Game Recap: Greene County Tech vs Brookland

Preview   Around 5:00 PM today, the 5A East Greene County Tech Lady Golden Eagles faced the 4A-3 Brookland Lady Bearcats at home. Both teams entered this evening with undefeated records on the season, and both with equally high expectations for 2024/25.   Greene County Tech had a successful 2023/24 campaign, posting a 26-8 overall record, and compiling a 12-2 conference record. The Lady Golden Eagles made it to the 5A state tournament before falling to Vilonia in the semifinals. Brookland also had a great 2023/24 season, going 30-5 overall, as well as being undefeated in conference play. Their season took a shocking turn when they lost in the first round of the 4A tournament to Gravette.   Recap   With two powerhouses in each team's respected conferences facing each other, something had to give. Greene County Tech utilized an intricate full-court press to slow down Brookland's pace. The press continued throughout the entirety of the game, forcing turnovers and causing Brookland to never establish rhythm on offense. For the Lady Golden Eagles on offense, they moved the ball well, utilizing the "drive and kick" strategy, getting their shooters involved. For Brookland, their offense mostly consisted of second-chance plays, followed by driving from the perimeter. The offense for the Lady Bearcats never found much consistency, as Greene County Tech came away with a 60-31 victory.   Key Performances from Greene County Tech Players   The Lady Golden Eagles have several players who can make winning plays, with every member of the starting lineup having an impact.    E'Marriha Johnson is a new name on this Lady Golden Eagle roster, and a new name in girls Arkansas hoops. Johnson made the move to Paragould, Arkansas from Kennett, Missouri, where she starred for Kennett High School. Now with GCT, there is proof that she will be a star in the Natural State.   Johnson led all scorers in this game with 17 points. She scored in a variety of ways: she was 50% from 3-point range, she hit pull-up mid-range jumpers, she converted at the free throw line, and she drove hard to the basket and finished at the rim. Johnson showed everyone that she can do it all on the offensive end, including having a solid handle and being able to play in transition. Her defense was also stellar.   At one point during the second half, Johnson stole the ball in back-to-back possessions, preventing Brookland from crossing the half-court line. One steal was from intercepting a pass, the other was from breaking up poor ball handling. On both occasions, Johnson went and finished the fastbreak layups, firing up the home crowd.   E'Marriha Johnson is already a fan favorite in Paragould, and I think she has asserted herself as the best player on this roster. Johnson might end up being a top ten player in the 2026 class, and I am not kidding. I will go ahead and take credit for discovering this dynamic player, because pretty soon, the whole state will not be able to stop talking about her.     [player_tooltip player_id='1049484' first='Jacey' last='Edrington'] has been a staple on this Greene County Tech squad for the last few years, and she went ahead and made an impact on this game.   Edrington helped fire up her team at the beginning of the game, knocking in consecutive 3-pointers with her confident and quick shooting form. She started to cool off on offense in the second quarter, but that did not mean that she could not make plays for her team.   Edrington rebounded the ball well, initiating the fastbreak, which also gave her opportunities to hit teammates for assists. She finished with three rebounds and three assists. Edrington also played solid defense, recording one steal, deflecting multiple passes, and moving her feet well when matched up against her assignment.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049484' first='Jacey' last='Edrington'] made sure that when she quieted down on offense, she made an impact in other ways. Greene County Tech will have a solid season if she can continue to make these solid all-around plays.     [player_tooltip player_id='876049' first='Myiah' last='Butler'] did not have her best game on the offensive end, but her defensive play was enough to help stop the dynamic Lady Bearcat scoring attack.   Butler used her length all night long to deflect passes, collecting two steals in the process, and to contest shots in the paint. Butler did not finish the game with any blocks, but she forced the Lady Bearcats to attempt poor shots in the post, and she made it difficult for Brookland to box her out.   On offense, Butler made sure to have an impact in ways other than scoring. She made her presence felt on the offensive glass, setting up herself and her teammates for second-chance opportunities. She sought out contact when she did have the ball, nailing all of her free throws on the night, and throwing nice passes to her teammates.   [player_tooltip player_id='876049' first='Myiah' last='Butler'] will have plenty of games where she dominates the glass and cannot be stopped when scoring on the interior.    #24 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/08/underrated-5a-2025-forwards-who-wont-be-underrated-for-long/">Weslyn Burnside</a> 5'9" F/G SR- Like Edrington, Weslyn Burnside has been a staple of GCT's play for some time, and she made massive impacts all over the floor. All five of Burnside's points came from the charity stripe, where she truly earned each and every one of those free throw attempts. Burnside grabbed two offensive rebounds and added one assist to her stat line. On the other end, she played tough, hounding on-ball defense, coming up with one steal on the night.   #4 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/10/these-5a-2026-guards-will-be-household-names-after-this-season/">[player_tooltip player_id='1060859' first='Sophia' last='Gonzalez']</a> 5'9" G JR- [player_tooltip player_id='1060859' first='Sophia' last='Gonzalez'] was the primary ball-handler for the Lady Golden Eagles, and she looks to continue to improve after a solid sophomore season. Gonzalez did not find the bottom of the net on the night, but she set her teammates up for easy scoring opportunities throughout the game. The junior guard finished with four assists. She also made great plays on defense, finishing with two steals and getting after loose balls. On two separate occasions, Gonzalez made hustle plays that left her a bit banged up, but she always picked herself right back up. GCT will be needing a lot from their hard-nosed guard this season.   #00 [player_tooltip player_id='1253985' first='Addie' last='Ryan'] 5'3" G SO- Ryan came off the bench and immediately made her presence known as an automatic spot-up shooter. Ryan was not shy about letting it fly from beyond the arch, knocking down a deep shot in the process. She also attacked the basket, drawing contact and heading to the free throw line. On defense, Ryan moved her feet well and kept her assignment in front of her at all times.   #10 Brooklyn Bowdler 5'7" G SR- Brooklyn Bowdler may be a reserve on this team, but she played hard in the minutes that she had. Bowdler knocked down a triple, scored a putback off her own miss, and found ways to drive to the basket, finishing with seven points. She also played well on defense, becoming another GCT player to record a steal.   Key Performances from Brookland Players   The Lady Bearcats did struggle throughout the night when it came to finding good looks on offense, but some key players still had solid outings.    The most successful offensive player on the floor for Brookland was not a starter. [player_tooltip player_id='1196034' first='Emilee' last='Coleman'] serves as the Lady Bearcat sixth-man, and she led her team in points with 10.   Coleman scored six of her points from the free throw line, never missing one. She drove hard to the basket, drawing contact or dishing to an open teammate, recording an assist. Coleman also crashed the glass, securing one offensive and one defensive board.   Coleman played solid defense throughout the night. She hustled hard, deflected several passes, and chased every loose ball. Coleman recorded one steal on the evening.   This was a good game for [player_tooltip player_id='1196034' first='Emilee' last='Coleman'] to establish some confidence as she heads into the season as the team's primary ball-handler off the bench. This performance should tell her coach that she is more than capable of having similar outings.     [player_tooltip player_id='1049465' first='Macy' last='Slater'] has been known as a player who can make plays on each end of the floor, and she continued to live up to her reputation tonight.   It was clear early on that Slater was Brookland's go-to offensive option, as she had plenty of chances to drive to the paint. Though she was not the most fruitful on the interior, she did stretch out her game, knocking down a contested mid-range jumper over the 6'2" [player_tooltip player_id='876049' first='Myiah' last='Butler']. Slater had her largest impact on the boards and on defense.   Slater crashed the glass, grabbing two offensive rebounds and one defensive. She continued her solid interior play by rejecting two shots and taking away one pass that was heading into the post. More impressive though, Slater was not afraid to put her body on the line for her squad. She drew two charges which hyped up her teammates and the away crowd.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049465' first='Macy' last='Slater'] will continue to be a solid all-around contributor for Brookland this season.    #1 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/evan-polsgrove/">[player_tooltip player_id='829944' first='Evan' last='Polsgrove']</a> 5'9" G SR- Polsgrove was one of the primary ball-handlers for the Lady Bearcats tonight. She did not have a major impact on offense, but she handled the ball well and finished hard in the paint, including having an and-1 opportunity (which she converted). Polsgrove also played solid on-ball defense and deflected several passes.   #20 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/cassidy-king/">[player_tooltip player_id='986090' first='Cassidy' last='King']</a> 6'0" G/F SR- Polsgrove and King are two of the better players on this Brookland team, but they were both held in check throughout the night. However, both players did what they could to have a positive impact for the Lady Bearcats. For King, she rebounded the ball well on both ends and scored in the paint. She was also able to draw some contact and have free throw opportunities.   Review   Both Brookland and Greene County Tech will have outstanding 2024/25 seasons, and this game was a good test for both teams. For Greene County Tech, I highly suspect they have another great regular season. They are 3-0 so far on the year, and they hope to carry over tonight's two-way success into their next two games, where they face off against solid 6A opponents in Jonesboro and Springdale. For Brookland, I think they will have a fantastic season, and they proved that they can find production from players other than the usual suspects. They still have two more 5A East teams to face this coming week in Nettleton and Paragould, but they should like their odds.

Preview