GHS Head Coach Ryan Casalman watched his Lady Bulldogs close out their regular season last week in fine fashion, winning all three games over a five-day span to earn the coveted #2 seed in the state tournament from the 5A West. Greenwood defeated Siloam Springs on the road last Monday then returned home to beat Russellville and Mountain Home on Tuesday and Friday. In the process, they scored an incredible 278 points.
The three-time defending state champions concluded their first regular season under Casalman with a record of 17-11, many of those losses to Class 6A schools in non-conference play. They finished 11-3 in league play. Casalman took over just before the season started after James Halitzka suddenly resigned due to health concerns. Halitzka was hired last spring to replace the legendary Clay Reeves, who won eight state titles at Greenwood and 11 altogether in his illustrious career.
Greenwood’s second-place finish put the Lady Bulldogs on the opposite side of the playoff bracket from conference winner and #1 seed Farmington, the team favored by most to win the 5A state title. The Lady Cardinals are also the defending 4A state champions from last year and have already beaten Greenwood twice this season. But now, perhaps the two best teams in Class 5A cannot meet until the state championship game at Hot Springs. In any event, it will take a supreme effort for the Lady Bulldogs to win their fourth consecutive 5A state title and the ninth overall in school history.
The GHS ladies open state tournament play on Wednesday afternoon at Greene County Tech in Parabould against the Lady Badgers of Beebe (23-6), the #3 seed from the 5A Central. That game will tip-off at 4 p.m. Should the Lady Bulldogs win their opener, they will play Thursday against the host team, Greene County Tech (28-2, #1 East), which defeated Sheridan in the first round.
Alma
On the second Tuesday in February the Lady Bulldogs hosted the Lady Airedales of Alma. It was their second meeting of the season with Greenwood winning big the first time around on Alma’s home court. Very little changed in game two, a 48-point blowout win by the GHS girls that featured 13 three-point baskets by the home team. The Lady Bulldogs scored 26, 31, and 20 points in each of the first three periods before the starters went to the bench. The Greenwood girls led 26-7 after one quarter and 57-18 at the half. They outscored Alma 23-14 in the second half for the 80-32 GHS victory.
The winning team shot nearly 46% overall, hitting 19-of-36 two-point attempts and 13-of-39 from long range. The Lady Bulldogs scored 30 points off turnovers and 34 points in the paint. They crashed the boards for 41 rebounds compared to 26 for Alma. Greenwood also had 16 steals, accounting for most of Alma’s 22 turnovers.
Three GHS starters reached double digits in scoring. Kylah Pearcy led the way with 21 points followed by Izzy Smith with 20 and Piper Pitts with 12, all in limited minutes. Pearcy added seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Smith dished out three assists and Pitts had four boards and three steals. Six other Lady Bulldogs scored, including Ashlin Rose (8 points), Pate Jones (7), Halle Fox (4), Journey Clements (3), Eva Booth (3), and Trinity Spicer (2). Rose added four rebounds and two steals while Clements had three boards and two assists.
Farmington
Things could not have been more different three days later at Farmington when the Lady Bulldogs shot just under 30%, hitting 7-of-22 two-point field goals and 7-of-25 shots beyond the arc. The top-ranked Lady Cardinals also crushed the visitors on the boards and in the paint, outrebounding Greenwood, 42-to-14, and outscoring the Lady Bulldogs in the lane, 36-to-12. The visitors had two more steals than the home team and three fewer turnovers in the 68-39 Farmington win.
The Farmington girls are ranked #1 in Class 5A and are the favorites to win the state championship after winning the 4A title in 2024. They’ve already won the 5A West title, securing one of the four #1 seeds in the state tournament. Greenwood entered the game with the slimmest hopes of catching Farmington and perhaps winning a share of the league title, but their second loss to the Lady Cardinals dashed those hopes. Now, a second-place finish is the best Greenwood can do with an eye on reaching the state finals and perhaps getting another shot at Farmington in the postseason.
The Lady Cardinals led 20-12 after eight minutes and 35-19 at the half. They outscored Greenwood 17-11 in the third stanza and 16-9 in the fourth quarter. Kylah Pearcy led the visitors in scoring with 16 points plus two rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Ashlin Rose added nine points on a trio of three-pointers, plus three rebounds. Izzy Smith contributed five points with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Pate Jones, Journey Clements, and Keelie Dolan had three points each. Jones added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Siloam Springs
The GHS ladies began the final week of their regular season with a big offensive performance and a huge win at Siloam Springs last Monday, winning 94-51. Greenwood dominated all four quarters of play, starting with a 25-10 scoring advantage in the first eight minutes. The visitors won the second period, 18-14, and led at halftime, 43-24. Returning to the floor after the break, the Lady Bulldogs put on a scoring clinic, shooting nearly 65% from two-point land, plus a three-pointer while making all eight of their free throw attempts for 33 points in the period. They cleared the bench in the fourth quarter and added 18 more points for the 43-point victory.
