Blackhawks have three-game conference week McGee: Three Battle of the Ridge semifinalists are in Top 10
With the postponement of the games at Prairie Grove last week because of turbulent weather, the Hawks will have three conference games this week.
They were on the road Monday and Tuesday, visiting the Prairie Grove Tigers and the Shiloh folks in their respective gyms. Both games were expected wins for the Blackhawk programs, which will come in handy in preparation for the big games when Gravette comes to town.
The toughness of the 4A-1 basketball conference is very evident, especially on the girls’ side of things. Four of the top-eightranked teams in the state 4A poll hail from the 4A-1 in fourth-ranked Harrison, fifth-ranked Farmington, seventh-ranked Pea Ridge and eighth-ranked Berryville.
While holding a lofty ranking in the seventh slot, the Blackhawk girls are nevertheless currently last in the 4A-1 West after suffering heartbreaking 1-point losses to Gentry and Farmington. Boasting a 13-3 record, their only other loss was to Berryville in an early tournament.
The defending West division champion, the Blackhawk girls can still come back to claim another crown. There are still eight games in the conference slate after this week.
Against state 12th-ranked Gravette Friday, the Hawks will have to slow down a high scoring Lioness offense that is averaging 67 points per game with four girls averaging in the double figures. They have a 9-7 record with a 72-54 loss to the state’s top-ranked Batesville team. They have two conference losses, both one-sided affairs. They fell to Harrison 56-31 and then were whipped 72-48 by Farmington last Friday. Their lone win was a 53-31 takedown of Gentry, the team that edged Pea Ridge by a single point.
Guard Shylee Morrison (5’6”) is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder and she also paces the team in steals and assists. Her scoring average is 15.3 points per game.
Forward Kaylan Chilton (5’6”) scores at a 14.0 per game clip with 5’4” guard Lizzy Ellis matching her 14.0 scoring average. Guard Reese Hamilton (5’5”) gives the Lions four starters who average in the double digits with a 13-0 average per game.
The Gravette boys will bring in a 10-6 record and a 24th-state ranking into the contest Friday. They have a 1-2 conference mark as opposed to the Hawks unblemished 2-0 mark.
The Lions lost their first two conference games to Farmington (48-42) and to Harrison (63-58) with their lone win a 53-32 pounding of Gentry at home. They lost to a team that the Hawks beat, but they manhandled a team that took the Hawks to five overtimes, so the battle Friday will be in earnest.
Gravette posts no stats or information online so I have nothing to report in that area. The Hawks will bring one of their all-time tallest teams into the fray with 6’7” Brandon Whatley and 6’5” Wesley Wales starting with 6’4” Mazon Harris coming off the bench. Noah Peterson has been the Hawks’ leading scorer with Hunter Rains, Greydon Edwards and Jared Brewer all contributing significantly for the Hawks’ scoring prowess.
Both games will have significant impact on the Hawks’ future success in conference play and it is shaping up to be pair of battles royal.
The more the season goes on, the more it stays the same
The top eight girls teams and the top six boys on the top of the polls maintained their standing after the first full week of January.
Batesville leads the girls polls with a sparkling 15-1 record with Blytheville keeping their perch with a 14-3 mark against good competition.
Among the girls teams, the biggest gainer this week was fellow 4A North Region foes Pottsville and Morrilton. Pottsville advanced four spots to the No. 10 ranking with Morrilton gaining five spots to the No. 16 ranking. Pea Ridge kept its seventh ranking after a close 1-point loss to No. 5 Farmington.
The state’s biggest losers were Magnolia, who lost a pair of games to drop from
13th to 22nd place in the polls, and Gentry. The second biggest drop was once beaten Gentry, who got pounded by Gravette 53-31 to drop four spots to No. 14.
On the boys’ side, there was very little movement in the Top 10 with the Top six static. Three of the semifinalists of the Hawks’ Battle on the Ridge Tournament are now in the state Top 10 with eStem seventh, Arkadelphia eighth and Robinson No. 10. This year’s edition of the tournament was probably the toughest in the state this year among 4A schools.
Pea Ridge moved up a spot into the 16th position after their win over Farmington last week.
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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. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwadg.com.