Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Wolves seek 1st title since 1963
As delightful as this week as been for Lake Hamilton in preparation for its appearance in today’s Class 5A boys basketball state final, the Wolves are hoping things are even more delightful after the fact.
A pair of 5A-South Conference rivals will duke it out for a third time this season when Pine Bluff takes on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. Tipoff is slated for 7:45 p.m., and Wolves Coach Scotty Pennington said he is about as anxious as he can be because his team has an opportunity to give their supporters even more reason to celebrate.
“It’s been 25 years here at Lake Hamilton since a team has been in the finals in boys,” he said. “Brandi Higginbotham won a girls title in what seems like 12 or 13 years ago, so there’s been pep rallies planned and everything. Spring sports have been moving games around, too, so their teams can be at the game. Just the support from community has been just amazing.
“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding [finals], and our fans are really proud of the guys because not only are they a good basketball team, they’re also a really, really good group of kids. They’re easy to pull for.”
A huge contingent of Wolves fans are expected to be on hand, especially with the school located less than eight miles from Bank OZK Arena.
As gratifying as it would be for Lake Hamilton (28-4) and its supporters to capture its first state boys championship since 1963, doing so won’t exactly be easy, particularly against a team that’s responsible for half of the Wolves’ losses this season.
Pine Bluff (24-7) has beaten Lake Hamilton twice, including a 62-55 victory on Jan. 24 that virtually allowed the Zebras to put a chokehold on the top spot in the 5A-South. Courtney Crutchfield averaged 23.5 points for Pine Bluff in the two games, but he’s only a fraction of the problem.
The Zebras have several who have proven they can put up big numbers, from Jordon Harris, a 6-6 forward, to guard X’Zaevion Barnett, a 6-2 guard.
Those kinds of options have made it tough for opposing teams to key in on just Crutchfield, who may soon start generating the same kind of Power 5 interest in basketball as he has for football. Still, it’s a challenge that Pennington and his team embraces.
“We’ve won some battles with Pine Bluff, not this year, but in the past,” Pennington said. “They’ve won some, but the thing about it is that both teams know that they’re capable of being the other one. Even though they’ve won both games this year, I’m pretty sure [Pine Bluff Coach Billy Dixon] has their attention and has let them know that this is a game that they could lose.
“That alone makes for a really fun game.”
The fun for Lake Hamilton has been exponential for the past month and a half. Two games following its last loss to the Zebras, the Wolves were beaten by Hot Springs 56-50 at home. According to Pennington, that setback was an eye-opener.
“That was the turning point in our season, without a doubt,” he said. “Sometimes you just need a humbling loss, a loss that you didn’t expect or a loss that you didn’t think could happen. And I don’t think our kids respected Hot Springs in a way that they should have.
“Hot Springs came in here hungry and kind of had a target on our chest, and trust me, there wasn’t anything fluky about that game. They just flat out beat us, and that loss really got our kids’ attention.”
The Wolves have won nine games in a row since then, most of which have been in convincing fashion. Lake Hamilton’s depth has been at the forefront of its winning streak. Ty Robinson and Zac Pennington have been the catalysts for the majority of the season, but they’ve also taken a supporting role at times when their teammates have gotten things going.
“In today’s world, it’s so hard to convince kids to do things and to sacrifice for the betterment of the team, but these kids have bought in to that,” Scotty Pennington said. “They know what their job is and what they have to do in order for us to be successful. Some nights it’s scoring. LaBraun [Christon] and Zane [Pennington] has had 15- and 16-point nights. Charter [Harris] has had those nights. Easton [Hurley] has scored in the 20s several times when he’s shot it well.
“When it’s there and we need them to do that, they’ll do it. But they’re OK being the defensive stoppers or the hustle play guys.”
Those efforts today could pay off for the Wolves in their third go-round with the Zebras.
“It’s a neat element where our kids and their kids genuinely like and respect one another,” Pennington said of the teams. “It makes for a really fun game, and it should be an absolute war between two programs who do it right in and out the classroom, and on the court as well. So it should be a lot of fun.”