ALL-NWADG DIVISION II BASKETBALL TEAM
Girls
Player of the Year
HAYLEY KATE WEBB
SCHOOL Rogers Providence Academy
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 6-0
THE SCOOP Webb led the Lady Patriots to their second consecutive Oklahoma Christian Schools Athletic Association Class 3A state championship. ... Providence Academy defeated Destiny Christian 58-46 in the title game, played at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City. ... Webb scored 13 points in the championship game and added 12 rebounds. ... On the season, Webb averaged 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds in leading the Lady Patriots to a 21-9 record. ... Webb has scored 1,346 career points. ... She has received collegiate offers from both Harding University and Arkansas Tech. She expects to make a decision where she will play college basketball next fall prior to her senior season at Providence Academy.
DID YOU KNOW Providence Academy won the Greenwood tournament this past season. The Lady Patriots defeated Morrilton, Bentonville West and had narrow losses to both Springdale High and Farmington during the season.
QUOTABLE "We had some big wins this year against some bigger schools, which was fun," Webb said. "It was just a good season overall for our team, which is exciting.
"I think my rebounding and defense improved this season. I felt like I was pretty consistent at that, and it's something I enjoy doing. I tried hard this year to work on spotting up and taking the outside shot. But I think my biggest strength is the drive and getting to the free-throw line."
Newcomer of the Year
FIONA WILSON
SCHOOL Greenland
CLASS Sophomore
HEIGHT 5-8
THE SCOOP Helped Greenland to a 26-7 record and an appearance in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament. ... Averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game. ... Scored at least 20 points in 18 games. ... Led Greenland with 20 points in a victory in Osceola and 14 points in a loss to Hoxie in the state tournament at Bald Knob. ... Scored 14 points and made two free throws with 20 seconds left to give Greenland the lead in a 44-40 victory over Prairie Grove.
DID YOU KNOW Standout athlete who is a member of the Greenland track and field team, where she competes in the sprints, hurdles, and long jump. ... Will spend part of her summer working as an umpire for youth softball games in Farmington and Greenland. ... Has five brothers and sisters and a half brother.
QUOTABLE "My role will change and I'll probably need to provide more leadership next year," Wilson said of a Greenland team that must replace five seniors next season. "We'll only have two seniors and two juniors, probably, so I'll need to be a leader because I have the experience. It doesn't matter what position I play as long as I'm playing.
"My favorite game last year was against Prairie Grove. We were down by one and I hit two free throws to put us up by one. and we won the game."
Coach of the Year
KIMBERLY JENKINS
SCHOOL Valley Springs
THE SCOOP Led the Lady Tigers to the state championship game for the third season in a row. ... Valley Springs lost to Hoxie 51-40 in the Class 3A title game and finished the season 36-7. ... Valley Springs won the state title in 2016, defeating Greenland 48-40. ... Jenkins has coached the program to seven state title game appearances. In addition to winning the title in 2016, she also won a state championship in 2010. ... Jenkins has coached at Valley Springs for 17 years. Prior to coaching at Valley Springs, she also coached at New Mexico State, the University of Tulsa and NorthArk Community College in Harrison for one year before taking over at Valley Springs.
DID YOU KNOW Jenkins played collegiately at Arkansas (1993-97) for former Razorbacks coach Gary Blair, where she earned her degree in Kinesiology. ... She also oversees the youth basketball program at Valley Springs, starting players in the fourth grade.
QUOTABLE "We work hard at it," Jenkins said. "We start early. I coach pee-wee intramurals in fourth grade all the way through, so being here for my 17th year, it's been pretty cool to establish what I hope is one of the best programs in the state.
"We're trying to have fun, try to establish that love of the game and some of the fundamentals that go along with it. They got their uniforms the other day and they were fired-up about it. Hopefully we have a ladder of skills that we build. That's my idea behind it, anyway. A lot of it is about building a culture. That's what we're striving for, striving for excellence."
First Team
PLAYER^SCHOOL^HT^CLASS^NOTABLE
Lia Enos^Shiloh Christian^5-10^So.^Led the Lady Saints by averaging an area-leading 19 points, along with 9.3 rebounds per game.
Lexi McClellan^Ozark^5-6^Sr.^Led Lady Hillbillies to 35-5 record by averaging 13.5 points, 3.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. Named to the all-state team
Lakyn Sanders^Lamar^5-7^Fr.^Averaged 16 points, 3.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game for Region I champions. Named to all-state team.
Ashlynn Taylor^Valley Springs^5-6^Sr.^Averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists for Class 3A state runner-up. Named to all-state team.
Delanie Tipton^Huntsville^5-10^Sr.^Led Lady Eagles by averaging 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Three-year starter. Named to all-state team.
Second Team
Tori Foster^Gravette^5-8^Jr.^Led Lady Lions to 20-10 record by averaging 10.9 points, 3.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds with 80 steals. Named to all-state team.
Kenadie Kestner^Elkins^5-8^Sr.^Led Lady Elks to 18-12 record by averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds per game. Named to all-state team.
MaKayla Redmond^Greenland^5-5^Sr.^Leader of team that advanced to 3A semifinals. Averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Named to all-state team.
Baylea Smith^Berryville^5-6^So.^Led team to Class 4A semifinals by averaging 11 points, 4 assists and 2 steals per game. Named to all-state team
Shannon Throgmorton^West Fork^5-3^Sr.^Floor leader for 26-5 team. Averaged 12 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Named to all-state team.
