Underdog vs Uncharted: Who will be the 4A Champion?

Pea Ridge has been one of the best stories in Arkansas high school basketball this year. Though they had a great regular season, they snuck into the playoffs as a 4-seed, beating 1-seed Highland, 2-seed Heber Springs, and 3-seed Joe T. Robinson. Now they will be facing another 1-seed in Pulaski Academy, who defeated their previous three playoff opponents by an average of 30 points. Though Pulaski Academy has been playing at a dominant rate, they have never won a state title, so we will see how this plays out.    [player_tooltip player_id='1236989' first='Makenzie' last='Stites'] is one of the most underrated guards in the 2026 class, and I would think her ranking would improve with this late push to get her team to the title.   In the first round, Stites led her team to a massive victory, putting up 23 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals against 1-seed Highland. In the next round against Heber Springs, she could not be stopped on the offensive end, scoring 29 points, pulling down 3 boards, and coming away with 3 steals on the other end.   Stites is one heck of a shooter. She has a quick release and heats up quickly. Stites is not bothered by heavy defensive pressure on the outside, and if she is not hitting a big jumper, she will fly past the defense and score closer in.   [player_tooltip player_id='1236989' first='Makenzie' last='Stites'] is going to be a handful for Pulaski Academy, and she wants to pull out a championship victory before she heads off to Evangel at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1186830' first='Brooklyn' last='Winn'] has been highly consistent in the postseason so far for the Lady Eagles.   Winn put up a modest 9 points in the first round upset, but in the upsets that followed, she had 15 points and 7 rebounds versus Heber Springs, and 15 points and 3 steals against Joe T. Robinson.   Winn is a reliable shooter, particularly from beyond the arc and off the catch. She has proven to be a lethal shooter in the corners and along the wings, but she can also put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, finishing with either hand. Winn has also pulled out some slick shot- and pass-fakes, which I would like to see more of.   [player_tooltip player_id='1186830' first='Brooklyn' last='Winn'] could be a silent offensive weapon for Pea Ridge, and Pulaski Academy needs to watch out.     Every team needs a physical presence inside. Jaslyn "Jazzy" Dixon is that player for Pea Ridge.   Several players for the Lady Eagles have made their mark offensively, but Dixon has made plays on either side of the ball, especially on defense. Against Heber Springs--who has a couple of solid post players--she put up 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. She had a similar outing against Highland, logging 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.   Though Dixon plays quite a bit inside, she has shown she has skills most other forwards don't have. She has good vision, but having good shooters around her makes it easy for Dixon to put up multiple assists every game.   Jazzy Dixon could definitely be an x-factor for Pea Ridge, mainly because of how forceful she is on defense.     [player_tooltip player_id='1093288' first='Greenlee' last='Elmore'] has proven to be one of the best guards in the state. It will really help cement that title if she can come home to Little Rock with a trophy.   Against a good Camden Fairview team in the first round, Elmore put up 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. She had similar numbers against Forrest City, scoring 18 points, pulling down 8 boards, and coming away with 2 steals. She showed just how good a playmaker she is as well, logging 5 assists.   Elmore is a dynamic scorer who is scary to defend on both the interior and the perimeter. She shoots the ball at a high rate from the outside, hitting most of her threes both off the dribble and the catch. On the inside, she finds ways to finish through traffic, but her vision allows her to dump the ball off to an open teammate whenever she inevitably draws a double team.   [player_tooltip player_id='1093288' first='Greenlee' last='Elmore'] is one of several players on this Lady Bruin squad that Pea Ridge is going to have a few problems with.     Like her fellow backcourt mate, [player_tooltip player_id='1093280' first='Randi' last='Stewart'] has been one of the best guards in the state, and now she has a chance to make history with her team.   Stewart's best performance in the postseason was against Forrest City, by far. She was scoring the ball effectively, putting up 20 points, but she did just about everything else as well. She logged 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in that blowout victory.   Stewart is an inside-out star on offense. She shoots the ball efficiently and can't be stopped when she has it going. The junior finishes well in the lane and at the rim, regardless of the defensive opposition. On defense, she hounds ball-handlers all night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1093280' first='Randi' last='Stewart'] should be receiving more collegiate attention, and perhaps she will if she has another dominant all-around performance in the title game.     Pulaski Academy has plenty of solid scorers, but [player_tooltip player_id='1090320' first='Jermera' last='Streets'] is this team's biggest all-around contributor.   In the first round, Streets had 8 points, 2 boards, 3 dimes, and 5 steals. She followed that up with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 6 steals in the second round. She shoots the ball well from the outside and can attack the basket, but defensively, she is clearly at her best.   Streets hounds ball-handlers every second she is on the floor. She strips ball-handlers with ease and flies in to intercept passes like a defensive back. She hustles hard every time she plays, and she rebounds the ball really well for her stature.   Like Dixon for Pea Ridge, every championship team needs that one player who will be their x-factor, and [player_tooltip player_id='1090320' first='Jermera' last='Streets'] will certainly be that for Pulaski Academy.

Pea Ridge has been one of the best stories in Arkansas high school basketball this year. Though they had a great regular season, they snuck into the playoffs as a 4-seed, beating 1-seed Highland, 2-seed Heber Springs, and 3-seed Joe T. Robinson. Now they will be facing another 1-seed in Pulaski Academy, who defeated their previous three playoff opponents by an average of 30 points. Though Pulaski Academy has been playing at a dominant rate, they have never won a state title, so we will see how this plays out.