For the game, Greenwood shot over 49%, including 40% from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of 25 long-distance shots. The Lady Bulldogs scored nearly half of their points in the paint (40) and 44 points off 36 Siloam Springs’ turnovers, including 27 steals. The Lady Panthers won the rebounding battle, 29-to-25, a negligible difference. The visitors also made 18 of their 20 free throw attempts.
Individually, Kylah Pearcy led the way with 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting and 15-of-16 free throws. She also added seven rebounds, nine assists, nine deflections, and eight steals, in a remarkable performance. Izzy Smith added 19 points plus three assists and four steals, while Ashlin Rose scored 12 points, nabbed three rebounds and had three steals. Seven other players contributed points, with starter Piper Pitts netting nine points with five steals. Eva Booth hit both of her three-point attempts for six points. Journey Clements, Halle Fox, and Skylar Monks scored three points each while Pate Jones and Keelie Dolan scored two points each. Jones added three rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals.
Russellville
The Lady Bulldogs continued their push for second place in the league with another massive victory over the Lady Cyclones last Tuesday at H.B. Stewart Arena, winning 99-42, giving them 193 points in back-to-back days. The game was essentially over after one period, with Greenwood’s smothering pressure defense forcing numerous turnovers, converting them into easy baskets and a 29-11 GHS lead after eight minutes. The home team led 59-21 at the half, 83-34 after three periods, and nearly reached the century mark in the final seconds of play.
The Greenwood ladies shot the ball extremely well, hitting nearly 55% of their shots, including 10-of-28 three-pointers or 35.7%. They scored 40 points in transition, converting the majority of their 26 steals into points. They forced 32 total turnovers and scored 51 points off those giveaways. Greenwood also outrebounded Russellville by a sizable margin, 39-to-28.
A dozen GHS players scored points, starting with Izzy Smith and her 32 points on 14-of-21 shooting, including a three-pointer, three free throws, and six steals. Kylah Pearcy added 19 points on six field goals and seven free throws. She also had seven rebounds, three assists, 10 deflections, and six steals. Journey Clements scored eight points while starters Ashlin Rose and Piper Pitts and reserves Halle Fox and Katherine Taylor added six points each. Trinity Spicer came off the bench to score four points while Addison Bridges, Pate Jones, and Eva Booth scored three points each. Honor Zuress added a single point.
Ashlin Rose also led the team in rebounds with 10, plus five assists and five steals. Pate Jones had two rebounds, eight assists, and six steals. After the game, Kylah Pearcy was honored by Athletic Director Chris Young for scoring 1,000 points in her three-year varsity career. She surpassed the mark earlier this season in a game at Mountain Home. She was presented with a commemorative basketball and surrounded by family members and teammates while photos were taken. Peacy is a junior and will have several more games this season plus all next season to add to her career scoring total.
Mountain Home
Last Friday evening the GHS girls ended their regular season campaign with a 25-point home victory over the Lady Bombers, completing a two-game season sweep over the ladies from Baxter County. The win gave the Lady Bulldogs second-place in the final conference standings and the #2 seed from the 5A West in the state playoffs. Amazingly, Greenwood did all that after being down 16-0 to start the game before Kylah Pearcy scored inside and added a free throw at the 3:40 mark of the opening period. Once the scoring drought was broken, the Lady Bulldogs outscored Mountain Home 17-6 the rest of the quarter.
Trailing 22-17 after eight minutes, Greenwood breeched the 20-point barrier in each of the next three periods, winning the second stanza, 21-17, to trim the Mountain Home lead to 39-38 at the half. The Lady Bulldogs won the third period, 25-10, and the fourth, 22-11, to win the game by a decisive margin, 85-60. After their poor start, the hometown girls outscored the visitors, 85-44, despite making just six three-pointers in the game.
The Lady Bombers committed 21 turnovers, 13 of those steals by the GHS defense, leading to 26 points off Mountain Home turnovers. Many of those points came off layups that allowed Greenwood to make 25-of-36 two-point field goals and a shooting percentage of over 71%. They hit just over 52% overall, including 24 three-point attempts.
Both teams were very proficient at the free throw line and both got there often. Mountain Home hit 18-of-21 charity shots while Greenwood made 17-of-23 free throws. Due to Greenwood’s early scoring drought and many missed shots, Mountain Home led in rebounding with 40 boards to just 26 for the Lady Bulldogs. Greenwood had those 13 steals to just four by the visitors. The GHS girls also had five defensive blocks and two charges taken.
Kylah Pearcy led Greenwood in scoring, netting a career-high 43 points, accounting for over half of her team’s 85 points in the contest. Ironically, Pearcy scored the 1,000th point of her varsity career at Mountain Home last month. But she also had plenty of help last Friday from Izzy Smith with 31 points, including 4-of-9 three-point shots made. Pearcy also had seven rebounds, five assists, and 10 steals. Smith had two boards, six assists, and a steal.
Journey Clements and Piper Pitts both hit a trey for three points each while Ashlin Rose and Keelie Dolan scored two points each. Trinity Spicer added a single free throw. Pitts added four rebounds while Rose nabbed three boards. Pate Jones did not score but had two rebounds, three assists, and a steal.