The Greenwood High School varsity boys’ basketball team won’t be going to the state tournament this season after last Monday’s tough loss at Siloam Springs, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful season. The Bulldogs finished with a 10-13 overall record, reaching double figures in wins for the first time since the 2017-18 season under former head coach Greg Nichols, also the last time the team reached the state playoffs.
Concluding his third year with the Bulldogs, Head Coach Donnie Husband, along with assistant coach Dexter Pearcy and their players, have been working hard to rebuild the program. Led by three senior starters, they took a major step forward this past January, fueled by an exciting stretch of basketball that saw them win six of eight games, including four consecutive conference outings in the 5A West.
Those four victories turned their season around after starting 0-3 in league play, and a fifth conference win over Alma in early February kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot right to the end. They defeated the Airedales again to finish 6-8 in league play after losing at Siloam Springs in the second round of the conference tournament.
Due to Covid-19 and the bad weather last month, the league schedule was abbreviated by two games and all teams played in conference tournaments to determine the four playoff seeds to represent the 5A West. But originally only the boys were to have a tournament and not the girls, until the AAA pushed back the playoffs by a week and gave all conferences the option of playing out their regular season schedules or having a league tournament.
The decision by the 5A West to end league play on February 23rd and hold a conference tournament for both the boys and girls cost the Bulldogs, who had a more favorable seed (#4) on the original bracket before the changes were made. They lost that February 23rd game to Siloam Springs and fell to the fifth seed, requiring them to win two games in the tournament to quality for the playoffs. In the first version of the bracket, they needed just one victory to make state.
But teams still must perform on the court regardless of the circumstances, and the Bulldogs just couldn’t regain their January magic or find the consistent play needed down the stretch. They also ran into a hot team in Siloam Springs. Their win over Greenwood was the Panthers’ fifth victory in a row, the last two over the Bulldogs. Siloam Springs traveled to Russellville this past Tuesday, already assured of a playoff slot.
After the February 23rd loss at home to the Panthers, Coach Husband shouldered much of the responsibility for the disappointing outcome. “We made a lot of mistakes,” he said. “It’s just poor fundamental play. That’s stuff that shouldn’t happen, and that’s on me. We didn’t have good [scoring] balance, and that’s usually when we play better, when we’ve got five guys in double figures or right at double figures.
“But our guys have done a great job all year,” the coach continued. “We didn’t play great tonight, but it wasn’t from lack of effort. They fought their tails off. I’m disappointed for them, but we just made too many mistakes, and I’ve got to do a better job of helping them.”
The Bulldogs then turned things around last Friday night at home against Alma, beating the Airedales for the third time this season in the opening round of the league tournament. And just as Coach Husband predicted, four Bulldogs scored in double figures in the solid win that put Greenwood one victory away from a post-season playoff berth. But the hot-shooting Panthers were too much for the ‘Dogs this past Tuesday, hitting six three-pointers in the first half to build a double-digit lead the visitors could not overcome.
Following Monday’s road loss at Siloam Springs, Greenwood Athletic Director Dr. Dustin Smith, who does color commentary on the Greenwood Sports Center livestream broadcast, offered the following words in support of Coach Husband and the boys’ basketball program: “I know it was a 21-point loss, and that’s going to sting, especially for the seniors who don’t have another opportunity [to play]. But the strides this team and this program have made the last three years, Coach Husband deserves a lot of credit.
“The kids have bought in and they are playing hard,” Smith continued. “Any time you have Greenwood on the schedule you had better pack your lunch, because it’s going to be a battle. [Ten] wins on the year was impressive, and I think good things are in store for the Bulldogs going forward.”
Indeed, the Bulldogs have several experienced players coming back next season, including starters Sam Forbus and Aiden Kennon, along with key bench players Hunter Houston, Micah Lensing, Chase Beshears, and Jay Wright, plus an infusion of sophomore talent from a group that just won the River Valley Conference championship as freshmen. The eighth-grade boys’ team was also strong this season, so there is talent in the pipeline, and fans can look forward to continued improvement.
