The Greenwood Lady Bulldogs’ basketball team took home the Class 6A state title last weekend at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, defeating fellow conference foe Little Rock Parkview, 64-49. Last December GHS head coach Clay Reeves as much as predicted these two teams could meet for the state title, and his instincts proved valid.
Both Greenwood and Parkview are members of the 7A/6A Central conference, with the Lady Bulldogs placing second in the league this season while the Lady Patriots finished sixth. The GHS girls earned a top seed in the 6A state tournament at Jonesboro and outscored their first three opponents by an average of 37 points per game.
Greenwood and Parkview met in the title game last Saturday afternoon, with a large contingent of GHS fans in attendance, and they enjoyed themselves thoroughly. After a slow start offensively, the Lady ‘Dogs grabbed the lead and never surrendered it, holding off a second half Parkview rally to earn their third state championship in the last five years.
The formidable guard trio of junior Megan Hartness and seniors Lundon Williams and Haleigh Henson combined for nearly 60 points in the contest. Hartness was honored as the game’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 27 points. She had five field goals and calmly nailed 15-of-17 free throws while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Four of her five field goals resulted in three-point plays at the charity stripe.
Point guard Lundon Williams had 16 points and five assists, while Henson scored 16 points, hitting four-of-nine from beyond the three-point line, including one to blunt Parkview’s surge late in the third quarter. She also had three assists.
It was the sixth state title for Coach Reeves, who also won three championships at Greenland before moving to Greenwood 11 years ago. His Lady Bulldogs averaged 76.4 points per game in four state tournament games. “Our team played great through the state tournament,” said Reeves. “It was a great season altogether, but the end just went perfect.”
After finding the bottom of the net on just over 50% of their shots in the three games at Jonesboro, the Lady Bulldogs missed their first six shots on Saturday and hit only one of their first nine attempts from the floor. But strong rebounding and solid defense kept Parkview off the scoreboard as well. The Lady Patriots’ led only twice in the game, the last time at 7-5 midway through the opening period.
“I knew we would eventually hit,” said Reeves in his post-game comments. “Starting out cold didn’t bother me. We have a lot of offensive players and I have a lot of confidence in their scoring. I knew we would eventually start hitting. We were playing defense and rebounding on the other end. We knew it wouldn’t be anything like last week, scoring that quickly and that easily.”
After Parkview’s Sausha Davey scored inside for that 7-5 lead, the Lady Bulldogs reeled off nine consecutive points, with Haleigh Henson drilling consecutive three-pointers. Hartness then converted a traditional three-point play at the free throw line for a 14-7 GHS lead with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs led 17-11 after eight minutes of play, but then opened the second quarter with an 8-0 scoring run. Williams drained a three-pointer, Hartness added another conventional three-point play, and Sarah Elkins scored on a put back basket for a 25-11 GHS advantage just 1:19 into the second quarter.
The GHS girls still led by double digits at the break, 36-24, but knew Parkview would make a run in the second half, and the Lady Patriots did not disappoint, scoring 20 points in the third quarter to pull within three (47-44) with just over a minute left in the period. But Henson’s long-range bomb at the one-minute mark kept the opposition at bay and righted the ship for Greenwood, which closed out the quarter with a 6-0 run and a 53-44 lead.
That was about as close as the Lady Patriots would get. After a Parkview free throw, Haleigh Henson scored on a run out layup to open the fourth quarter scoring for Greenwood. Ahead 55-45, the Lady Bulldogs did the rest of their damage at the free throw line, with Hartness hitting seven of eight attempts at the stripe and Lundon Williams accounting for the other two.
With victory seemingly out of reach, Parkview chose not to foul, and the Lady Bulldogs simply dribbled away the final minute of play to a growing crescendo of cheers from the many GHS fans in the stands. Afterward, team members celebrated with smiles, hugs, and tears before receiving the championship trophy presented by State Farm Insurance.
With star players Hartness, Williams, and Henson seated beside him, Coach Reeves answered media questions shortly after the game. “Parkview has a lot of tradition,” he said. “I knew they’d make a run at us at the end, and our players just responded. We got big rebounds and hit big free throws that [we] needed. That just shows how tough the 7A/6A Central conference was. Parkview finished sixth, and they’re playing for a state championship.”
Asked about Henson’s critical three-pointer to stop the Parkview run, Reeves said, “It was a big three. She usually hits threes at the right time, but a lot of our players make those plays at the right time. Haleigh had the three, we hit our free throws, Lundon took care of the ball, and our post players did a great job playing defense. It was a total team effort.”
