Towns-Robinson, Gooden earn player of the week honors

Alma’s boys remained undefeated in 5A-West Conference play last week after picking up two big home wins against Van Buren and Harrison.

Junior forward Israel Towns-Robinson is a big reason why.

After being in a car wreck and missing the Airedales’ 5350 win over Mountain Home on Jan. 27, Towns-Robinson returned last week and scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in Alma’s 60-58 win over Crawford County rival Van Buren on Tuesday.

Towns-Robinson (6-2, 220 pounds) then had a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds and keyed a fourth-quarter rally as the Airedales (15-8, 8-0 5A-West) rallied to beat Harrison on Friday.

Towns-Robinson is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Boys Player of the Week.

“The thing about Israel is he’s just a great human being,” Alma Coach Dominic Lincoln said. “I’m happy with the success he’s having because he puts in so much work. He’s a hard worker and a great teammate.

“Obviously we’re not the same team without him on the floor.”

Towns-Robinson is averaging 16 points and 14 rebounds per game in conference play, Lincoln said. Against Harrison last Friday, the Airedales trailed 44-38 entering the fourth quarter. Towns-Robinson scored six points in a 9-0 Airedales run to take the lead back.

“In between the third and fourth quarter, he was on the bench, and he brought the team together and talked about stepping up and getting him the ball,” Lincoln said. “The thing that’s special about that is a lot of people can say those things, but it’s another thing to go out there and do it.”

Towns-Robinson and the Airedales visit Siloam Springs tonight for a 5A-West Conference game.

Fort Smith Northside senior Erianna Gooden is the NWADG Girls Player of the Week.

Gooden, a 6-0 junior point guard, came up big for the Lady Bears in a 64-63 road win at Springdale Har-Ber last Friday.

Gooden led Northside (203, 9-1 6A-West) with 24 points and 6 rebounds.

“The stat that went unnoticed was she went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said. “She hit some clutch, clutch free throws. Most of the time, she’s guarding the opposing team’s best player. She’s running the point for us and does a great job.

With the game tied at 61, Gooden scored on a driving layup with 48 seconds remaining to give Northside a 63-61 lead. Har-Ber’s Jazmine McCarther tied the game with 16 seconds left. Hazley Grotjohn hit a free throw with 6.4 seconds left to give Northside the lead. Cherish Blackmon then blocked a McCarther shot into the hands of Gooden as the Lady Bears remained in first place in conference play.

Smith said Gooden “just has a warrior mentality.” Gooden is averaging 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while hitting 87% from the free-throw line, he said.

“We played in the finals of the Tournament of Champions against Bethany (Okla.), and they had two Division I commits to Oklahoma and another offered by Kansas State, and she went for 36 that night,” Smith said. “She’s a special player.”

Northside hosts Rogers tonight for a 6A-West Conference game.