Bulldogs 59, Airedales 54
The opening round of the 5A West boys’ conference tournament was played at H.B. Stewart Arena the last Friday night in February, and the game was close throughout. It’s tough to beat a team three times in the same season, and that proved to be the case as the Airedales hung with the Bulldogs for the full 32 minutes.
The home team got off to a nice start, leading 5-0, but the visitors responded with a 6-0 scoring run to take their first lead of the game, but not their last. The Airedales led 15-11 later in the period and closed out the stanza ahead, 17-16.
Alma led twice by four points in the second quarter before the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the lead at the intermission. Trailing 26-22 with 1:48 left, Greenwood got free throws from Stein, Kennon, and junior Micah Lensing, plus a late three-pointer by Aiden Kennon, scoring the final six points of the first half for a 28-26 advantage.
The two teams continued to trade blows in the second half, never separated by more than four points. The Airedales even regained the lead momentarily at 44-43 with 50 seconds left in the third period. But the Bulldogs scored the last five points of the quarter, including a three-pointer by Evan Bartlett and a layup by Sam Forbus after a steal just before the buzzer.
The Bulldogs led 48-44 as the fourth quarter began and slowly began to build on their advantage. Center Braden Stein made an unusually long jump shot for him, followed by a mid-range basket from Caleb Ligon, pushing the margin to seven points at 52-45. But the Airedales were able to trim the GHS lead to a single point at 55-54 with :49 left to play.
Coach Husband then called a timeout to talk to his troops, and it worked. Caleb Ligon scored on a reverse layup in traffic and Evan Bartlett drained a pair of free throws to score the game’s final four points, keeping the Airedales at bay, ending their season and maintaining Greenwood’s playoff hopes.
Balanced scoring was key to the GHS victory, with four players in double figures, netting at least 13 points or more. Aiden Kennon led the way with 15 points in one of his best performances of the season. He was followed by Evan Bartlett, Caleb Ligon, and Braden Stein, each with 13 points.
Normally one of Greenwood’s top scorers, Sam Forbus had only four points in the game, but contributed in other ways with four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Ligon also had eight rebounds and four assists while Bartlett grabbed seven boards and had two assists.
Bulldogs 40, Panthers 61
The contest got away from Greenwood early at Siloam Springs. With the Bulldogs up 4-3, a combination of GHS turnovers and missed shots allowed the home team to take a 10-4 lead, prompting Coach Husband to call timeout. His players then responded, cutting the deficit to 10-9, but the Panthers quickly rallied back to score 14 of the next 18 points to end the quarter ahead, 24-13.
For the remainder of the game Greenwood was never able to trim the Siloam Springs’ lead below double figures. Josh Stewart, son of the Panthers’ head coach, was red hot beyond the three-point line in the first half, connecting on a fistful of bombs to create separation between the two teams.
A late three-pointer by GHS sophomore Hunter Houston and a steal and layup by junior Sam Forbus just before the buzzer made the halftime score respectable at 34-23, giving the Bulldogs a fighting chance in the second half.
But that chance never materialized as the Panthers scored the first 13 points of the third period to put the game away with a 47-23 advantage. With the clock and their season running down, the Bulldogs simply couldn’t buy a basket, missing most of their three-point attempts and unable to convert on several inside baskets. Greenwood scored just five points in the third stanza and trailed 50-28 after 24 minutes.
The fourth period was merely a formality with the outcome already decided. Coach Husband’s son, senior Caleb Ligon, fouled out early in the quarter and hugged his dad as he left the court for the last time. Seniors Braden Stein and Evan Bartlett were also pulled from the game and were met by their coach and teammates on the sideline. The other starters also left the floor as junior varsity players finished the game.
No Bulldogs’ player scored in double digits. Forbus, Stein, and sophomore Aiden Kennon all had seven points each, while Evan Bartlett, Hunter Houston, and junior Jay Wright all netted five points apiece. Wright scored his points in the final few minutes of the game, including a three-pointer and a basket after making a steal on an inbounds play.