4A and 2A Contests Highlight Mid-Season Play
I attended two critical games across the state last week. On Thursday in a 2A-3 contest, Marmaduke defeated first-place Riverside 55-51. Then on Friday, 4A-4 Mena topped district foe Fountain Lake 46-28. Three of the four teams are well-positioned for…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingI attended two critical games across the state last week. On Thursday in a 2A-3 contest, Marmaduke defeated first-place Riverside 55-51. Then on Friday, 4A-4 Mena topped district foe Fountain Lake 46-28. Three of the four teams are well-positioned for post-season play, while the Fountain Lake Cobras will need to pick up the pace to get there. The following is a list of players who I believe will make huge contributions to their team’s success in the second half of conference play:
Emily Leonard 5’7″ SG Mena H.S. 2023-Emily, pictured above, is the team leader. She can play any of the guard positions. She has excellent footwork, uses both hands proficiently, and has a high-level IQ. She does not turn it over and is a confident mid-range shooter. This senior is solid and will lead her team to the postseason.
Kara Martin 5’8″ SG Fountain Lake H.S. 2023-This senior’s strength is that she’s long and she’s smart. Kara is very balanced using either hand effectively and can run the floor. She understands her coaches concepts but for her team to advance to post-season play, she’ll need to expand her game to another level and play stronger and with a purpose. Her team will follow!
Caroline Cannon 6’0″ F Mena H.S. 2024-Caroline plays in and out of the paint. She’ll post up predominately on her strong side. She blocks out well on the defensive end and occasionally works hard for an offensive rebound. She’s a space eater inside and will need to crash the boards hard on both ends of the court for the Bearcats to go deep in the playoffs.
Paige Davis 5’5″ PG Fountain Lake H.S. 2024-Paige handles the pill more than anyone on the team. As the point guard, she is responsible for starting the half-court offense. She likes to drive the lane and draw the foul and makes it to the line often. However, sometimes going a little too fast and not recognizing the double team. She plays harder than anyone on the team and if she can make better decisions with the ball, the Cobras could make a bid for the post-season.
Justis Joiner 5’6″ SG Marmaduke H.S. 2024-Pound for pound, the best player on her team. Justis does not turn it over. Even more, she handles the basketball more than anyone else therefore her touch-to-turnover ratio is very low. Smart and confident, after a couple of 3’s, she’ll drive to the basket and score. The ball is always in her hands at crunch time. The only thing that would elevate her game is to get stronger.
Mackenzie Thomas 5’6″ SG Riverside H.S. Lake City AR. 2023-Mackenzie is a catch-and-shoot three-point specialist. The Rebels are a three-point-shooting team and she’s the best of the bunch. She moves well without the ball and her range is well past the three-line. She’ll drive on occasion, but will usually stop and pop at the arc.
Bailey Joiner 5’10’ F Marmaduke H.S. 2024-Bailey does her work in the paint. She is an excellent rebounder and works very hard to create extra possessions for her team. She doesn’t look to score very much and will need to be more aggressive offensively to help her team advance.
Gracie Washington 5’7″ PG Riverside H.S. Lake City AR. 2024-Gracie prefers to drive to the basket. She is bigger than most point guards and can utilize that size to penetrate while running the half-court offense. When she plays aggressively her team is much more effective on the offensive end. She’s the team leader. Deceptively quick, she will blow by her defender and create a high percentage opportunity for her team.
All of these young ladies will play huge roles in their team’s success for the balance of the season.
Bobby Brown