Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Tigers Celebrated SJ’s Return
PRAIRIE GROVE GRAD NAMED FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
PRAIRIE GROVE — The return of Sarah James Stone, affectionately known by her peers as “SJ,” for her senior season was a boon to Prairie Grove girls basketball.
Stone’s impact empowered the Lady Tigers with Stone selected as Female Athlete of the Year for school year 2017-2018 at Prairie Grove by the Enterprise-Leader.
Stone, who graduated in May, will attend Arkansas Tech in the fall and major in nursing.
“One of my teachers, Mandy Allen, I really look up to her, she’s a nurse, and she just got me really interested in it and in that career field,” Stone said. “And my cousin, Paige Abbot from Springfield, Mo., is also a nurse and so I’ve kind of been surrounded by it and been encouraged to pursue that job as a career.”
All-Conference
Stone and teammate Emily Grant, a junior, were named to the 4A-1 All-Conference team. Stone averaged more rebounds (6.7) than points (6.2) a testament to her team-first attitude. Not only did she lead the team in rebounding, but also averaged 1.4 steals-per-game frequently overplaying opponents
trying to set up inside and stealing an entry pass intended to feed the post. Stone’s 42 steals was tops on the team.
Sitting Out
Stone didn’t play her junior year, saying she felt kind of burned out, and wanted to take a year off and focus on school and her education. She was sorely missed. The Lady Tigers suffered an 8-16 campaign, the first losing season of Coach Kevin Froud’s career since taking over at Prairie Grove in 2004. There was no regional tournament, no state tournament, Prairie Grove lost a first-round district tournament game.
“I missed it a lot, my junior year, and so I decided to go back and give it one last shot,” Stone said. “I missed it and I love playing basketball. It was my senior year and so I decided to go back and play, and try my best to contribute to the team and get them back to the Regional tournament and continue Coach Froud’s streak on.”
All-Around Game
As a freshman and sophomore the majority of Stone’s buckets came on putbacks with much of the defensive attention focused on Prairie Grove’s perimeter players or guards with ability to drive to the basket. By her senior year, Stone became a go-to player with Froud isolating her one-on-one and encouraging her to drive against man-to-man defenses.
“I just had to step up this year cause I was used to having like Camree Bartholomew and the Hartin twins scoring, so I knew I couldn’t just rebound and toss it back out to them,” Stone said. “I knew I had to score myself and contribute to that part of the team.”
Stone asserted herself developing dexterity and confidence driving to the goal with either hand, finding a way to finish even if that meant twisting her body between defenders and banking a shot in off the glass.
“We did a lot of posting-up drills,” Stone said, crediting the move of freshman, Jasmine Wynos, up to varsity with helping hone her skills during practice.
“She was good competition,” Stone said. “She really helped me grow as a player, just get better.”
Reaching Regional
Prairie Grove’s season came to an end with a 57-50 loss to twice-beaten Ozark at the 4A North Regional hosted by Berryville, but not without a battle. Stone and the Lady Tigers forced Ozark to execute for the duration of a contest that wasn’t decided until the final minutes.
The first-round contest marking Prairie Grove’s return to Regional play after failing to qualify for the 20162017 season featured surges by both teams in the first half. Ozark scored 22 first-quarter points, before Prairie Grove got back in the game by holding the Lady Hillbillies to 5 points in the second quarter.
Hannah Ladd scored a game-high 23 points for Ozark. Ariel Walker added 12 and Lauren Lane 10.
Stone played aggressive offensively, consistently attacking the basket. She scored 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field to go with a 6-for-8 performance at the charity stripe for Prairie Grove. Stone also led Prairie Grove in rebounding with 10. Teammate Lexie Madewell added 9 points for the Lady Tigers.
Community
Stone is the daughter of Scott and Rhonda Stone, of Prairie Grove. She feels endeared to her hometown reflecting on close connections while preparing to follow big brother, Jack, a 2017 PGHS graduate, attending Arkansas Tech on a football scholarship.
“I love Prairie Grove, no matter how far I go it will always be home,” Stone said. “You always have that smalltown, home feel with the community there. I loved growing up, and I’m blessed that I’ve been able to grow up there.”