Boys
Player of the Year
JOEY HALL
SCHOOL Pea Ridge
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 6-2
THE SCOOP Senior point guard led team to 32-3 record and Class 4A state runner-up finish. ... Named to all-state and all-state tourney teams after averaging 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. ... Scored a team-high 16 points with four 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater from 40-feet away at the end of the first quarter, during the state finals. ... Won regular season district, conference tournament and regional tournament titles... Scored 31 points, including a four-point play, in the finals and was named MVP of the Southwest Holiday Classic in Washburn, Mo. ... Named All-NWADG Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore. ... Career high school record of 73-18.
DID YOU KNOW As an eighth grader, Hall recalls being laughed at by his brother, Jacob, and a friend when he proclaimed he would one day play for a state championship.
QUOTABLE "I'll always remember getting to play with all my friends, literally since basketball started for me and then ending it with them, and then getting to play with one of my other friends who moved in from a different school for my senior year. And also to have a coach, who's not only been a coach, but a friend since the seventh grade, will be something I'll never forget.
"It hurts not winning the state championship. Obviously, that's what you work for and that's what you go for, but at the same time, we had nothing to look down on because we had such a great year. We made history. We got to the state championship. I don't want to make it sound like we were satisfied with that, but then again, you can't go back in time and win the game, so I just try to focus on more of the good of the season, rather than the bad."
Newcomer of the Year
WILL PRIDMORE
SCHOOL Prairie Grove
CLASS Sophomore
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 185
THE SCOOP Leading scorer as a sophomore for Prairie Grove. ... Averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. ... Scored 25 points in victories over Shiloh Christian and Greenland. ... Led Prairie Grove with 20 points in a 59-53 upset of Pea Ridge, which advanced to the championship game in Class 4A. The loss to Prairie Grove prevented Pea Ridge from going through conference play undefeated.
DID YOU KNOW Transferred from Fayetteville High, where he played on the freshman team.
QUOTABLE "It was pretty rough coming off the loss at Lincoln, but I kept saying we needed to keep our heads," Pridmore said of the Tigers' mindset heading into the game against Pea Ridge. "They came out hitting shots, but we were able to answer. We kept gaining confidence as time went on and won the game.
"I think we'll have a pretty good team next year with guys like DeMarcus Cooper and D.J. Pearson coming back. We should be able to win some more games, for sure."
Coach of the Year
TRENT LOYD
SCHOOL Pea Ridge
THE SCOOP Second time in three years to be named All-NWADG Coach of the Year. ... Fourth-year Blackhawks head coach piloted the program's first trip to the state championship. ... Won a school-record 32 games. ... Won the 3A/4A-1 regular season district title, the 4A-1 Conference tournament and the 4A-North Regional tournament. ... Also won Southwest Holiday Classic in Washburn, Mo., defeating three opponents by an average margin of 34.3 points per game. ... Beat eventual Class 2A state champ Earle 70-62 during the Battle at the Ridge tournament on Dec. 9. ... Son of former long-time Van Buren boys basketball coach Randy Loyd.
DID YOU KNOW Pea Ridge shot 51.4 percent from the field in the state championship, including 13-of-23 from 3-point range. It was the highest shooting percentage all season against defending 4A state champion Baptist Prep and helped the Blackhawks led the Eagles with under three minutes remaining in regulation.
QUOTABLE "We wish we could've finished that thing out. It would've been awesome to bring a championship back to Pea Ridge because, Lord knows, that town deserves one," Loyd said. "I think that's the thing that hurts so much is being so close to being able to do that, but I couldn't be more proud of my guys and all they accomplished.
"Going to the state finals will be something that I remember for my entire life. But the relationships that have been built with this team and having these guys since they were in the seventh grade as my first job as well, this will be a group I never forget. We'll have relationships for as long as I live."
First Team
PLAYER^SCHOOL^HT^CLASS^NOTABLE
Jack Eaton^Huntsville^6-3^Sr.^Three-year starter on teams that were a combined 87-15. Averaged 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Named to all-state team.
Garrett Eck^Lavaca^6-0^Jr.^Led Golden Arrows to best season in school history. Averaged 19 points and 5 rebounds per game. Named to all-state team.
Brandon Fenner^Charleston^6-4^State's all-time career 3-point shooter with 418. Scored 2,546 career points. Averaged 23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
SK Shittu^Providence Academy^6-9^Sr.^Area's only Division I signee with UCA. Led Patriots to three straight OCSSA state finals. Averaged 14.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Matt Thomas^Pea Ridge^6-4^Sr.^Led Blackhawks to first-ever 4A state finals by averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game. Named to all-state team.
Second Team
Porter Anderson^Lamar^6-6^Sr.^Averaged 15.2 points per game to lead Warriors to 4A-North Regional title and 28-6 record.
Ethan Bowman^Ozark^6-4^Sr.^Top scorer for Hillbillies, averaging 20.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Has signed with Arkansas-Monticello.
Jack Hutchinson^Shiloh Christian^6-2^Jr.^Led the Saints in scoring with 18.6 points per game along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
James Taylor^Subiaco Academy^5-9^So.^One of the area's top underclassmen. Averaged 15.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
Dayten Wishon^Gravette^6-3^Jr.^Led the Lions to a 21-8 season by averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Sports on 03/26/2017