Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Today’s overall top 10 games
BOYS
JONESBORO AT NO. 1 MARION WHERE Patriot Arena, Marion
RECORDS Jonesboro 9-3, 5-0 5A-East; Marion 13-1, 6-0 5A-East
COACHES Jonesboro: Wes Swift; Marion: David Clark
NOTEWORTHY A Jonesboro victory would create a tie for first place in the 5A-East, which could set up a winnertake-all matchup in the regular-season finale on Feb. 19 at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium. … Marion has won three of the last four games against Jonesboro. … The Patriots have won all six of their league games by 10 or more points while the Golden Hurricane have done the same in their five conference matchups.
CONWAY AT NO. 2 LR CENTRAL
WHERE Tiger Fieldhouse, Little Rock
RECORDS Conway 4-6, 3-2 6A-Central; Central 13-3, 5-0 6A-Central
COACHES Conway: Salty Longing; Central: Brian Ross
NOTEWORTHY This will be the first time these two teams have met since being crowned Class 6A co-champions in March. … Central has beaten Conway four of the last six times the teams have faced, including both games during the 2019-20 regular season. … The Wampus Cats have alternated wins and losses in their past five contests. … Three of Conway’s six setbacks have been by a combined nine points.
CABOT AT NO. 3 BRYANT
WHERE Hornet Arena, Bryant
RECORDS Cabot 2-13, 0-5 6A-Central; Bryant 11-2, 3-2 6A-Central
COACHES Cabot: Logan Bailey; Bryant: Mike Abrahamson
NOTEWORTHY Bryant has lost both games to 6A-Central leaders Little Rock Central and North Little Rock at home. … Cabot beat Bryant twice last season. … The Panthers, who are trying to snap an eight-game losing skid, play fourthplace Fort Smith Northside and North Little Rock in two games next week. … Camren Hunter is averaging 31 points in two of his last three outings for Bryant.
NO. 4 NORTH LITTLE ROCK AT FS NORTHSIDE
WHERE Kaundart Fieldouse, Fort Smith
RECORDS North Little Rock 10-1, 4-1 6A-Central; Northside 7-7, 3-2
COACHES North Little Rock: Johnny Rice; Northside: Eric Burnett
NOTEWORTHY North Little Rock has come out on the winning end of eight of the last 10 encounters with Northside. … Senior guard D.J. Smith scored 25 of his 34 points in the second half against Bryant on Tuesday. … Northside has won three games in a row after losing six of its previous seven. … Jacob Joe, a senior, exploded for six three-pointers and 27 points in the Grizzlies’ last game, a 63-48 victory over Cabot.
HAMBURG AT NO. 5 MAGNOLIA WHERE Panther Arena, Magnolia
RECORDS Hamburg 0-6, 1-9 4A-8; Magnolia 13-0, 7-0 4A-8
COACHES Hamburg: Matt Allison; Magnolia: Ben Lindsey
NOTEWORTHY Magnolia will be looking to extend its winning streak to 45 games overall in its game against a Hamburg ballclub that has struggled. … Hamburg’s last five games with Magnolia have been decided by 50, 33, 46, 55 and 29 points. … Junior guards Derrian Ford and Colby Garland combined for 54 of the team’s 92 points in their 33-point victory over Camden Fairview on Jan. 19.
NO. 6 BENTONVILLE AT SPRINGDALE
WHERE Bulldog Gymnasium, Springdale
RECORDS Bentonville 11-1, 5-0 6A-West; Springdale 1-3, 8-5 6A-West
COACHES Bentonville: Dick Rippee; Springdale: Jeremy Price
NOTEWORTHY Bentonville has knocked off its rivals five consecutive games. … The Tigers managed to beat Rogers in its last game without scoring a single point during a five-minute stretch of the fourth quarter. … Springdale had won eight of 10 but has dropped three in a row, albeit by slim margins. … Bentonville’s only loss came at North Little Rock on Dec. 22.
BENTON AT NO. 8 LR PARKVIEW
WHERE Charles Ripley Arena, Little Rock
RECORDS Benton 6-4. 0-1 5A-Central; Parkview 11-2, 4-1 5A-Central
COACHES Benton: Dexter Hendrix; Parkview: Scotty Thurman
NOTEWORTHY Benton is returning to the court after being off since losing to Sylvan Hills 55-51 on Jan. 5. … Seven of Parkview’s past eight games have gone the Patriots’ way, including an overwhelming victory at Beebe. … Parkview has a showdown with Sylvan Hills looming next week. … The Panthers are scheduled to face Maumelle on Jan. 26.
ROGERS HERITAGE AT NO. 9 FAYETTEVILLE
WHERE Bulldog Arena, Fayetteville
RECORDS Rogers Heritage 6-9, 1-3 6A-West; Fayetteville 13-3, 4-1 6A-West
COACHES Rogers Heritage: Tom Olson; Fayetteville: Brad Stamps
NOTEWORTHY Fayetteville’s loss to Bentonville last week was the Bulldogs’ lone defeat in their last 10 games. … Heritage has come up short seven of the last eight times it has played Fayetteville. … The War Eagles will play the final of a threegame road trip today before hosting rival Rogers. … The two teams will play again in the next-to-last game of the regular season.
NO. 10 SYLVAN HILLS AT BEEBE
WHERE Badger Arena, Beebe
RECORDS Sylvan Hills 12-2, 4-0 5A-Central; Beebe 7-5, 0-3 5A-Central
COACHES Sylvan Hills: Kevin Davis; Beebe: Ryan Marshall
NOTEWORTHY Sylvan Hills will put its 11-game winning streak on the line. … Beebe played tough in a 95-87 loss to Maumelle and a 60-46 setback to Jacksonville before being beaten by 31 points (79-48) at home to Parkview. … Backto-back battles at Little Rock Christian and Maumelle await the Badgers next.
