Blackhawk roundballers making history

The most recent Arkansas Democrat-Gazette State Super Six Basketball Poll has the overall Pea Ridge Blackhawk basketball program in as good a shape as it has ever been in the history of the school.

Sunday’s edition has the Blackhawk boys holding down the No. 3 overall position behind Little Rock Mills and Jonesboro Westside. Mills and Westside are 14-4 on the season with the ’Hawk boys sporting a 16-4 record. The No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 teams are Dardanelle (16-2), Little Rock McClellan (12-5) and Blytheville (10-4).

On the girls’ side, the Lady Blackhawks are also in the Gazette’s Super Six with a No. 5 ranking. The 17-3 Lady ’Hawks are behind No. 1 Batesville (16-2), No. 2 Berryville (19-0), No. 3 DeQueen (15-2) and No. 4 Farmington (15-3). Pea Ridge is just ahead of No. 6 Clarksville (16-4).

Not only is it the best tandem rankings of the boys’ and girls’ teams, it comes in a year which has seen the 4A classification get considerably tougher with the infusion of 16 formerly 5A programs. As a matter of fact, only Pea Ridge, Dardanelle and Westside were 4A in the old class on the boys’ side rankings. On the girls’ side, only Berryville and Pea Ridge were 4A class teams last season with the rest former 5A programs making up the top of the 4A this year.

The girls are making it happen with a great mixture of senior leadership and the addition of a talented sophomore group to go with the veteran upperclassmen. Coach Heath Neal’s team has improved with each week and the outlook is very bright for the playoffs.

Coach Trent Loyd’s boys have been a surprise. They were thought to be a legitimate contender this season statewide with perhaps one of the top centers in the state on hand to patrol the paint. When that player passed on playing this season, many thought that the team would have to lessen their expectations for the season.

However, Loyd’s boys have been improving weekly and have developed a pretty salty defense. Junior postman Wes Wales has become a force inside and the ’Hawks’ shooters have been upping their game, giving the ’Hawks’ leading scorer Nick Coble more chances to score.

Of course, in high school basketball, anything can happen and the best teams don’t always make it to Hot Springs for the state final. The Blackhawk boys and girls have shown over the past month that they are legitimate threats to go all the way.

It all may boil down to that oft quoted statement by Razorback coach Nolan Richardson. He once said “You have to be lucky to win, but I have found that the harder you work, the luckier you get.”

It will take a ton of effort and hard work, but the road is there.

Meanwhile, a few other local teams landed in the Gazette Super Six besides Pea Ridge.

Bentonville is ranked No. 5 in the state’s highest classification (6A) with the Tiger ladies just a bit higher in the fourth spot on the girls’ side. Fayetteville’s girls and boys are both ranked third in their respective lists.

Alma’s boys are ranked fifth in 5A with no northwest Arkansas girls team getting a Top Six ranking. The only other northwest Arkansas team making the lists is Elkins’ boys who hold the No. 6 spot in 3A.

Girls have a big game Friday

The Lady ’Hawks will have their greatest test of the season when they take on undefeated and the MaxPreps No. 1 ranked Berryville Bobcats Friday.

The ’Hawks played Berryville way back in early November, losing 44-39. The ’Hawks had a 22-18 lead at the half but were outscored by 7 in the third quarter to fall behind and they could not make the comeback. That game was the only game all season that the Bobcats have trailed at the half.

However, the game in November was not a conference match and with the Bobcats in the East Division of the 4A-1, this Friday’s game with Berryville will be the only league battle they will play this season. The West Division teams play a home and home with other West Division teams. They play East Division teams but once.

So far, Farmington and Berryville have escaped getting their first conference loss with the ’Hawks having a narrow league loss to the Cardinals.

In the boys’ race, the Blackhawks have but one loss with Huntsville and Farmington with unblemished conference records.

MaxPreps CBS 4A poll has ’Hawks near the top

The Blackhawk boys went 2-0 last week but dropped a spot in the 4A poll, dropping from 10th to 11th.

The Lady ’Hawks kept their fourth position among the state’s elite.

