The term "March Madness" is closely associated with the NCAA Tournament, but its origin dates back decades to high school basketball.
Henry Porter, who was executive secretary of the Illinois High School Association, is credited for first using the term "March Madness" while writing for a publication in 1939 to promote the state's high school basketball tournament.
In Arkansas, high school basketball will culminate with the state finals in Hot Springs next month. Before "March Madness" arrives though, there's "Frantic February" with conference tournaments set to begin in the lower classifications this week. Basketball fans in Northwest Arkansas have plenty of options with conference tournaments beginning Monday at Prairie Grove, Waldron, Bergman, Decatur, Kingston, Omaha and on Tuesday at Western Yell County.
Regular season conference play continues this week for Class 6A and Class 5A teams, but a state tournament type environment was present two weeks ago when Fayetteville students rushed the court after the Bulldogs rallied for a 59-54 victory over league-leading Springdale Har-Ber.
I received another preview of postseason play Friday when Elkins blitzed Charleston 62-51 and forced a three-way tie for the 3A-1 West Conference championship with Charleston and Waldron. Henry Apple, my friend and co-worker, drove to Harrison the same night to watch the Farmington girls claim the 4A-1 Conference championship with a 74-60 win that ended a 24-game win streak for the Lady Goblins.
Farmington enjoyed the huge road win, but coach Brad Johnson knows Harrison and other top teams will be eager for another shot at the Lady Cardinals in the coming weeks.
"I think Harrison is one of the single-best teams in the state, and we know that," Johnson said. "They're a legitimate threat to win the whole thing. So for us to be able to go away from home, play one of the top teams in the state and play well, that's huge. It gives us another wave of momentum getting ready for the district tournament."
The rankings in each classification are published weekly in these sports pages on Tuesday. But rankings mean nothing in postseason tournaments when one bad game, one bad quarter, or one bad play can end a top team's season prematurely. It's not uncommon for a team with a handful of losses to catch fire and win a state championship.
In 2013, only Greenland stood in the way of Jessieville's quest to complete a perfect 34-0 season. Jessieville was a heavy favorite against Greenland, which finished the regular season below .500 with a schedule filled with games against larger schools. The game was a blowout in favor of the Lady Pirates, who took home the championship trophy after whipping Jessieville 59-32.
More recently, Fort Smith Northside's boys struggled to a fourth-place finish last season in 6A-Central Conference play. But the Grizzlies turned up the intensity in the state tournament and captured the 6A championship with an overall record of 21-11.
So, what will it take for a team to win a state championship? Same as always -- coaching, teamwork and great individual efforts.
We saw those elements last year in Class 6A, when the Northside boys and girls each won state championships at Hot Springs. Jersey Wolfenbarger hit a last-second jumper to beat Bentonville, while Jaylin Williams scored 20 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked three shots to lead the Grizzlies over Bryant.
Both MVPs will back in the state tournament to help the Northside boys and girls defend their state championships.
Postseason play is here in the lower classification, and sports writers from the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will spread out to cover the action. It's a fantastic time of year on the calendar when "Frantic February" turns into "March Madness."
Preps Sports on 02/16/2020