West Memphis, Jonesboro to meet for state title.

Title game set for Saturday afternoon in Hot Springs

The last team standing in Jonesboro’s path to winning the girls Class 5A state championship on Saturday is a team the Lady Hurricane knows very well.

Jonesboro and West Memphis have played three times this season. The two will meet for the fourth time in Saturday’s state championship game at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. The teams played twice in the 5A-East regular-season race, then squared off again in the conference tournament.

The Lady Hurricane (22-6) won all three meetings, something that makes coach Jodi Christenberry uneasy entering this meeting with the surprising Lady Blue Devils (1114).

Christenberry is very straight forward when it comes to the having to play an opponent four times in one season. She has been part of one of those scenarios in the past when her team lost to the same opponent three straight times before winning the fourth matchup. She knows how good West Memphis can be and that is what worries her headed into Saturday's title game.

By her own admission, she would rather be playing teams she had never played before.

Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Saturday’s game will be televised live by Arkansas PBS, Channel 12 in Forrest City on basic cable.

Jonesboro eked out a 53-47 overtime victory when the teams played in January at Don Riggs Hurricane Gym. The Lady Hurricane had an easier time at West Memphis, rolling to a 4831 victory, and prevailed 52-44 in the conference tournament semifinals on their home floor.

The second meeting between the teams was Jonesboro’s last before winter weather wiped out the rest of the 5A-East schedule. Christenberry added a home game against Class 2A power Melbourne so her team could get back on the court before the postseason.

While that game turned into a 58-29 loss, Christenberry said it served as a wake-up call for the Lady Hurricane.

Jonesboro, which was seeded third in the conference tournament, has since won six straight games. The Lady Hurricane defeated Greene County Tech, West Memphis and Batesville to win the 5AEast tournament, then eliminated Beebe, Greenwood and Marion in the state tournament.

Jonesboro junior point guard Ereauna Hardaway averages 14 points and six assists to lead the Lady Hurricane.

Junior center Destiny Thomas adds 11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while senior guard Lakiya Scott adds 10.4 points per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the 3-point line. Senior forward Chasity Jackson is a key defensive player and a perimeter threat who sank three 3-pointers in Monday’s semifinal game against Marion.

West Memphis, coached by former Forrest City Lady Mustangs coach Erica (Taylor) Leak also features a standout point guard in sophomore Janiyah Tucker, who averages 15.8 points per game. Clemisha Prackett, a 6-1 sophomore center, averages 11 points. The Lady Devils also count on freshman guard Aniya Price and senior forward Ta’nya Burnett for more than seven points per game.

With two sophomores and a freshman in the lineup, the Lady Devils went 1-11 in the 5A-East and were seeded seventh in the conference tournament. They upset Paragould in the first round to earn a state tournament berth and, after losing to Jonesboro in the semifinals, beat Marion for a No. 3 seed in the state tournament. West Memphis defeated Sylvan Hills, Lake Hamilton and Vilonia to reach the state tournament final.

Jonesboro is playing in the state championship game for the fourth time in six seasons. The Lady Hurricane won state championships in 2016 and 2018.

Two years ago, Jonesboro suffered a 63-35 loss to Little Rock Christian in the state finals.

“That game was sad. We worked hard and got to the championship game, and we lost. It hurt us,” Hardaway said. “To go back again, it’s very exciting.”