6A State Championship Game Standouts

The 6A state championship game featured North Little Rock vs Fort Smith Northside. If you had asked anyone during the season who would battle it out for the 6A state title they probably would have said North Little Rock and Conway. Well Conway was upset by Central in the 2nd round and that paved the way for Northside to get to the title game. Let’s take a look at some of the players that stood out during the championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304710" first="Destine" last="Duckworth"] | Wing/Forward | North Little Rock | 2022</strong> Destine wanted to make sure to go out on top as she played her final high school basketball game. The senior forward made her presence felt on both ends of the floor. Defensively she locked up displaying quick hands and grabbing defensive rebounds. She pushed the ball in transition and drove the ball strong in the half-court scoring through contact. Destine dominated the first half with 13 of her 17 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304696" first="Amauri" last="Williams"] | Post | North Little Rock | 2022</strong> Amauri struggled some from the field, but she dominated the paint. With her size and length advantage, she controlled the offensive and defensive boards. She shot several free throws from her aggressive nature of getting offensive rebounds and being fouled. When in transition, she did a really good job of getting position on the low block. The senior post player finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds and also took home the tourney MVP. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304739" first="April" last="Edwards"] | Combo Guard | North Little Rock | 2023</strong> April had the task of guarding one of Northside’s key players. Her athleticism and physical nature can cause problems for any opponent she faces. She made some key plays down the stretch, especially going after rebounds on the offensive end. You could just tell she wanted it. She hit the three-ball, went strong to the basket, and made jumpers off the dribble. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="403157" first="Garin" last="Freeman"] | Point Guard | North Little Rock | 2023</strong> Every championship team needs solid play from the point guard position. You have to have someone that can control the tempo, keep the team organized, and be the first line of defense against the other team’s point guard. Garin doesn’t score a lot of points for her team, but she does all the things an old-school point guard needs to do. She’s an excellent on-ball defender that can cause havoc and she anticipates well when playing the passing lanes. <strong>Ja’miyah Brown | Wing | North Little Rock | 2023</strong> Every championship team has someone step up big time when the team needs them and this usually comes from a role player. Jamiyah stepped up  in the first half and gave North Little Rock the shot in the arm they needed. The spark she gave off the bench gave North Little Rock the momentum that was needed to propel them ahead. Jamiyah came in the game and was instantly hot from the three-point line. She contributed all 11 of her points in the first half with 9 of them coming behind the three-point line. This was huge because Northside was playing a zone and forcing North Little Rock to beat them from the outside. With Jamiyah shooting, it forced Northside into a man and that help her team settle in. <strong>Ashya Harris | Wing | Northside | 2022</strong> This senior wing player had things going in the first half. Northside struggled a bit early, but Ashya kept them in the game with her scoring. She was attacking off the bounce and making the catch and shoot three. Her presence was definitely felt in the first half. <strong>Haitiana Releford | Forward | Northside | 2022</strong> Sometimes players just cant’ get in a groove. Haitiana did some great things on the floor for her team but was limited due to foul trouble. She attacked off the dribble, displayed good footwork off the finish, and she even scored off the low block. <strong>Erianna Gooden | Point Guard | Northside | 2025</strong> Erianna play really caught my eye versus North Little Rock. Whenever you are a freshman and you play in the competitive 6A conference you have to have some game. But to play at the pace and have the composure she did on the biggest stage was even more impressive. She handled North Little Rock’s pressure very well. She got to the rim off the bounce, finished through contact, made her mid-range pull jumper, and showed nice footwork off the finish. Northside might have come up short this year, but with Erianna having three more years at the point they will be in good hands.