, Hudson said.
“We’re a team that can have two or three different kids step up every game,” Hudson said. “We’re balanced and unselfish, and we’re still young. I don’t have any seniors among my top eight players, but it’s also a group that’s been together for a long time.”
The Lions finished 23-3 last season, but suffered a loss to East Poinsett County in the first round of last season’s Class 2A state tournament.
“We hope we can avoid that type of ending this time around,” Hudson said.
The Lions completed the 2A-6 Conference with an unbeaten record and will host the district tournament.
CENTERPOINT Knights’ time?
The Centerpoint Knights are having success playing an up-tempo style this season.
The Knights (18-3, 9-1) earned the No. 1 seed for the 3A-7 district tournament by defeating Genoa Central on Friday night.
“We like to move the ball,” Centerpoint Coach Kevin Owens said. “We’ll play an up-tempo style and we’ll try to push it a little.
We’ve got a little depth, so we’ve got the luxury to do that this season.”
Owens said his team is a mix of young and the old.
“We’ve got a good group of sophomores that can score and a few seniors that know how to defend,” Owens said. “We’ve mixed and matched them.”
Sophomore guard Tanner Brunt leads the Knights in scoring, averaging 15.5 points a game. Owens also said senior Matt Lim has come alive with his game, providing a 29-point effort.
Owens said the Knights have shot the ball well, averaging “six or seven three-pointers a game.”
The Knights avenged their only league loss Tuesday, beating Prescott 65-55.
“Getting out of our region will be tough,” Owens said.
“We are going to have to hit our threes and finish on the inside when we have a chance.”
LAST-SECONDS SHOTS
Marmaduke’s Lady Greyhounds rallied from a three-point halftime deficit on Saturday to defeat Rector 50-48 to claim the 2A-3 regular season title. … On the same day that he signed a football scholarship with Arkansas State, Lonoke’s Blake Mack scored a 42 points in 75-72 victory over Marianna. Mack hit 18 of 25 free-throw attempts and two three pointers to help compile a career-high effort. … Charleston’s Mathew Ward topped the 1,000-point mark for his career with a 29-point effort in the Tigers’ 66-37 victory over Danville.
… Austin Pike also went over the 1,000-point career mark last week. The Buffalo Island Central junior scored 35 points in a 109-84 victory over Crowley’s Ridge Academy on Thursday to top the milestone. Pike also had 13 rebounds and handed out 10 assists in Thursday’s victory. … Marmaduke’s Eddie Page scored his 1,000-career point in Friday’s 41-37 loss to Augusta. Page had 17 points and nine rebounds. … Lauren Brumley, a junior point guard for Parkers Chapel, scored a career-high 43 points in Tuesday’s 79-55 victory over Hampton. Brumley hit 3 three-pointers and made 16 of 21 attempts from the free-throw line.
… McGehee sophomore Shakyla Begnaud scored 26 points in back to-back games last week. She scored 26 points in a 56-19 victory over Smackover on Tuesday and added another 26-point effort against Drew Central on Friday, a 52-31 victory.
McGehee is 12-7, including a 6-1 record in the 3A-8. .... The boys game between McGehee and Drew Central was suspended after three quarters Friday night with McGehee leading 53-45 because of deteriorating road conditions. The game is scheduled to resume Thursday night at Drew Central. … Blevins improved to 32-0 with a 72-58 victory over Gurdon on Thursday. Quincy McDaniel (23) and River Kirkham (22) were the scoring leaders.
