Senior Blackhawk Noah Peterson admits it was challenging at times to watch varsity games last season as a junior from the Pea Ridge bench.
With a team loaded with seniors, Peterson was stuck behind a logjam. His playing time was mostly relegated to the junior varsity games with just occasional minutes here and there in varsity games.
Noah Peterson
5’11” 145 lbs.
Guard
In his only season as a starter, Peterson is averaging 18 points per game as a shooting guard. He helped the Blackhawks go 14-0 in the 4A-1 Conference; scored 18 points in the 4A-1 Conference tournament championship game against Berryville; is a member of the “Twenty Club” of Pea Ridge starters who wear jersey numbers that start with 20.
"It was not the most glamorous thing," Peterson said. "I waited a while, but coach just told me to keep working and wait and my time would come, and I'm finally getting it now. It feels good."
Blackhawk coach Trent Loyd praised this season's senior class for trusting in the process and remaining patient until their time came. The wait has been worth it as Pea Ridge ran unbeaten through the 4A-1 Conference and wrapped up the conference tournament title last Saturday to earn the No. 1 seed from the conference in today's 4A North Regional Tournament in Berryville.
"You've got a group that did wait their time," Loyd said. "Wesley Wales has played since he was a sophomore, and Noah and Brandon (Whatley) kind of chipped in some minutes here and there. But in a time nowadays kids, if it's not immediate success or immediate attention, then they don't want to be a part of it.
"These guys stayed locked-in their sophomore and junior year. They really took JV games seriously. And we try to make sure our JV players here understand the importance of progression from junior high to JV to varsity, and this group did a great job of it."
In his first and only season as a starter, Peterson has epitomized that. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 18 points per game for a team that carries a 14-game winning streak into today's 8:30 p.m. game against 4A-4 Conference No. 4 seed Dardanelle.
In last season's regional, the 4A-4 completed a first-round sweep of the teams from the 4A-1, so the incentive is high heading into today's tournament for the conference to have a better showing. A win today would clinch a 4A state tournament berth in Farmington next week.
As a show of togetherness, all five Pea Ridge starters wear numbers that start with 20, with Peterson's No. 25 being the fifth. It was something the group talked about in the offseason, Peterson said.
"Wesley was the one who said, 'hey, let's wear 21, 22 and all that,'" Peterson said. "That was all him. It's a little out there. He just said alright Noah, you're going to be No. 25 and we were all just picking numbers."
Losing four starters from last season's 23-8 team, this year's team came in under the radar in the 4A-1. But the group gelled quickly and they were hungry to prove themselves, Loyd said.
Two of the team's four losses came in its own Battle at the Ridge tournament in early December, and a third loss was to Class 7A Little Rock Catholic 47-46. When conference play began in mid-December, the Blackhawks survived a four-overtime thriller against Gentry that set them on their way.
"I could not be more proud of all of our seniors, but we know that we've got a long way to go," Peterson said. "They're not satisfied where they're at. We want to be playing basketball in March. That's our goal. They have that drive and they are not satisfied. I'm excited to see where the ride takes us."
Sports on 02/26/2020