SHINING MOMENT
State title seals team’s legacy
When the final buzzer sounded on basketball season Saturday night, the Hot Springs Lady Trojans stood alone at the top of the Class 5A mountain.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes and seven ties, the Lady Trojans survived 11 missed free throws in the fourth quarter to claim their fifth state championship in program history with a 50-47 win over two-time defending champion Watson Chapel at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
Even with a 23-game winning streak to cap a 31-3 campaign as the lone 30-win team in Class 5A, the season was not without its challenges for Hot Springs.
Following the graduation of two-time all-state selection KeKe Hunter, the Lady Trojans had a gaping hole in the middle of their lineup.
Senior Trinitee Nevels and Lakeside transfer Jaidan Thomas did their best to fill Hunter’s shoes, giving the Lady Trojans the interior presence they needed against top-level competition.
“You can’t say enough about what they did this season,” Hot Springs coach Josh Smith said. “Trinitee came in and worked her tail off to earn that starting spot before the season, and Jaidan was one of the most consistent players we had all year. We would not have made it where we did without those two.”
After winning their first six games of the season by an average of 19 points per game, the Lady Trojans faced their first taste of adversity when the calendar turned to December.
Spending 10 straight games away from the friendly confines of
Trojan Fieldhouse, Hot Springs found life on the road to be difficult.
Losses to Conway, Little Rock Parkview and Sheridan in tournament play left the Lady Trojans wondering who they were as a team.
“We had a team meeting in December, because we just weren’t on the same page, none of us,” said Smith. “We sat down and we hashed it out. We all came to an agreement that everything had to be put aside when we’re on that basketball court, and that’s what we have been.”
Fresh out of that gathering, Hot Springs reeled off three wins in three days over Pea Ridge, Centerpoint and host Lake Hamilton to claim its second-consecutive Kameron Hale Invitational championship, setting the stage for a sizzling finish to the regular season.
Over the next two months, the Lady Trojans feasted on their 6A/5A-6 blended conference opponents, winning 11 games by double figures to run their winning streak to 16 games entering the 5A-South conference tournament.
Advancing past White Hall and De Queen in the first two rounds gave Hot Springs the matchup it had waited for in the conference championship on Feb. 23.
Hot Springs welcomed fellow Class 5A heavyweight Watson Chapel to Trojan Fieldhouse and gave their home fans plenty to cheer about, taking down the mighty Lady Wildcats to claim their second league title in as many years.
“Our focus from the beginning of the year was about being better on defense,” Smith said. “We had moments, everybody has moments, but for the most part we did a good job of not letting people go off on us. That Watson Chapel win gave us a lot of confidence going into the state tournament.”
The Lady Trojans made quick work of Harrison in the first round of the state tournament the following week, but a third-quarter slump had Hot Springs trailing Batesville by 11 points entering the fourth quarter of a second round matchup.
With their season on the line, the Lady Trojans turned to their senior leaders to punch a ticket to semifinal Saturday. Guards Ariana Guinn and Imani Honey combined for 29 points in the last eight minutes as Hot Springs survived with a 76-74 win.
Ousting Little Rock Parkview in the semifinals, Hot Springs took a 22-game winning streak into Saturday’s championship game against Watson Chapel, where Guinn and Honey closed their Lady Trojan careers in style.
Guinn led all scorers with 22 points, while Honey earned most valuable player honors with a line of 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“It all goes back to those two,” said Smith. “That’s just what it is and that’s who we are. We go back out there and you give me two free throws, I’d have to flip a coin to decide. I’m putting them both out there if I could.”
For Guinn, Honey and Smith, the win capped a three-year run that included a record of 78-14 with two conference championships. For a school that prides itself on basketball, the trio solidified their place among the all-time greats.
“I knew that as soon as they finally understood what we were looking for all the time, it would show,” Smith said. “They started to rely on each other and it showed in this state tournament. From day one, watching them play junior high ball while I was on the boys’ staff, I knew they were capable of this.”