The Pea Ridge Blackhawk boys basketball team jumped into first place in the 4A-1 District race as well as cracking the state's top 10-ranked 4A with a defense fueled manhandling of the the Huntsville Eagles.
The 'Hawks whipped the home standing Eagles 49-34 with a stifling defense that refused to give Huntsville very many open looks at the basket, with the normally potent longball shooting team hitting just one of 20 shots from beyond the arc. The final point total for the Eagles was well below their lowest of the year.
The teams played fairly closely in the first quarter with the underdog Blackhawks hanging on to a narrow 14-12 lead. The 'Hawk defense started to wear on the homeboys in the second quarter with the Eagles scoring just 7 points. The 'Hawks' 10 points scored gave them a 24-19 edge at intermission.
The third quarter told the tale with a fired up 'Hawk defense limiting the Eagles to just a single field goal in the period. Huntsville added a couple of free throws but Pea Ridge rang up 12 to mount a 36-23 lead going into the final period. The Eagles made brief run at the 'Hawks in the last period but the 'Hawks had the answers, eventually outscoring the Eagles 13-11 in the final eight minutes to post a decisive 15-point victory.
The win boosted the 'Hawks into first place in the district at the mid-point of the conference race, as well as jumping from 12th to 10th in the state MaxPreps/CBS 4A poll.
The 'Hawks played last night (Tuesday, Jan. 19) at Shiloh, a team that lost their first eight games, but has come around of late to begin to make some noise in the 4A-1 race. Shiloh entered the Batesville Holiday tournament winless, but won three straight games to take home the title. After losing their first three conference games, they have now won their last three to even their league slate to 3-3.
This Friday, the 'Hawks will host Gentry, the only team to defeat the 'Hawks in the first round of conference games. The 'Hawks however, are a much better team than they were when the conference season started back in December. After a first game 1-point loss to Elkins, the 'Hawks went on a winning streak until losing to Riverview (state's third ranked team) in the finals of the Pea Ridge Tournament. They followed that loss with the loss to Gentry in their very next game.
Hearkening back to football season, the 'Hawks lost a game to a highly ranked opponent then lost the very next game to a much less powerful team. However, the 'Hawks bounced back and went on a winning streak that led them to the precipice of a state championship season. Maybe the same thing is happening here.
I grew up playing in a basketball system (Monett, Mo.) that stressed defense over everything. I remember Coach Lawson telling us "the fewer points your opponent scores, the less you will have to score." Every team can have off days shooting, but much less so with defense. Hustle and maximum effort doesn't have off days. The Razorback glory teams of the mid-'90s used their defense to fuel much of their offense.
The playoffs will be in Prairie Grove this year as the 4A-1 will host the North Region this year. The top four teams of the 4A-1 will host the top four teams of the 4A-4, which include highly ranked Baptist and Ozark.
Baptist Prep is a Little Rock team which boasts two 7-feet-tall brothers. They have beaten Springdale Har-Ber this year, but have played much less powerful teams closer games. They will dominate the rebounding, but have a weakness in their floor game, something the 'Hawks have going their way right now. Ozark is a team the 'Hawks know well, having competed against them in junior high before the school was moved to the 4A-4.
The 4A North victor will have a distinct advantage, with the state's two best teams (Monticello and Malvern) at this point in the season being assigned the lower bracket of the state tournament. The North Regional winner will be atop the state tournament bracket with the tournament to be played in Malvern.
4A-1 District standings
1. Pea Ridge 5-1
Huntsville 5-1
3. Gentry 4-2
Berryville 4-2
5. Shiloh 3-3
6. Gravette 2-4
7. Prairie Grove 1-5
8. Lincoln 0-6
4A North region poll
1. Baptist Prep
2. Huntsville
3. Ozark
4. Pea Ridge
5. Pottsville
6. Gentry
7. Dardanelle
8. Berryville
9. Gravette
10. Subiaco
State 4A MaxPreps/CBS poll
1. Monticello
2. Malvern
3. Riverview
4. Baptist Prep
5. Jonesboro Westside
6. Huntsville
7. Dumas
8. West Helena
9. Ozark
10. Pea Ridge
16. Gentry
23. Berryville
25. Gravette
34. Shiloh
37. Prairie Grove
43. Lincoln
•••
Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 01/20/2016