HOT SPRINGS -- Baptist Prep dominated its district and regional competition, but Eagles Coach Brian Ross does not expect Pea Ridge to be easy prey for today's Class 4A boys state championship game.
"They are a very good three-point shooting team. They've got five guys who can really shoot," Ross said. "They're going to run a lot of good sets to get people open. And they play tough defense too."
Baptist Prep (30-4) and Pea Ridge (32-2), who have been the top two ranked Class 4A teams all season, clash at 7 tonight at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
The Eagles are on a 21-game winning streak and they have not lost to any other team from Arkansas since Jan. 29, 2016, a streak of 41 consecutive games. The defending 4A state champions have been dominant ever since the start of district tournament play, earning victories of 15 or more points in eight of their last nine games.
Baptist Prep defeated Malvern in last season's title game.
"We had high expectations and we expected to be back, but that's something you're never guaranteed," Ross said. "I'm just proud of the guys for working really hard and staying humble. They've done a great job of earning their way back here."
The Eagles kept their unbeaten streak against state-wide opponents alive despite being without 7-3 junior center Connor Vanover for more than a month. Vanover suffered a stress fracture to his foot and was out of action during three of the Eagles' four losses.
Vanover, who averages 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots a game, is currently second in school history with 1,352 career points. He scored 28 points -- hitting 6 of 10 shots from three-point range -- in the Eagles' 70-35 victory over Cave City in the regional finals.
"His time out with the injury was as much preventative as much as anything," Ross said. "He could have kept playing if he had wanted to but he's felt really good since he's been back."
Sophomore Issac McBride has stepped in as the Eagles' leading scorer this season. He is averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals this season. He is hitting 51 percent of his field-goal attempts and 80 percent from the free-throw line. His 687 points this season is a school record.
"We had a lot of seniors last year and he came off the bench," Ross said. "He was a scorer off the bench. He's just so strong for a sophomore. He can shoot the ball from so deep. He's tough to guard because he can score in every way that can be done."
Pea Ridge has lost two games this season by a combined five points, losing to independent Providence Academy (59-57) and to Prairie Grove (59-56).
Sports on 03/10/2017