After last night's game with Prairie Grove, there are just three games left in the Blackhawks 2015-16 regular season. For the boys squad, they have the chance to close in on the 4A-1 regular season championship, the top seed in the district playoffs, and a berth in the North Regional two weeks hence.
Before last night's game, the boys were deadlocked with Huntsville with both teams sporting 9-1 records in league action. Huntsville played Lincoln last night and were more than likely victors in that battle. Having said that, last week was an unusual one for the defending champion Eagles as they won both their district battles by just a single point, with one coming in overtime.
The overtime game was home against Shiloh, a team they whipped by more than 50 points last month on the Shiloh floor. After beating Gentry last month by nine on the Pioneers floor, the Eagles nipped Gentry 52-51 at Huntsville.
After Huntsville likely dismantles Lincoln, and with a better than even chance that the 'Hawks got by Prairie Grove, the two leaders will be playing in competitive battles this Friday. Pea Ridge will be going to the No. 3 district team Berryville's court, with Huntsville playing at Gravette. Both Pea Ridge and Huntsville will need to avoid looking too far ahead in order to avoid upsets.
In the event top both teams go 2-0 this week, they will meet next Tuesday in Pea Ridge with matching 11-1 ledgers. A Pea Ridge victory over Huntsville would clinch the title as well as the top seed for the district playoffs. The season finale will have Pea Ridge hosting Shiloh with Huntsville taking on Berryville.
Concerning last night's game with Prairie Grove, the Tigers have had the unusual year of having their best football team ever, followed by one of their worst basketball teams ever. In the 48-team 4A classification, they rank 47th. Their season would have been even worse had 6'7" postman Dylan Soehner carried through on his intent to bypass his senior year in basketball. Soehner is a top prospect for college football and he originally announced that he would be working on his football skills this winter. Had he done so, the Tigers might well have gone winless this year.
As a matter of fact, Pea Ridge seems to be the only school that was in the upper echelon of 4A football that carried their success onto the basketball court. State football champion Nashville is No. 17 in basketball, and top football teams like Fountain Lake, Robinson, Central Arkansas, Warren and Mena are languishing in 4A basketball's lower tiers.
Former 5A school Monticello, the largest school in 4A, has been atop the round ball rankings for some time this season. They crushed Dewitt last week by an incredible 77-14 score. While Dewitt is one of the lowest ranked teams in Arkansas, their schedule has seen them lose most of their games by fairly narrow scores. To lose by 60 was quite a thing. With the mercy clock rule kicking in early, Monticello would have cracked 100 in a full four quarters.
Monticello has two 6'4" players, eight 6'2" players, and three others over 6'0", so they have decent size overall. The 4A-8 conference team is always known for their speed.
Baptist Prep, ranked third in the state last week, lost Friday's game against Ozark, our old conference opponent that was transferred to the 4A-4. The top four of both the 4A-4 and the 4A-1 will meet in the North Regional in Prairie Grove in two weeks.
The new Michael Jordan?
I, like a lot of people, watched NBA games in the old days -- if Michael Jordan was in the game. The way he played and led his team was something that was unprecedented in basketball history. "His Airness" was unstoppable when at his best. When he retired, I lost interest in NBA games, missing the sparkle Jordan brought to the game.
A few years ago, Stephen Curry was a top high school basketball player although not particularly tall or muscular. Not many colleges were interested and he wound up playing at tiny Davidson College, where Curry led the school to basketball success the school had never previously experienced. His college success got him drafted No. 7 overall by the Golden State Warriors, which was rewarded by the 2015 NBA championship.
Curry is scoring more than 30 points per game, and recently set a record by canning 78 3-pointers one month. The mark broke the old record held by -- Stephen Curry. More importantly, at least to me, is that Curry is a fine man. In a sport where far two many athletes get their names listed on a police blotter as often as a sports page, it is good to see a player use his skills reminiscent of Jordan.
Though Curry did much for his old school, his jersey has not, and will not be hung from the rafters like other Davidson stars. No ill will at play here, but the fact is the school will not honor any athlete in that manner until they graduate. Curry left school after his junior year for a lucrative contract in San Francisco and did not graduate. He has been quoted as saying he planned to graduate in a few years so perhaps he will get his banner after all.
Standings and rankings
4A-1 District standings
1. Pea Ridge 9-1
Huntsville 9-1
3. Berryville 6-4
4. Gentry 5-5
Gravette 5-5
6. Shiloh 4-6
7. Prairie Grove 1-9
Lincoln 1-9
4A North Region poll
1. Baptist Prep
2. Huntsville
3. Pea Ridge
4. Ozark
5. Pottsville
6. Dover
7. Dardanelle
8. Berryville
9. Gentry
10. Gravette
State 4A MaxPreps/CBS poll
1. Monticello
2. Malvern
3. Jonesboro Westside
4. Baptist Prep
5. Huntsville
6. Dumas
7. Riverview
8. Pea Ridge
9. West Helena
10. Ozark
17. Gentry
21. Berryville
23. Gentry
28. Gravette
35. Shiloh
43. Lincoln
47. Prairie Grove
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Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports on 02/03/2016