Gooden, Lady Bears take tournament
FORT SMITH — Over the 26 years of the Tournament of Champions, there have been many special performances to earn MVP honors. Fort Smith Northside junior guard Erianna Gooden turned in one that won’t be soon forgotten Saturday night.
Gooden finished with a game-high 36 points to lead Northside past nationally-ranked Bethany, Okla., in a 71-69 overtime victory in the tournament final at the Barn. Gooden connected on 10 of 23 shots and made 14 of 15 free throws with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
“Wow,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said after hearing how many points Gooden scored. “I didn’t realize she scored that many. They knew we wanted the ball in her hands. She is just a warrior. She does it all and is a dominating factor. She played with a chip on her shoulder going against players with Division I commitments. She wants to show she can play at that level. We know she can and is hard to guard.”
Northside (7-1) had to win in overtime after Bethany’s Talia Vann scored the final basket of regulation to tie it at 65-65. Bethany then almost won it in overtime, but a threepoint shot bounced out of the basket at the buzzer.
The Lady Bears found themselves down most of the game after falling behind early. Bethany (3-1) went on a 10-0 run to start the game without missing a shot. Northside scored the final four points of the first quarter to be down just 17-16.
Bethany took a 34-26 lead into halftime using a 14-2 run in the early stages of the second quarter. Northside battled to take a 41-40 lead in the third quarter but then trailed 54-46 entering the fourth quarter.
Gooden, who dealt with an ankle injury during the game, was a huge factor in the last quarter of regulation and in overtime. She scored a teamhigh nine points in the fourth quarter and a team-high four points in overtime.
“I was just trying to push it,” Gooden said. “I knew my team needed me. I know what I need to do for us to win. I knew what I had been doing wasn’t going to cut it. I just played basketball. I just go into every game with a chip on my shoulder.
“I don’t like to think people pick teams over us. Northside is pretty good, too. We want to be the best. I have so much faith in this team.”
With Northside going into the game against a team that is nationally ranked with top players in the nation, Smith said he was a little concerned before the matchup. But his team showed up in the huge game, winning the first Tournament of Champions title for Northside since 2021.
“That was a quality, quality win,” Smith said. “That’s a top-25 team in the country. We went to Dallas last week and got thumped by a topfive team. I was hoping that would help us not be rattled. We had some breakdowns in the first half. But we came in at halftime and really responded. Going into the game, I was worried because they have a ton of talent. I’m so proud of our team. We are really growing.”
Earning MVP honors Gooden said was a special moment for her. She said she knows well the history of the Tournament of Champions and saw first hand early in her career what it takes to win the award.
“I feel so honored,” Gooden said. “My freshman year, Yoni [Releford] won it. I loved her and she played amazing that tournament. Last year I didn’t have a chance to win it because we didn’t pull through, so this is the first year winning it. It’s so exciting. There is so much tradition in this tournament. This is Fort Smith’s tournament, so I wanted to win it.”
Gooden provided plenty of points, but other Lady Bears played key roles, too. Hazley Grotjohn finished with 15 points with many others making an impact that Smith said he was proud about.
“Everybody played a role,” Smith said. “I thought Hazley hit some big shots. Cherish [Blackmon] played so well for us on defense and hit some key free throws. Isabella [Kindrick] was all over it with her defense. Alex Bunch came off the bench and hit a critical three.”
Bethany used a balanced attack with Zya Vann (24 points), Kayten Donley (15 points), Keziah Lofton (15 points with 11 rebounds) and Talia Vann (11 points) leading the way.
“We played a 2-3 zone during the third and fourth quarters into overtime,” Smith said. “It worked out for us. In my 30 years at Northside, that’s the most we played in it. I’ve probably played two quarters of it total entering this game. They had some kids that were tough to guard. It was a battle.”
BERGMAN 50, VAN BUREN 48
The Lady Panthers rallied to win the consolation bracket with late game heroics. Bergman (20-2) found itself down 17-8 after the first quarter and 31-21 at halftime.
They then outscored their opponents 10-8 in the third and 19-9 in the final quarter. Freshman guard Jacey Halitzka made a three-point basket with 18.5 seconds left to play for a 50-48 lead, and Van Buren after that had a three-pointer for the win bounce out of the rim.
Bergman (20-2) was guided by a game-high 13 points and eight rebounds from Ruby Trammell. Halitzka added 11 points. Van Buren (8-2) was led by Aspen Cone (11 points), Camryn Schmidt (10 points) and Jaci Odom (8 points and 10 rebounds).
GREENE COUNTY TECH 51, FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 40
The Golden Eagles (6-5) finished on a good note with their first win of the weekend in the seventh place game. Greene County Tech’s Sophia Gonzalez (13 points), Ava Carter (10 points) and Weslyn Burnside (8 points and 4 rebounds) guided the way. Southside (1-7) was led by a game-high 15 points from Kaila Robinson.