The 2A Championship Game, One Month Later

Preview   Izard County Consolidated and Barton went at it in the 2A championship game. Both teams were destined to get to this point, but no one was sure who would come away with the victory.   Barton had one of the best guard duos in the state, and this pairing had been leading them to victories all season long. Izard County had more depth and it showed in this game.   Recap   The Izard County Lady Cougars had not won a championship in 17 years, but they were finally back in the big game, looking to break their championship dry spell.   Throughout the game, the lead changed 11 times, along with 10 ties. If you are a fan of back-and-forth games, this was the one for you.   Barton did not shoot well as a team in the first quarter, going 1/14 from the field. Izard County took advantage of the Lady Bears' shooting woes, getting out to an 11-2 lead. Of course, Barton did not go away, using a hot stretch from beyond the arch to get themselves back into the game. The score was in favor of the Lady Cougars, leading by just a hair over the Lady Bears (28-27).   The third quarter was almost all Barton. They took a 3-point lead in the first few minutes, then later to a 5-point lead. However, Izard County did tie the game up at 50 at the end of the period.    Heading into the fourth, the Lady Cougars used timely makes from the 3-point line to spark a 10-4 run. Barton continued to respond to every Cougar haymaker, trailing by one with almost a minute and a half remaining in the contest. Despite that, Izard County took several trips to the free throw line, cashing in on several of them, which held off Barton just enough for them to come away with the victory.   The final score was 72-66, with Izard County finally breaking their nearly two-decade championship dry spell. This game was played in front of 1,593 people, which is more than double the amount of people living in the towns of those schools, combined.   Key Performances from Izard County Players    The MVP of this game was senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1049441' first='Quinn' last='Johnson']. She was on triple-double watch late in the game thanks to her great play in multiple areas of the game.    Johnson put up 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory. She also grabbed 2 offensive rebounds and hit 2 3-pointers. Her best offensive play was on the interior, and not so much with her ability to finish around the rim, but with her ability to draw fouls.   Johnson was nearly impossible to stop on her drives. The defense was forced to foul her and she capitalized on the numerous trips to the free throw line she had. She shot 8/9 from the charity stripe, with several free throws coming late in the game to help Izard County come away with the title win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049441' first='Quinn' last='Johnson'] was one of the most consistent players for the Lady Cougars this past season. Any college would be lucky to have her on their roster, especially with her solid inside-out play.     The leading scorer of the game for Izard County was [player_tooltip player_id='1196193' first='Makensie' last='Yancey'], one of the best shooters on this team. She showed just how impactful of a shooter she could be in the championship.   Yancey went 3/7 from the 3-point line, finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Like Johnson, Yancey was successful at getting to the free throw line. She went 6/7 from the charity stripe, proving that the defense was not able to stop her on the inside or the outside.   On the other end of the floor, Yancey was deflecting passes and picking pockets, causing Barton to have some trouble moving the ball along the perimeter.   [player_tooltip player_id='1196193' first='Makensie' last='Yancey'] leaves Izard County with a championship ring. The senior added such an important shooting element to this team that will be hard to replace.     The lone player to record a double-double in this game was [player_tooltip player_id='1244320' first='Tinley' last='Bailey']. The senior forward was holding it down in the middle for Izard County, helping her team achieve a 43-30 rebound advantage over Barton.   Bailey logged 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Lady Bears. She was a handful in the painted area, finishing efficiently at the basket (shooting 9/13 from the field) and snagging some offensive boards (3). She made herself an easy target for passes into the post, finding open looks several times.   [player_tooltip player_id='1244320' first='Tinley' last='Bailey'] played extremely well for all 32 minutes. No one rebounded better than this senior and Izard County does not win without her hustle and effort.     4 of the 5 starters for the Lady Cougars scored in double-digits in the title game, with [player_tooltip player_id='1060802' first='Olivia' last='Spray'] being one of them. Though she is known as a shooter, Spray was the most successful on the interior and the backboards.   