I have included the North Region Poll as well as the state poll. The district basketball tournaments will be coming up next month and the top four from the 4A-1 (our district) will be matched up with the top four finishers of the 4A-4 District, the Arkansas River valley teams, in a playoff for the state tournament berths from the North Region.

The first round of the regional will eliminate four of the eight teams, with the survivors of the first round qualifying for the state tournament. The semifinal and final rounds of the region will determine the seeding each team will earn for the state tourney.

This will be a year for traveling.

The regional playoffs will be held at Morrilton High School, a mere 173 miles from Pea Ridge. However, action in the first few rounds of the state tournament will be held in Magnolia, 294 miles from here, a stone’s throw from the Louisiana border. The actual state final will be held, as it always is, in Hot Springs, a 215-mile trip from here.

MaxPreps polling North Region 4A Girls poll Top Eight Girls Teams

1. Berryville 18-0

2. Farmington 13-3

3. Pea Ridge 17-3

4. Clarksville 16-4

5. Harrison 13-4

6. Morillton 12-5

7. Pottsville 9-7

8. Gravette 9-6

North Region 4A Boys poll Top Eight Boys teams

1. Pottsville 13-1

2. Harrison 13-4

3. Pea Ridge 16-4

4. Subiaco 10-5

5. Dardanelle 15-2

6. Farmington 12-6

7. Huntsville 11-6 8. Ozark 10-6

MaxPreps State 4A Basketball girls poll Jan. 12, 2019

1. Berryville 18-0

2. Farmington 13-3

3. Batesville 15-2

4. Pea Ridge 17-3

5. Clarksville 16-4

6. Star City 14-3

7. Brookland 10-4

8. Harrison 13-4

9. Highland 11-6

10. DeQueen 14-2

11. Stuttgart 16-1

12. Morrilton 12-5

13. Pottsville 9-7

14. Camden 13-3

15. Warren 7-3

16. Pulaski 7-6

17. Gravette 9-6

18. Bauxite 15-4

19. ESTEM 12-7

20. Pocahontas 12-7

21. Nashville 9-4

22. Heber Springs 9-6

23. Ozark 8-10

24. Magnolia 8-5

25. Prairie Grove 5-8

26. Huntsville 6-11

27. Valley View 7-10

28. Gentry 7-8

29. Forrest City 6-8

30. Dardanelle 6-10

31. Mena 7-8

32. Monticello 6-8

33. Robinson 6-7

34. Dover 8-9

35. McClellan 5-6

36. Southside 3-14

37. Crosset 10-6

38. Lonoke 6-9

39. Shiloh 5-12

40. Westside 4-10

41. Blytheville 2-13

42. Mills 4-11

43. Hope 1-7

44. Arkadelphia 3-12

45. Malvern 3-12

46. Hamburg 2-14

47. Wynne 0-14

MaxPreps/CBS State 4A Boys basketball poll Jan. 12, 2019

1. Mills 13-4

2. Westside 13-2

3. Pottsville 13-3

4. Forrest City 9-5

5. McClellan 11-5

6. ESTEM 15-8

7. Harrison 13-4

8. Blytheville 9-4

9. Brookland 10-4

10. Magnolia 8-3

11. Pea Ridge 16-4

12. Mena 13-4

13. Subiaco 10-5

14. Dardenelle 15-2

15. Farmington 12-6

16. Southside 12-5

17. Monticello 9-5

18. Pulaski 6-6

19. Robinson 8-7

20. Valley View 9-7

21. Lonoke 8-6

22. Huntsville 11-6

23. Stuttgart 8-7

24. Ozark 10-6

25. Morrillton 8-9

26. Warren 7-5

27. Camden 6-6

28. Arkadelphia 6-3

29. Star City 9-6

30. Bauxite 8-10

31. Malvern 5-10

32. Hamburg 9-8

33. Nashville 6-6

34. Crossett 5-8

35. Gravette 8-10

36. Highland 8-11

37. Berryville 8-10

38. Clarksville 5-12

39. Prairie Grove 4-9

40. Batesville 5-11

41. Hope 5-9

42. Dover 8-9

43. Heber Springs6-10

44. Shiloh 2-16

45. Gentry 7-9

46. Pocahontas 2-11

47. DeQueen 2-12

Editor’s note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwadg.com.