It’s the end of week 2 of conference season, and time again to serve up some Friday previews for big 6A and 7A games featuring central Arkansas teams.
Parkview (14-2, 2-2) @ Jonesboro (15-2, 3-1)
On Tuesday, Parkview beat Searcy 73-24 while Jonesboro lost to Jacksonville 68-41. Check out video highlights from that Parkview win here. Go to the video section on the page’s right side, scroll to the bottom and click “View Next 4 Clips”
Both teams are strongest at the guard positions – for Parkview, Anton Beard and I.J. Ready. For Jonesboro, watch out for sophomore dynamo Kahron Ross and Randle Tolliver. Throw some sweet-shooting Jacob Gibson in there, too. (n.b. Ready and Ross were Arkansas Hawks teammates last summer)
Listen to the game here, ye central Arkansas folk who’d rather not make the drive.
And although you’re listening, you can kind of imagine you’re watching TV if you slowly scroll through the pics on this Facebook page.
Want more on this matchup and others from Friday? ARPreps.com’s David Harten, Tim Cooper ( the Democrat-Gazette’s bball guru) and I talk our noggins off in our latest weekly prepscast.
Catholic (1-3, 2-7) @ Russellville (13-4, 4-0)
Russellville beat Van Buren 58-31. Cyclone Grey Harris, who would be making a run at early-season state MVP is such existed, scored 18 points. Catholic, meanwhile, lost to North Little Rock 67-51.
Catch the game at KCJC 102.3 FM or online at www.kcjclive.com.
If you think the above game was low-scoring, then you need to see my new …
!!?!!?? of the Week
28-24.
I repeat: 28-24. That’s the score I saw in the Dem-Gaz for the Rogers’ boys Tuesday night victory over Fort Smith Northside.
Granted, upon check-up, the actual score might have been slightly higher.
Either way, I’m voting this half-court sludgefest of a game reason #73 I will always prefer central Arkansas ball to what’s going down in the NWA:
Searcy (6-11, 1-3) @ Hall (13-3, 4-0)
Hall beat West Memphis 52-47 on the road, while Searcy lost by 49 points to Parkview.
“We came out very flat,” its coach told The Daily Citizen. “Also, Parkview came out to prove a point because they had lost two in a row, and they shot well. That’s a bad combination.
“It was already a 16-point game at the half. They kept pressing. The coach could have pulled off the press, but he didn’t. It was a statement game for them. They’re the best in the state, and they wanted to prove it.”
Cam Woodruff, a junior on the team, said the Lions were not prepared for the Parkview game. “They came out and put it on us,” he said. “We weren’t prepared mentally.”
Hall’s Hog commit Bobby Portis was featured in this KATV video this week. In his past two games, the junior center has shot 9 of 20 on FGs, 1 of 4 on 3s and 10 of 13 on FTs for 29 points. He’s also totaled 28 rebounds, seven blocks, six turnovers two steals and three assists.
Conway (11-6, 1-3) @ Van Buren (9-8, 2-2)
Conway lost 54-51 to Bryant in historic fashion [see Bryant game below]. Everett Reed led the Wampus Cats with 13 points. Van Buren, meanwhile, hopes for some home healin’. The Pointers eked out 31 points in a road loss to Russellville.
North Little Rock (12-4, 3-1) @ Central (7-8, 2-2)
NLR knocked out Catholic on the road 67-51, while Cabot handed Central a 62-51 loss. We talked about this game pretty extensively in the ARPreps.com prepscast.
Cabot (10-3, 1-3) @ Bryant (11-6, 2-2)
Bryant is coming off a particularly satisfying win at Conway – the first time Bryant had beaten the Wampus Cats there in 20 years. Same situation with the Bryant girls, who also won, according to the Bryant Daily.
Brantley Cozart led all scorers with 21 points.
Pine Bluff (10-4, 4-1) @ Texarkana (13-5, 3-1)
This may be the second-best matchup of the night. In a 56-51 home win against Benton, Zebra Ricky Clements heated up early, scoring 11 of his game-high 15 points. “I think the real difference in the ball game was Ricky Clements; he was the floor leader,” PB coach Ron Moaragne told the Commercial Appeal afterward. “In the first half, he was looking to score. In the second half, he was looking to handle the basketball and handle the pressure. That’s what we need out of him.”
El Dorado (11-7, 2-2) @ Benton (10-6, 2-2)
El Dorado lost 70-59 to McClellan, while Benton lost 56-51 to Pine Bluff. On El Dorado, watch for do-it-all Chris White, who vs. McClellan tallied 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals. For Benton, check this Fox 16 video about the ESP developing between PG senior Nate Griffin and 6-8 junior center Graham Gardner. Click on the clip entitled “Benton utilizes …” on the right side of this page.
McClellan (9-6, 4-0) @ Lake Hamilton (6-10, 0-4)
McClellan put away El Dorado 70-59 at home. Sophomore guard Gregg Easter led with 20 points, and Jason Hendrix and Tronsayne Ellis each added 12 points for the Lions. Lake Hamilton lost a 51-50 nailbiter to Fair.
Fair (7-8, 2-2) @ Sheridan (0-4, 2-13)
Marquis Jones played the part of hero for Fair on Tuesday by hitting a last-second jumper to beat Benton. But don’t overlook the contributions of Brandon Williams (17 pts) and Corey Summons (15 pts. 6 steals). Sheridan lost 53-48 to Texarkana.
Marion (8-7, 1-3) @ Jacksonville (13-3, 3-1)
Against Mountain Home, Marion was able to claw back from an eight-point deficit with less than four minutes to play, forcing an overtime where it won 52-47. Don’t look for that to happen against heavyweight Jacksonville, who beat Jonesboro 68-41 at home. I spoke to Jacksonville coach Victor Joyner a couple days ago, and he told me that leading scorer senior Justin McCleary is high on Auburn’s radar, but hasn’t yet made offered a firm scholarship. Still, if McCleary signs with Auburn (or any other SEC or high D1 conference school), he would be the first from Jacksonville to do so.
As always, you can find updated 7A/6A-East standings here.