The junior scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, with 3 coming on the offensive end. She also added 3 assists. Spray was solid while on the floor, despite fouling out with 2 minutes left to play. She had done enough to help Izard County separate themselves on the scoreboard, hitting 5 field goals and going 100% from the free throw line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060802' first='Olivia' last='Spray'] may not have played all 32 minutes, but she made winning plays whenever she was on the floor. She is expected to be the go-to player next season and her performance in the championship game should be enough evidence as to why she is up to the challenge.    <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kallie-skidmore/">[player_tooltip player_id='1212753' first='Kallie' last='Skidmore']</a>- One of the more underrated freshmen this past season was [player_tooltip player_id='1212753' first='Kallie' last='Skidmore']. Underrated or not, she impressed in the championship game, playing 22 minutes off the bench and putting up 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. She hit 1 3-pointer and was an animal on the offensive glass, snagging 4 boards on that end.   Key Performances from Barton Players    Barton fell short, but their star guard duo played outstanding, especially [player_tooltip player_id='1060807' first='Da'Mya' last='Wilson'].   Wilson had a game-high 38 points in addition to 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 steals, and 1 block. She was 13/30 from the field and 7/15 from behind the 3-point line. She also found ways to get to the free throw line, going 5/7. With her ability to shoot from outside and to find ways to penetrate the basket, there was no way the Cougars were going to be able to stop her.   Sometimes, great offensive players do not put in much effort on the defensive end. That was not the case with Wilson, who was involved in every major defensive stop for the Lady Bears. She forced turnovers, made plays on help defense, and kept her assignment from having a clean look.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060807' first='Da'Mya' last='Wilson'] was the best player on both ends of the floor in this game, showcasing why she is one of the best players in the 2026 class.     The other part of the Barton guard tandem is [player_tooltip player_id='465514' first='Jakyra' last='Jackson'], who also had a solid outing against Izard County.   The senior finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block in the title game. She shot efficiently from the field, hitting 50% of her 14 shot attempts. Jackson did not hit a 3-pointer, but she sliced and diced the defense up on her way to the hoop. She finished well inside, drawing contact in the process. Though she struggled at the line, she forced several of the Lady Cougars to get into foul trouble.   Jackson was also helping get her teammates involved. She moved the basketball well and hit her open teammates with accurate passes. She also made an impact on the glass, starting the fastbreak after grabbing a defensive rebound and giving her team second-chance opportunities on the other team with her 4 offensive boards.    [player_tooltip player_id='465514' first='Jakyra' last='Jackson'] asserted herself as one of the best guards in 2A against Izard County. Despite the loss, she made plays in just about every aspect of the game.    <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/zaria-smith-2/">[player_tooltip player_id='1187112' first='Zaria' last='Smith']</a>- The 5'10" senior dealt with major injuries this season, but she still played all 32 minutes in the championship game. In those 32 minutes, Smith posted 6 points and 6 rebounds. 2 of her boards came on the offensive end and she was 2/3 shooting from inside the arch. This was a spirited performance from a player who has worked hard to get back on the floor.   Review and What's Next   As I mentioned, this was the first championship for Izard County in 17 years. It had also been a long time since Barton appeared in the big game. These two teams were the best in the 2A classification this year and deserved to be here. At this point, I would consider them to be contenders for next season, despite losing a lot of senior talent.    For Izard County, [player_tooltip player_id='1060802' first='Olivia' last='Spray'] should be the primary scorer next year but incoming sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1212753' first='Kallie' last='Skidmore'] should be highly serviceable on both ends as she is an expected starter next year.    For the Barton Lady Bears, it will be the Da'Miya Wilson show. She has already had a 50-plus point game in her career, which was one of the best scoring performances in Arkansas girls' high school basketball history. I assume the ball will be in her hands more, so I would not be surprised if she went over 60 points in a game this next season.    The rest of the Barton team is quite a bit younger than Izard County. Outside of Jackson and Smith, three Bear starters are expected to return to Lexa, including Wilson and fellow junior Litabryuna Moore. London Magsby, a freshman, also started in the championship game. Freshman Tedrionna Otey, sophomore Madison Collins, and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1286315' first='Tyaas' last='McNeese-Sledge'] all came off the bench in the title game and contributed.

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