NOTE
No. 7 Maumelle’s game against Little Rock Hall was canceled.
GIRLS NO. 9 NORTH LITTLE ROCK AT NO. 1 FS NORTHSIDE
WHERE Kaundart Fieldhouse, Fort Smith
RECORDS North Little Rock 11-4, 4-1 6A-Central; Northside 15-1, 5-0 6A-Central
COACHES North Little Rock: Daryl Fimple; Northside: Rickey Smith
NOTEWORTHY A loss by Northside could conceivably drop the Lady Bears into a three-way tie for the top spot in the 6A-Central. … North Little Rock was still without standout guard April Edwards in its last game. The sophomore is nursing a leg injury she sustained in December. … Northside left Kaundart Fieldhouse with a 55-37 victory when the teams last played on Feb. 21, 2020.
NO. 3 MELBOURNE AT TUCKERMAN
WHERE Bly Story Fieldhouse, Tuckerman
RECORDS Melbourne 16-1, 5-0 2A-2; Tuckerman: 18-2, 5-1 2A-2
COACHES Melbourne: Eric Teague; Tuckerman: Chad Soden
NOTEWORTHY A lot at stake in a rematch of teams ranked among the best in Class 2A. … No. 1 Melbourne beat No. 3 Tuckerman 45-34 on Jan. 11. … A Tuckerman victory would put the Lady Bulldogs in first place. … Both teams still have to face third-place Salem. … Tuckerman’s only losses this year were to Melbourne and Batesville, both of which are the top teams in their respective classes.
NO. 4 BATESVILLE AT WEST MEMPHIS
WHERE Lehr Arena, West Memphis
RECORDS Batesville 15-0, 6-0 5A-East; West Memphis 5-7, 0-5
COACHES Batesville: Stan Fowler; West Memphis: Erica Leak
NOTEWORTHY West Memphis needs a victory bad if its going to put itself in playoff position. … The Lady Blue Devils are enduring a stretch where they’ve lost seven of eight games, including all five in conference play. Six of those defeats were by six points or less. … Batesville has games at Jonesboro and Greene County Tech on the docket following today.
NO. 5 CONWAY AT LR CENTRAL
WHERE Tiger Fieldhouse, Little Rock
RECORDS Conway 12-3, 4-1 6A-Central; Central 7-7, 2-2 6A-Central
COACHES Conway: Ashley Hutchcraft; Central: Marlon Williams
NOTEWORTHY Conway has an eightgame run against Central, with four of those victories coming by at least 30 points. … Central senior guard and Arkansas State commit Lauryn Pendleton recently went over the 1,000-point mark for her career. … The Lady Tigers are currently in fourth place in the 6A-Central behind Northside, Conway and North Little Rock.
MOUNTAIN HOME AT NO. 6 GREENWOOD
WHERE H.B. Stewart Arena, Greenwood
RECORDS Mountain Home 2-9, 1-3 5A-West; Greenwood 10-3, 3-0 5A-West
COACHES Mountain Home: Dell Leonard; Greenwood: Clay Reeves
NOTEWORTHY Greenwood has crushed its three 5A-West opponents (Greenbrier, Vilonia, Siloam Springs) by nearly 32 points each. … A victory by the Lady Bulldogs could set the stage for a battle for first in the league next Tuesday with Russellville if the Lady Cyclones can beat Siloam Springs today. … Mountain Home has experienced defeats in 10 of its last 11 games.
NO. 7 LR CHRISTIAN AT JACKSONVILLE WHERE Titan Arena, Jacksonville
RECORDS LR Christian 13-1, 4-0 5A-Central; Jacksonville 2-7, 0-2 5A-Central
COACHES Jacksonville: Marian Kursh; LR Christian: Ronald Rogers
NOTEWORTHY Jacksonville had its previous two games canceled and will be playing for the first time since losing to Sylvan Hills on Jan. 8. … Little Rock Christian ran its win streak to seven in its last game with a dominating 52-point thrashing of Maumelle. Five players scored at least 10 points for the Lady Warriors. … Feb. 16 is the next time the teams square off.
NO. 8 HARRISON AT GRAVETTE
WHERE Lion Arena, Gravette
RECORDS Harrison 11-0, 5-0 4A-1; Gravette 9-4, 2-2 4A-1
COACHES Harrison: Kristian Williams; Gravette: Will Pittman
NOTEWORTHY Big game for both teams, especially Gravette. The Lady Lions still have road trips at Pea Ridge and Farmington to play in early February and are trying to remain in the thick of the conference race. … Pea Ridge’s upset loss to Berryville allowed Harrison to take over sole possession of first place in the 4A1. … The Lady Goblins have won the last three vs. Gravette. … Harrison has scored at least 55 points eight times.
VAN BUREN AT NO. 10 VILONIA
WHERE Eagle Arena, Vilonia
RECORDS Van Buren 7-7, 1-2 5A-West; Vilonia 14-2, 4-1 5A-West
COACHES Van Buren: Michael Kinney; Vilonia: Jeremy Simon
NOTEWORTHY Van Buren is sitting in the No. 5 spot in the 5A-West after picking up its first league victory of the season Wednesday night against Alma. The win also stopped a three-game losing streak for the Lady Pointers. … Vilonia drilled Greenbrier 70-38 on Tuesday. … Both teams are slated to end conference play against one another in the final game of the regular season.