PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge coach Charley Clark was content to let Jacob Hall roam the perimeter last season as a sophomore.
Hall was the first Blackhawks player off the bench last season and broke into the starting lineup a year ago after a teammate suffered a season-ending injury.
But Clark knew that Hall would have to be more than just one dimensional this season for the Blackhawks to be successful.
“We don’t mind a sophomore out there that just bombs away from 3-point range,” Clark said. “But after you have some experience, you have to be able to do more than that. If you are just a 3-point shooter, you can be taken out of that pretty easily.
“Now, he can get in the paint and score.”
Hall is averaging 13 points a game. The Blackhawks swept the season series, and qualified for the regional tournament tonight in Ozark.
“Jacob has the ability to score, and he is a good free throwshooter,” Clark said. “He has the ability to score in bunches. It’s a skill he has always had.”
Hall said Clark approached him after last season and told him that he would have to expand his game.
“He just said, ‘You are going to have to be our scorer,’” Hall said. “It’s just something I worked hard on in the off-season. When the season started, I just started getting better and better at it.
Having that ability to score inside has helped my 3-point shooting.”
Clark said he never had any doubts that Hall could be one of the Blackhawks’ main scoring threats.
“Jacob has always had the ability to score in the paint,” Clark said. “We have had several players in the past that were all the same way. Jacob knew that is what we need out of the two guard.”
As has been the case the last several seasons, Pea Ridge played a nonconference schedule loaded with larger schools, including several 7A-West Conference teams and Clark said that competition helped Hall.
“That helped because you are usually guarded by someone that is taller and quicker,” Clark said.
“Rebounding and defense are twoareas he needs to work on. We feel he has a ways to go in those areas to improve. But he has the ability to improve in those areas.”
Pea Ridge lost to Shiloh, leaving them with a No. 4 seed.
They lost to Clarksville 91-73 in the 4A North REgional Tournament in Clarksville last week.
Sports, Pages 7 on 02/29/2012