PB boys get set for basketball playoffs
This year, the path to Hot Springs goes through Pine Bluff, on the basketball court and on the map.
While the King Cotton Holiday Classic may be an annual affair in the city, the Arkansas Activities Association’s 5A state playoffs in Pine Bluff isn’t. Not only does the Pine Bluff Convention Center get the rare treat of hosting the first round through semifinals starting today, the hometown favorite will begin a championship quest when most adults in the city get off work.
Pine Bluff High School’s 5:30 p.m. tipoff time against Sylvan Hills just might be perfect timing to draw a pro-Zebra crowd rooting on the three-time 5A-South Conference champions, who reached the semifinals last year in Sheridan.
“Five-thirty is a prime time, especially in a high-level tournament,” said Zebras Coach Billy Dixon, who is hoping to lead the Zebras to their first championship game since 2016 and first title since 2015. “The kids are out of school. Staff get to come to the game, and parents are off work. So we’re expecting a nice crowd.”
With King Cotton held for three days in the last week of December, the tournament drew healthy crowds when the Zebras took the floor. With the 5A-South champion getting the prime-time slot this year, the chips fell in the Zebras’ favor.
Not only can Pine Bluff (217) build a greater home advantage, basketball junkies across Arkansas can catch the No. 2-ranked 5A team in action against a traditional contender in Sylvan Hills (17-11), the fourth seed from the 5A-Central. The
No. 1 team, Marion (236), gets the 8:30 p.m. slot against Greenbrier (14-14), a late show in high school hoops.
There is a chance Pine Bluff and Marion could square off in next week’s state final in Hot Springs, with both teams playing on opposite sides of the bracket. Pine Bluff’s path to the Spa City would go through Sylvan Hills, either Nettleton or Van Buren in the quarterfinals and either Maumelle, Sheridan, Siloam Springs or Greene County Tech in the semifinals.
Who the Zebras would have to face after today doesn’t concern Dixon.
“It wouldn’t matter what the draw is. This is a state tournament,” he said. “Everybody can play. If I don’t beat the guy in front of me, I can’t worry about the guy on the other side.”
Junior Courtney Crutchfield, an oft-recruited wide receiver, and seniors X’Zaevion Barnett and Jordon Harris have plenty of playoff experience together. They helped Pine Bluff win two games in last year’s 5A tournament before running into Jonesboro, now a 6A contender.
The year before, Pine Bluff was less than a minute away from going to the semifinals at Hot Springs when Sylvan Hills’ Nick Smith Jr. drove to the basket for the eventual game-winner. That 4342 decision was the last time the Bears and Zebras clashed before tonight.
This season, Kevin Davis’ Sylvan Hills squad finished in a three-way tie with Vilonia and Little Rock Parkview, all one game behind Maumelle in the 5A-Central. The Bears won their last two over eStem and Jacksonville to force the tie after losing 5248 at Vilonia.
Pine Bluff, 41-3 in conference play the last three years, has not played since defeating Hot Springs at home last Tuesday to clinch the 5A-South outright, giving Dixon’s team much-needed rest.
“We’re trying to get guys back healthy who are nicked up and banged up,” he said. “We’re just staying even-keel. We’re not trying to be too far up and not get too down. We understand the significance of this tournament. Some days, we went hard at it in practice and some days we backed off.”
YELLOWJACKETS TIP OFF BOYS BRACKET
Maumelle (18-11) and Sheridan (18-10) are first on the boys’ docket, as they tip off at 2:30 p.m. today.
Sheridan hasn’t been in the state tourney in three years, so the Yellowjackets were out when the playoffs were on their home court last year. Luckily for them, they only have to make a short and familiar jaunt to Pine Bluff.
“I already told my kids, this is fun,” Sheridan Coach Joe Scott said. “We can be the talk of the tournament the very first game.”
The Yellowjackets are counting on turning heads after surviving a difficult 5A-South slate with the leadership of eight seniors. Two of them, guards Justin Crews and Peyton Free, have surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring mark.
“I have a mature basketball team with a bunch of 18-year-olds,” Scott said. “This year, we’re all excited about wanting to make it, and then we had the addition of Benton in our conference. That made it nine when they’re only taking four teams, and other conferences have eight teams. But I said at the beginning, if we can get in, we can do damage.”
LADY JACKETS IN NO RUSH FOR FIRST-ROUNDER
The Sheridan Lady Jackets (16-8) will play the next-to-last first-round girls game at 1 p.m. Thursday against Little Rock Christian Academy (21-8), a semifinalist last season.
The extra wait is just fine with Lady Jackets Coach Jamison Ingram.
“It definitely gives you a chance to prep and more time to prep,” she said. “You get to rest your legs. Playing Thursday at 1 p.m., I don’t see it as anything other than an advantage. Little Rock Christian is getting an opportunity to rest their legs, too. I don’t mind the Thursday at 1 p.m.”
Behind junior Kayden Porter (18.8 points per game), a third-year starter, and senior Brooklyn Rowe (17 ppg), the Lady Jackets improved their overall record from last season by five games.
Ingram noticed her team taking next steps early on in 5A-South play.
“I felt like it kind of happened right before Christmas break. We had a good first-round game against Lake Hamilton. We shot the ball like I thought we were capable of,” Ingram said. “We wanted to tweak the way we played and relied on our teammates more. The first part of the season on, we bought into that.”