Little Rock Central completed the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 10-2 record and a third-place finish in the Ardmore (Okla.) Holiday Festival Tournament during the holiday break.
The Tigers' confidence is soaring, says Central Coach Brian Ross.
6A standings
CENTRAL BOYS
TEAM;CONF.;ALL
Cabot;0-0;12-1
LR Central;0-0;10-2
Bryant;0-0;10-3
North Little Rock;0-0;12-3
Conway;0-0;9-3
Catholic;0-0;9-4
FS Northside;0-0;9-5
FS Southside;0-0;5-8
WEST BOYS
TEAM;CONF.;ALL
Rogers;0-0;10-2
Bentonville;0-0;10-3
Fayetteville;0-0;9-3
Springdale;0-0;6-5
Bentonville West;0-0;6-7
Rogers Heritage;0-0;5-7
Har-Ber;0-0;4-6
Van Buren;0-0;4-9
CENTRAL GIRLS
TEAM;CONF.;ALL
FS Northside;0-0;12-0
Conway;0-0;14-2
Bryant;0-0;10-2
Cabot;0-0;9-2
North Little Rock;0-0;6-6
LR Central;0-0;5-6
Mount St. Mary;0-0;3-8
FS Southside;0-0;0-10
WEST GIRLS
TEAM;CONF.;ALL
Bentonville;0-0;11-2
Fayetteville;0-0;7-2
Rogers;0-0;8-4
Springdale;0-0;7-4
Har-Ber;0-0;7-6
Van Buren;0-0;7-6
Bentonville West;0-0;5-7
Rogers Heritage;0-0;4-8
"We got to play some great competition," Ross said. "We competed really well against some quality teams that I think resemble what we'll see in conference play. We're 10-2 and we've already won more games than we won all of last year with basically the same players. I think our confidence is very high right now. I can tell you we've got some high expectations."
That may be true of a lot of Arkansas teams after their performances in last week's tournaments.
Consider:
• West Memphis won the Neosho (Mo.) Holiday Classic behind the MVP efforts of junior Chris Moore, who posted 23 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks in a 61-50 championship game victory over Memphis Mitchell.
• Jonesboro handed Humboldt, Tenn., its first loss of the season in the semifinals of the Poplar Bluff (Mo.) Shootout. The Hurricane suffered a 69-68 loss to the host team in the finals.
• Jacksonville came into the King Cotton Classic as the No. 8 seed but finished as the runner-up. The Titans knocked off top-seed Houston Math and Science in the first round.
• North Little Rock earned the fourth-place trophy in the 38th annual Beachball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C, a 16-team nationally renowned classic.
Arkansas' girls teams also enjoyed some success. Unbeaten Fort Smith Northside captured the White Division of the Pink & White Invitational in Springfield, Mo. The Lady Bears won their four tournament games by an average of 24.5 points a game. Conway completed the 68th annual Sandra Meadows Classic by winning four of five games, losing in overtime to Cedar Hill, Texas, in the championship game.
"We had a good week," Conway Coach Ashley Nance said. "We played five games in three days and that will test you both mentally and physically, but we proved we had the stamina to do it. Overall, I was pleased with our competitiveness. We played really well."
But now those teams have to put their recent success behind them. Conference play for most of the larger schools starts tonight.
"The expectation for us is to win every game," said Northside Coach Rickey Smith, whose Lady Bears play at Bryant tonight in their 6A-Central opener. "You don't just start conference play and you magically start playing better. Every game is big."
Sophomore Jersey Wolfenbarger paced Northside (12-0) during its four-game tournament run.
"She shot the ball really well," Smith said. "She's grown like crazy in the last year. She was 5-10 last season and now she's 6-1. She's done a good job working on her timing and movement and now she's starting to gel."
Sisters Tracey and Sara Bershers have also played well for the Lady Bears and Smith is hopeful senior Tiya Douglas and sophomore Avery Shelly will be more productive after coming back from injuries.
"We're playing better than we were early in the season," Smith said. "We're not peaking, which is a good thing. We were playing one good quarter and following it up with one bad quarter. We still haven't put together four good quarters but we are moving in the right direction."
Conway senior Asiyha Smith was named Most Valuable Offensive Player for the Sandra Meadows Classic, averaging 17 points a game.
"Every team we played had a big-time player," Nance said. "But every single game I thought Asiyha was the best player on the court. ... She was big-time for us."
Junior Jada Pickens and senior Myia Yelder also were selected to the all-tournament team.
Conway (14-2) plays at Fort Smith Southside in its league opener.
Central opens up conference play at North Little Rock (12-3) tonight. The Tigers lost to North Little Rock twice last season by a combined six points.
"I don't see a weak team in our conference," Ross said. "It's all going to come down to who weathers the storm and who can survive the ups and downs of a tough league."
Junior guard Spencer Simes was a consistent force for North Little Rock (12-3) at the Beach Ball Classic, averaging 12.8 points a game and scoring at least 10 points in all four games. Senior guard Shawn Fudge averaged 12.3 points a game and senior Collin Moore averaged 10.5 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds a game.
In winning the Arkansas Pride Tournament which was held the weekend before Christmas, North Little Rock won four games in three days. At the Beach Ball Classic, the Charging Wildcats played four games in six days. The 'Cats left for Myrtle Beach on Christmas night and played their final game of the tournament on New Year's Eve.
"I think our guys have responded really well," North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice said. "Our first practice back from Myrtle Beach, the guys were bouncing around the gym and were very energetic. They seem to be very resilient."
Central senior Rajhon McIntosh came up with two 18-point efforts during the Ardmore tournament. He also pulled down 15 rebounds in an opening-round victory over Putnam City, Okla.
"Ray has been Mr. Consistent for us," Ross said. "He's been there for us every single night."
Senior Jakaylyn Jackson scored 11 points in victories over Putnam City and Palestine, Texas.
Sports on 01/04/2019