Top Performances from the 6A Championship Game

Now that it has been about half a month after the state championship games, let us look back at each one and recognize the top performers from those games, starting with the 6A title contest.   Preview   Fayetteville and Forth Smith Northside met in the 6A championship on March 15th. The Northside Lady Grizzlies were a 3-seed in the tournament and were a clear favorite, especially after defeating 4-seed Fayetteville twice in the regular season. This was also the 10th time these two teams faced each other in tournament play and the 4th time they have met in the championship. Both Northside and Fayetteville have split each series.   These 6A West foes featured some solid talent, with both teams possessing seasoned veterans and rising underclassmen.   Recap   The game was neck-and-neck during the first half, but Fayetteville led 22-15 at one point. Northside' went on a 7-0 run, knotting the game up at 22. The Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs would retake the lead as they went into the half, up 27-26.   The second half was not too dissimilar to the first, with both teams trading the lead multiple times. The Lady Grizzlies led 44-41 after three quarters but went on a 7-0 run in the fourth that separated themselves handily on the scoreboard. Fayetteville did not give in, clawing to bring the came back within single digits, but Fort Smith Northside held on to a commanding lead and did not allow the Lady Bulldogs to feel comfortable on the offensive end, forcing 16 turnovers on the night.   The Fort Smith Northside Lady Grizzlies emerged victorious, coming away with the 56-48 championship win. This was the 9th title victory for Northside and a fitting farewell to the numerous seniors on their roster.   Key Performances from Fort Smith Northside Players    [player_tooltip player_id='465491' first='Erianna' last='Gooden'] is committed to play at Colorado but she did not want to leave the high school ranks without a ring. Her incredible performance against the Bulldogs was good enough for her to earn the 6A state championship MVP.    Gooden may not have been the top scorer from the Grizzlies, but she commanded the game on both ends of the floor. She still finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Gooden hit some jumpers, but most of her scoring came from the free throw line, where she shot 6/7. Her physical play allowed her to have those easy opportunities at the line while also serving her well on the defensive end.   The Colorado commit was moving her feet well, staying in front of her assignment all night. There was not a pass or a handle safe from her, as she would pressure the ball-handler into making a bad play.    [player_tooltip player_id='465491' first='Erianna' last='Gooden'] did everything she was expected to on the floor. She made solid passes while playing aggressively on the offensive end. She also played her heart out on the defensive end. Her effort was infectious with everyone else on the team, making it that much easier to walk away with the win.     [player_tooltip player_id='335944' first='Hazley' last='Grotjohn'] made an instant impact for the Grizzlies, even after being on the team for just one season. The senior guard ended her brief Northside career with a title victory and she was outstanding in that title matchup. Grotjohn scored 14 points on 6/13 shooting while pulling down 7 rebounds and dishing 3 assists. She was attacking the basket with purpose, finishing efficiently inside, or finding an open teammate in the defense collapsed on her. She was also getting second-chance opportunities, snagging 2 boards on the offensive end. On the other side of the ball, Grotjohn was an absolute pest, recording 5 steals. She was active in the passing lanes, poking balls free every chance she had. Once that ball was in her possession, she was racing down the court to pick up transition points. [player_tooltip player_id='335944' first='Hazley' last='Grotjohn'] ends her high school career on a high note, now taking her talents and accomplishments to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.     Like Grotjohn, [player_tooltip player_id='1060871' first='Camryn' last='Schmidt'] is in her first year with the Grizzlies. After transferring from Van Buren, Schmidt helped make an instant impact. She averaged 11.0 points per game during the regular season and led the way offensively in the championship game.   Schmidt scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. 3 of her boards came on the offensive end and she shot just above 50% from the field, connecting on 8 of her 15 shots. She also added 2 assists and 2 blocks. The junior was scoring from inside and out. She hit 1 3-pointer and scored the bulk of her remaining points in the painted area.    With her length, Schmidt is a matchup nightmare on both sides of the ball. She stretches over defenders and easily finishes while being a rim protector on the other end.    [player_tooltip player_id='1060871' first='Camryn' last='Schmidt'] will be expected to lead the way next season for Fort Smith Northside. If this game was any notion of what Grizzly fans will see in 2025/26, they should be excited.    <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/cherish-blackmon/">[player_tooltip player_id='1056386' first='Cherish' last='Blackmon']</a>- Blackmon only averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game during the regular season, but she stepped up in a big way in the championship game. The senior only played 10 minutes off the bench, but she scored 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. She played with high energy on both ends of the floor but her outside shooting set her apart. Blackmon had only gone 4/7 from the 3-point line during the regular season, but she went 2/3 against Fayetteville.   Key Performances from Fayetteville Players    One of the premiere freshmen in the country is [player_tooltip player_id='1090910' first='Payton' last='Caudle']. She helped lead Fayetteville to the title game and had a near-double-double in a spirited performance against the Grizzlies.   The young star had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 steal on the evening. She knocked down a 3-pointer but most of her offensive damage was done on the interior. Caudle grabbed 4 offensive rebounds and shot 3/5 from inside the arch. If she was not finishing at the rim, then she was probably heading to the charity stripe, where she went 8/9.    [player_tooltip player_id='1090910' first='Payton' last='Caudle'] worked hard to keep her team in the fight. This freshman has a tremendous amount of potential and she already has solid experience under her belt.     Fayetteville's senior floor general put the state on notice with her postseason performances. [player_tooltip player_id='870000' first='Whitney' last='Brown'] was an underrated point guard heading into the tournament and left as one of the most respected facilitators at this level.    Brown scored 14 points against Northside in the title game in addition to grabbing 2 rebounds and recording 2 assists. She knocked down 2 triples in the contest and went to the free throw line several times, going 4/7. If she was not scoring, she was working to get her teammates involved. Brown was also doing her part on the defensive side of the ball.   The senior stole the ball once, but she was a pest on the defensive end. She played hounding on-ball defense for all of her 32 minutes on the court.    [player_tooltip player_id='870000' first='Whitney' last='Brown'] had multiple college offers and I think she impressed all of them with her play in this postseason. Fayetteville will certainly be missing their star guard next season.    <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/syniah-coachman/">[player_tooltip player_id='593261' first='Syniah' last='Coachman']</a>- The #2 player in the class of 2027 had some impressive outings in the postseason. Though her best performance was not in the championship game, she still managed to make plays on both ends of the floor. She posted 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. She also knocked down 1 3-pointer and went to the line a couple of times.   Review and What's Next   Fort Smith Northside graduated 6 seniors, with 4 of them being starters in the championship game and 1 being their sixth-woman. The Grizzlies will have [player_tooltip player_id='1060871' first='Camryn' last='Schmidt'] back next season, but they will need to find other players to make up for the two-way play from all of their seniors. I imagine Isabella Kindrick will be the primary playmaker next season, but players like Morgan Sanger and [player_tooltip player_id='1275316' first='Jariya' last='Birdsong'] could have plenty of opportunities in those playmaking roles.   For Fayetteville, they will have most of their two-way production back next season. Losing players like [player_tooltip player_id='870000' first='Whitney' last='Brown'] and Mariyah Moss is tough, but their offensive stars [player_tooltip player_id='1090910' first='Payton' last='Caudle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='593261' first='Syniah' last='Coachman'] will both be on the hill for a couple more years. Charley Rawlins is an excellent shooter who started in the championship game and Trinity Cooks and Chyloh Terry have had their moments this season. I also hope to see more production from many of their younger players like Jaida Crawford, Abigail Koenig, and Chloe Buss. The future is bright in Fayetteville and along with teams like Springdale, North Little Rock, and Har-Ber, they should be immediate favorites to win the title next season.

Now that it has been about half a month after the state championship games, let us look back at each one and recognize the top performers from those games, starting with the 6A title contest.