Reeves began his comments with a sincere note of personal gratitude, saying, “Thank the Lord Jesus Christ for blessing this team all year. Without him we can’t do anything.”
He continued when asked about the key ingredients for this season’s title run. “I think just being unselfish [and] team play. We’ve got a lot of players that can play. We had different players that stepped up at different times. Most nights Lundon [Williams] would lead us in scoring, but when people would key on her we had other [players] step up and score points, and that’s a sign of a good team. [Others] might not score many points, but they’re playing great defense and rebounding. It takes a total team effort to be able to do all of those things,” said Reeves.
At Jonesboro
After a delay because of winter weather, the Lady Bulldogs opened play in the 6A state tournament at Jonesboro High School on Thursday, March 6th, winning their 20th game of the season in blowout fashion over Little Rock’s J.A. Fair High School. Greenwood exploded for 53 points in the first half and never looked back in a 75-27 victory
The GHS girls steamrolled their way to a 37-4 lead after one quarter and increased it to 53-11 at the intermission. The Lady Bulldogs held a 17-13 advantage in the third quarter, invoking the Arkansas Activities Association’s mercy rule in the second half.
Megan Hartness scored 16 points to lead Greenwood offensively, while sophomore guard Maddie Goodner came off the bench to add 15 points, as Coach Reeves was able to sit his starters for most of the second half.
The win over Fair propelled the Lady Bulldogs into the quarterfinals against Siloam Springs on Monday, March 10th. Greenwood tallied three remarkable 20-point quarters in dealing the Lady Panthers a resounding 80-43 loss, setting up a semi-finals match between Greenwood and Searcy the following day.
Against Siloam Springs, Megan Hartness scored 23 of her 27 points in the first 12 minutes of play, carrying Greenwood to a 47-17 lead midway through the second period. Incredibly, the Lady Bulldogs hit 15 of their first 20 shots and 20 of their first 27, taking a 25-11 lead after one quarter and increasing it to 53-24 at the intermission.
Baskets by Hartness, Williams, and Brittany Branum opened the second half scoring for Greenwood. After a pair of Siloam Springs’ free throws, Haleigh Henson converted a conventional three-point play, Hartness hit two free throws, and Henson added another bucket for a 66-26 GHS lead.
Henson and Maddie Goodner ended the quarter with consecutive three-point plays, Henson’s coming on a long jumper beyond the arc, and Goodner with a field goal and free throw for a 74-29 lead, invoking the mercy rule for the remainder of the game. After Megan Hartness’ 27 points, Henson and Williams both added 14 points for Greenwood.
Last Tuesday the Lady Bulldogs met the Lady Lions of Searcy in one of two semi-final contests at Jonesboro, with the winners moving on to the state title game. Against Searcy, Greenwood made an unbelievable 13 three-pointers, while three GHS players scored at least 20 points in the game.
For the second straight game, Greenwood put up a trio of 20-point quarters, routing Searcy by a score of 86-58. In the other semi-final, Little Rock Parkview upset Little Rock Hall, 68-58, to reach the 6A finals for the fourth consecutive year.
Against Searcy, the Lady Bulldogs drilled five three-pointers in the first four minutes of play, shocking the Lady Lions and helping Greenwood to build a 26-17 first-quarter lead. The Lady ‘Dogs added 21 more points in the first half for a 47-28 advantage at the break.
Both teams scored 24 points in an offensive-minded third period, but the Lady Bulldogs sealed the win with a solid fourth quarter performance. The Lady Bulldogs went up by 26 points early in the third quarter and again late in the contest before settling for the 28-point win. Searcy did just enough to prevent invoking the AAA’s mercy rule. Coach Reeves was able to clear the GHS bench late and get everyone in the game.
Megan Hartness led Greenwood with 24 points, while Lundon Williams and Haleigh Henson combined for 41 points. Henson had six three-pointers, including two in the first quarter and two more late in the first half. Williams and Hartness also added two treys each.
“Megan, Lundon, and Haleigh have big games every night with a lot of points, but our other kids - we played 15 kids - all contributed,” said Coach Reeves after the game. “Everybody contributed and hit shots. We were making shots for three straight games. It was great to watch and great to coach. The kids have worked hard to put themselves in [this] situation.”
Hartness led Greenwood with 24 points, while Williams contributed 21 and Henson 20 points. Junior guard Brittany Branum also added 10 points for Greenwood, hitting three three-pointers in the game. Junior forward Sarah Elkins added six points for the Lady Bulldogs.