Chris' Natural State Performers of the Week: Volume II

Last week was thin in regards to the number of games being played throughout the state, and that is because everyone was busy filling their bellies for Thanksgiving (I sure was)! There were still plenty of players who were able to perform well right before and right after the Thanksgiving break, so let us talk about some of those performers.    Let us go to the beginning of the week on the 25th, where Lilly Reid had a ridiculous showing in the win over Clinton High School. She put up 27 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 steals, while nailing multiple deep triples. Now, when I say "deep," I am talking about Caitlin Clark, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard deep.   I saw Reid knock down three 3-pointers from the logo! The defense was not even that bad, they presented solid closeouts, but it still was not enough to throw off Reid's shot. She has a great shooting stroke, and her quick release allows her to get her shot off before the defense can offer better contests. All three of these shots were also off catch-and-shoot situations. I could continue to talk about Reid's outside shooting, but let us not forget the 5'9" forward pulled down 17 rebounds.   Reid was doing the dirty work on the glass on both sides of the ball. She was earning second-chance opportunities for her team and ending possible second possessions for the other team. Reid chased after loose balls and played solid defense.   Lilly Reid had an impactful all-around game, but her outside shooting was incredible. She is shooting from further out as a junior than she was as a sophomore, so I am curious if she starts shooting closer to the halfcourt line as a senior.     Not many freshmen start out their varsity career with multiple double-digit scoring outings, but fewer drop 30 on a good non-league opponent in a close game. Evvi Cooper put up 30 points in a 1-point win over Jasper on the 25th, and I think that is a good indication as to what we should expect to see from Cooper in her high school career.   Cooper is an excellent shooter, and when she is able to settle in from outside, she cannot be stopped. She uses a quick release, excellent elevation, and good timing on her shot. Cooper is lethal off both the catch and the dribble, scoring loads of buckets from beyond the arch and from mid-range. Cooper can score on the inside as well.   Cooper has a great handle, and if she is able to get a step on the defender, she will blow right by them on her way to the bucket. If help comes, she can hit them with a nasty euro-step before scooping and scoring in the paint.   Evvi Cooper will continue to dominate in the scoring column for Mountain View, and if she is already playing like one of the best players in the state as a freshmen, then the sky is too low of a limit for her.     [player_tooltip player_id='881468' first='Whitley' last='Rogers'] is the epidemy of "elite." She can do essentially everything on the court, and she makes a great case against the two players ranked ahead of her in the top three of the 2026 rankings.   On Tuesday, Rogers and Little Rock Christian had a dominant game against 6A Central Cabot High School. The final score for the game was 68-31 in favor of LRCA. Rogers' final statline for the game was 37 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 steals. She went 5/5 from the charity stripe, nailed 4 threes, and converted three and-one opportunities.   It was a dominant scoring affair for Rogers, and apart from her outside shooting, she made a fair amount of her money when scoring off turnovers. She scored in transition multiple times throughout the game, finishing open and contested looks in the paint. Of course with 7 steals, you better believe she had a good night defensively. She was very active, intercepting multiple passes and playing hounding on-ball defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='881468' first='Whitley' last='Rogers'] is going to continue to be one of the best players in the entire state of Arkansas, regardless of class.     I will not typically feature the same player multiple times for this series, but [player_tooltip player_id='1090299' first='Makenlie' last='Campbell'] had too good of a week not to talk about. She started off with a 22-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist, 3-steal, 1-block performance against Mountain Home on Monday, then had a slightly modest game of 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists on Friday against a team from Mississippi. Then on Saturday, Campbell had another 22-point performance in a 73-34 victory over Camden Fairview.   [player_tooltip player_id='1090299' first='Makenlie' last='Campbell'] continues to stuff the stat sheet night after night, and she has quickly become one of the names to know in the national class of 2027. Campbell made her scoring mark by leaking out on the fastbreak and scoring open and contested layups with either hand. In the halfcourt, she drove hard to the basket, but if she had a good look from outside, she was going to take and make those shots.   Along with collecting three steals in the win over Mountain Home, Campbell played lockdown defense, typically against one of the opposition's better guards. She also recorded multiple deflections in Har-Ber's full-court press against Camden Fairview, constantly playing with high energy and active hands.   [player_tooltip player_id='1090299' first='Makenlie' last='Campbell'] is a star, and not just a star in Arkansas. Sooner rather than later, [player_tooltip player_id='1090299' first='Makenlie' last='Campbell'] and her sister Madisen will be more well-known across the nation, and I do not see why they are not top five players in their class already.     Greers Ferry Westside has been the team to beat this season in the 1A classification, only thing is, no one has beaten them! The Lady Eagles are 13-0 on the season with wins over multiple 1A, 3A, 4A, and 5A teams. They seem to have assembled a bit of a super-team as they grabbed solid players from struggling schools, along with their players who are back from last year improving tremendously. [player_tooltip player_id='1092578' first='Ashlyn' last='Cossey'] is one of the many players having a great 2024/25 season, as she recorded her 5th double-double on the year in last Monday's win over Heber Springs.   Cossey put up 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block against a solid 4A-5 North squad. Cossey showed a lot of versatility in the 61-39 win, as she plays the forward position, yet takes the ball up the court off a defensive rebound. She can push the pace in transition, as well as finding teammates for assists. Her 12 rebounds were mostly on the defensive end, but she made a ruckus on the offensive glass as well.   Cossey had several putbacks against Heber Springs, who possesses solid interior players. Despite that, Cossey dominated the paint, as she was finishing hard through contact down low.   [player_tooltip player_id='1092578' first='Ashlyn' last='Cossey'] is one of the many great players on this Greers Ferry Westside team, and I cannot wait to watch this team in person. I am very interested in seeing if they can keep this perfect season going.    This is just a few of the several great performances from last week's Arkansas high school girls basketball action. I know I am bound to miss several great performances, and I definitely did for volume I of this series. With that being said, if you want your performances recognized more on this site, tag me on X/Twitter (@crgay2024), and you might just find yourself being featured in this new series. I also typically post the links to my articles on X, so reposting them to garner more recognition for yourself is another good way to draw my attention.   Keep an eye out for volume III of this series, which will cover performances from Monday, December 2nd through Sunday, December 8th.

Last week was thin in regards to the number of games being played throughout the state, and that is because everyone was busy filling their bellies for Thanksgiving (I sure was)! There were still plenty of players who were able to perform well right before and right after the Thanksgiving break, so let us talk about some of those performers.