High school rankings
BOYS
OVERALL 1. Little Rock Parkview .................17-1 2. North Little Rock .......................17-1 3. Jonesboro .................................19-3 4. Bentonville ................................14-3 5. Springdale .................................15-4 6. Fort Smith Northside ................14-6 7. Little Rock Hall ..........................13-5 8. Van Buren .................................15-4 9. Russellville ................................11-7 10. Jacksonville .............................18-3
CLASS 7A 1. North Little Rock .......................17-1 2. Bentonville ................................14-3 3. Springdale .................................15-4 4. Fort Smith Northside ................14-6 5. Van Buren .................................15-4 6. Cabot .........................................13-6
CLASS 6A 1. Little Rock Parkview .................17-1 2. Jonesboro .................................19-3 3. Little Rock Hall ..........................13-5 4. Russellville ................................11-7 5. Benton .......................................16-5 6. Marion .......................................13-4
CLASS 5A 1. Jacksonville ...............................18-3 2. Morrilton ...................................17-1 3. Clarksville ..................................16-4 4. Forrest City ................................13-45. Watson Chapel ..........................16-4 6. Hot Springs ...............................11-7
CLASS 4A 1. Monticello .................................17-3 2. Dollarway ..................................12-2 3. Pottsville....................................14-7 4. Brookland ..................................18-6 5. Maumelle ..................................13-8 6. Arkadelphia ...............................17-4
CLASS 3A 1. Episcopal ...................................17-3 2. Charleston .................................20-5 3. McGehee ...................................13-0 4. Lamar ........................................14-4 5. Earle ..........................................15-6 6. Cedarville...................................15-6
CLASS 2A 1. Blevins .......................................32-0 2. Cedar Ridge ..............................24-3 3. Junction City .............................18-0 4. England .....................................20-2 5. Clarendon ..................................20-1 6. East Poinsett County ................22-4
CLASS 1A 1. Concord ....................................27-1 2. Bay ............................................24-7 3. Scranton ....................................29-1 4. KIPP Delta .................................20-5 5. Maynard ....................................24-7 6. County Line ...............................23-4
GIRLS
OVERALL 1. Fort Smith Northside ................19-1 2. Greenwood ................................15-3 3. Springdale Har-Ber ...................17-4 4. West Memphis ..........................16-5 5. Little Rock Hall ..........................15-7 6. Fort Smith Southside ................12-5 7. El Dorado ..................................21-1 8. Fayetteville .................................14-5 9. Conway .....................................16-5 10. Siloam Springs .......................14-6
CLASS 7A 1. Fort Smith Northside ................19-1 2. Springdale Har-Ber ...................17-4 3. West Memphis ..........................16-5 4. Fort Smith Southside ................12-5 5. Fayetteville .................................14-5 6. Conway .....................................16-5
CLASS 6A 1. Greenwood ................................15-3 2. Little Rock Hall ..........................15-7 3. El Dorado ..................................21-1 4. Siloam Springs .........................14-6 5. Searcy .......................................14-6 6. Pine Bluff ...................................15-5
CLASS 5A 1. Vilonia .......................................20-3 2. Hot Springs ...............................13-5 3. Paragould ..................................12-5 4. Huntsville ..................................14-55. Harrison ....................................13-8 6. Little Rock Christian .................14-5
CLASS 4A 1. Malvern .....................................17-2 2. Star City ....................................20-2 3. Brookland ..................................23-2 4. Farmington ................................19-4 5. Ozark .........................................20-3 6. Central Arkansas Christian .......16-4
CLASS 3A 1. Valley Springs ...........................26-2 2. eStem ........................................18-4 3. Lamar ........................................17-2 4. Harding Academy .....................18-4 5. Riverview ..................................16-4 6. Genoa Central ...........................19-3
CLASS 2A 1. Spring Hill .................................25-0 2. Mountainburg ...........................22-2 3. Marmaduke ...............................28-4 4. Rector........................................27-5 5. Conway St. Joseph ...................21-3 6. England .....................................19-4
CLASS 1A 1. Kirby ..........................................27-1 2. Kingston ....................................29-3 3. Acorn .........................................27-4 4. Mulberry....................................22-5 5. Wonderview ..............................25-5 6. Mount Vernon-Enola.................19-3
Sports, Pages 31 on 02/09/2014