The Lady Blackhawks begin state tournament
Heath Neal’s Lady Blackhawks were slated to play the morning of Wednesday, March 10, in the first round of the 4A State Tournament which is being held in Morrilton.
The Hawks (22-4) are taking on the Nashville Scrappers (24-7). The Scrappers were third in the South Region, and were second in the 4A-7 District Tournament after winning the 4A-7 regular season title. The Nashville crew have losses to Mena (twice), Lake Hamilton and Greenwood (big schools), Morrilton and Watson Chapel in a big upset in district play.
Morrilton has split with current state top ranked Star City (28-3), a team riding an 18-game winning streak. Star City hasn’t lost since Jan. 8 against 5A Greenwood. They won their district tournament easily, crushed Camden Fairview 69-24 in the region first round, bested Nashville 39-34 in the semifinals then blew out Mena 65-34 in the Region finals. They are the defending champions as is Farmington.
While Morrilton made off with the Regional championship, they maybe drew a tougher path to the state final. Morrilton has a bye into the quarterfinals then has to play the winner of the Watson Chapel (14-12) vs. Robinson (5-14) first round matchup. After a bye and game against teams that had losing records prior to the playoffs, should they win, the Devil Dogs will then have to play Star City in the semifinals.
Watson Chapel didn’t have a winning record until the playoffs. Their loss in the district tournament was a 57-29 pounding by Star City. Robinson finished sixth in the 4A-5 but recorded first round upsets in the district and regionals to make the state tournament.
Meanwhile, if the Hawks can get past the Nashville, they will tip it off against Little Rock Pulaski Friday, March 12. Pulaski is 22-4 and was the unbeaten champion of the 4A-5 and the East Region.
While the 4A-1 District can boast of having five teams ranked in the state’s Top 10, the 4A-5 district only had two teams than even had winning records. League runner-up eStem was eliminated in the first round leaving Pulaski and Robinson the sole teams from that league still playing. The only tough team the Bruins have played since December was 6A Lake Hamilton, a game they lost 61-51.
Nashville is a team that can play great, then not so great. Pulaski has a great record but has had very few tough teams on their schedule. Pulaski is a private academic school in the Little Rock metro area known for attracting football players with both academic and athletic skills. Their football program is probably the best in the state, and they have placed many a player on NCAA collegiate rosters.
The Hawks have proven they can play with anyone, and they do sometimes have an off night offensively. What the Hawks always have is a stout in your face defense that is always on making every point an opposing team gets a real chore.
Should the Hawks get past Nashville then Pulaski, they would be in the semifinals Saturday, likely playing Mena (22-4) or Farmington (20-7). Farmington opens Thursday against Batesville Southside (17-8) upset runners-up in the East Region. The winner of Farmington/Southside will then battle Mena. Mena was a two-time conqueror of Nashville but was destroyed by 31 points against Star City.
A third Pea Ridge/Farmington matchup in the offing? It could happen. Every game will be tough and it will take three tough victories to get a shot at playing the toughest in the state final.
Razorbacks going bananas
The Hogs must have been to one of those WINWIN-WIN rallies. They just keep winning and it’s in everything.
The baseball Hogs swept Murray State to win their 10th straight and receive the No. 1 ranking in national polls. Their team batting average is nearly .300, they have athletes on the bench who could start elsewhere, and their starting pitcher rotation is a grind trying to figure out who is best among a lot of candidates. Their bullpen is probably the best in the nation.
For the above reasons, the Hogs are ranked No. 1 for the first time in history. The nation’s Top 10 is as follows.
NCAA Top 10 baseball teams
1. Arkansas 10-0
2. Mississippi 8-3
3. Vanderbilt 9-1
4. Mississippi 10-2
5. Miami 5-4
6. Florida 9-3
7. Georgia Tech 8-3
8. UCLA 8-3
9. Texas Christian 8-3
10. South Carolina 10-0
Meanwhile, the basketball Hogs are on a roll, winning 11 straight SEC games, something they haven’t done since the 1994 NCAA Championship year. Monday morning, the Hogs landed in the Top 10 with their sensational play of late. They have picked up 21 wins on the season, with only Gonzaga’s 24 wins ahead of the Razorback total, along with three other teams.
NCAA Top 10 mens basketball teams
1. Gonzaga 24-0
2. Baylor 21-1
3. Illinois 20-6
4. Michigan 19-3
5. Iowa 20-7
6. West Virginia 18-8
7. Ohio State 18-8
8. Alabama 21-6
9. Kansas 19-8
10. Arkansas 21-5 Meanwhile meanwhile, the University of Arkansas is hosting the NCAA
Indoor National Championships and the Lady Razorbacks are primed to take home another national title.
The Razorbacks are huge favorites to win the championships which starts Thursday in Fayetteville. Texas A&M is ranked No. 2, far behind the Razorbacks with Georgia (No. 3) and Texas (No. 4) not too far behind the No. 2 spot.
The Hogs have over 30 event qualifiers, a new school record and will have plenty of chances to score lots of points.
Elsewhere, the Hog softball women have compiled a 16-2 record, 15 in a row, and are ranked 20th in the NCAA.
The womens’s No. 23 ranked tennis team whipped No. 9 Vanderbilt, and the women’s basketball team is primed for the NCAA tournament with a 19-8 record and a No. 16 national ranking.
The football team had a pair of 4-Star signees this weekend, so all in all, a great week to be a RAZORBACK fan.
Editor’s note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwadg.com.