Worth the trip

Baptist Prep has not enjoyed a lot of success playing in the Nxt Lvl Hoopfest in Nashville, Tenn., the past three years, but Eagles Coach Brian Ross has had no trouble pointing to the end result for the two-time defending Class 4A state champions.

In nine games at the competitive late December tournament, Baptist Prep has won only once. The Eagles are, however, a combined 45-1 in the months of January, February and March the past three seasons.

“We try to schedule the best teams we can possibly play,” Ross said after Thursday’s 69-42 victory over Joe. T. Robinson. “Playing North Little Rock and going to that tournament helps. We lose some games, but it exposes our weaknesses and then we know what we need to work on.

“I’m blessed. I’ve got a group of kids who don’t get their heads down when they get beat. They figure out what they need to do better and they come back and work on it. The hope is to be peaking at the end of the season.”

One player who seems to have found his stride in the Eagles’ past eight games is 6-3 sophomore Brooks Spoon, who scored 18 points in Tuesday’s victory over LISA Academy and 17 points against Robinson.

“He’s really become a leader for us,” Ross said of Spoon. “During the last six to eight games, he’s probably averaging 14 points a game. He’s shooting the ball well, driving the ball well. He’s a sophomore, but with 15 games under his belt he’s starting to figure things out.”