For the first time since 2018, both Greenwood High School varsity basketball teams participated in the 5A state playoffs this past week at Sheridan High School, but with vastly different expectations and outcomes. The GHS girls will play for a possible sixth championship in school history next Thursday in Hot Springs against the defending state champs, the Jonesboro Lady Hurricane. The Greenwood varsity boys ended their season with a first-round loss last Tuesday.
No stranger to the postseason, the Lady Bulldogs entered the state tournament as the #1 seed from the 5A West, making them one of the favorites to compete for the state title, and they have lived up to those expectations. The GHS boys grabbed the fourth seed from the 5A West, which earned them an early pairing against the powerful Patriots of Little Rock Parkview, a clear mismatch if there ever was one. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs and Head Coach Donnie Husband and his staff deserve kudos for making the playoffs, an important step forward for the program.
Bulldogs vs. Parkview
Coach Husband’s team had to win their final three conference games to make the postseason, and they did, finishing 7-7 in the 5A West to claim the #4 seed. They entered play last Tuesday against Parkview with an 11-17 overall record while the super-talented and tradition-rich Patriots came into the game with a 23-3 mark, one of the favorites to win the state title.
Physically, the Bulldogs were outmanned by the Patriots, who featured two senior starters, Cameron Wallace and Jeff Kamanga, who topped out at 6’7” and 6’4”, respectively. Greenwood’s tallest players are just over six feet. There was also an obvious difference in team speed, quickness, and overall athleticism, huge factors with Parkview applying full court defensive pressure for much of the game. They are also coached by former Razorback great Scotty Thurman.
The Pats scored the game’s first four points, but Greenwood got on the board with a backdoor cut to the basket and layup by Jay Wright off a pass from fellow senior Sam Forbus. Moments later, at the 4:17 mark, Parkview called a timeout after Forbus made a steal under the GHS basket and banked one off the glass to tie the game at 6-6. But the Pats responded with a 5-0 run and led 17-11 after the first eight minutes.
Parkview continued to build its lead in the second quarter, going up 25-12, then 29-16 at the midpoint of the period. Down by 18 points, 36-18, in the final minutes, Sam Forbus buried a three-pointer for Greenwood, trimming the Bulldogs’ deficit to 36-21 at the intermission. But the ‘Dogs hit a wall offensively in the third quarter and were outscored 10-0 to start the half and 25-2 for the period. Sam Forbus scored the only field goal for the Bulldogs.
Trailing 61-23 after three quarters with the mercy rule in play, Coach Husband pulled his starters, allowing several reserves to see action in the state tournament, including several seniors playing the final game of their prep careers. Likewise, with the victory clearly in hand, Coach Thurman benched his starters as Parkview rolled to a 72-29 win, advancing to the second round of play, where the Patriots lost to the Lake Hamilton Wolves in a shootout, 87-81.
GHS Athletic Director Dr. Dustin Smith, who also serves as the color commentator for the live stream broadcast, offered these post-game thoughts about the Bulldogs and their season. “We knew the mountain we were climbing coming into this game. Greenwood battled and continued to play hard despite not making shots. But it was nice to see this Bulldogs team make it to the state tournament. They played really well to get there and earned it on their own merits. [They] did what they had to do to get here, and they continued to fight and represented Greenwood well. I couldn’t be more proud of these seniors and how they represented our school and our community.”
Sam Forbus led Greenwood in scoring with 11 points, plus two rebounds and two steals, and ends his GHS career as a three-year starter in which he led the team in scoring each season. Senior Jay Wright also played his final game and scored seven points, with a pair of rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Junior Aiden Kennon finished with three points, a rebound and an assist, and four other players had two points each, including seniors Parker Gill and Chayce Blankenship, junior Gavin White, and sophomore L.J. Robins.
Lady Bulldogs vs. Parkview
Almost every year the GHS girls are a threat in the state tournament under Head Coach Clay Reeves, winner of eight state titles, the last five coming at Greenwood, the most recent in 2020, and this season is no exception. The Lady Bulldogs entered the tournament after going 14-0 in conference play and 24-4 overall during the regular season. They were the #1 seed from the 5A West, and like their GHS counterparts, drew Little Rock Parkview in the opening round.
But the Lady Patriots were only the fourth seed from the 5A Central and didn’t figure to be much trouble for Greenwood, despite having a size advantage in the middle. They were also young compared to Greenwood’s more experienced lineup that featured two seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore. That experience made a huge difference for the Lady Bulldogs.
The contest started in sloppy fashion with three consecutive turnovers, two by Parkview and one by Greenwood, and the Lady Pats actually led 4-0 before junior Mady Cartwright scored inside and added a free throw. The Lady Bulldogs went on to lead 11-6 after eight minutes before putting the game away in the second quarter.
Ahead 17-11 at the 5:20 mark of stanza #2, Greenwood went on a 16-1 scoring run before the halftime break. The final decisive five minutes of the first half coincided with Parkview’s big girl drawing her third foul. Sophomore Carley Sexton, who had a career-high offensive game for the Lady Bulldogs, scored inside to start the run and basically alternated with Cartwright to account for most of the scoring before the half. Sexton’s floater at the buzzer made it 33-12 at the break.
But the Lady Pats didn’t go down without a fight, putting together a 10-0 run in the third quarter, aided by their first two three-pointers, cutting the GHS advantage to 36-22. But the Lady Bulldogs regrouped and scored seven of the last 11 points of the quarter to lead 43-26 after 24 minutes.
Greenwood then increased its scoring margin to 21 points by the end of the contest, winning 56-35, despite getting only 16 points combined from their usual leading scorers, Mady Cartwright and Anna Trusty.
Offensively, Carley Sexton was the player of the game with 18 points, followed by senior Abby Summitt with 12 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Megan Gray added nine points while Cartwright and Trusty both had eight points. But Cartwright was huge on the boards with 11 rebounds, adding two assists and two steals. Trusty also had five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Lady Bulldogs vs. West Memphis
Up next for the GHS girls were the Lady Blue Devils, the dangerous #2 seed from the powerful 5A East, who reached the state finals last season before losing to eventual state champion Jonesboro. That West Memphis team started five sophomores, and all five returned this season, setting up a titanic clash with Greenwood in the second round. The Lady Bulldogs were also hampered by the loss of junior Adriana Rusin due to an injury, replaced by Carley Sexton in the starting lineup. Sexton made just one shot in the game, but it was absolutely huge.
The Lady Blue Devils scored the game’s first four points and led 5-2 after Abby Summitt scored Greenwood’s first basket. Anna Trusty added a driving layup and Mady Cartwright scored inside before also hitting a three-pointer that put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 9-7 at the 3:00 mark. Summitt then scored the last five points for Greenwood, including her first trey, and the GHS girls led 14-9 after one period.
But West Memphis erased that five-point deficit early in the second quarter and later went up 22-19 on the strength of two three-pointers. But Mady Cartwright went to the basket and drew a foul, allowing her to hit a pair of charity shots before time expired, trimming the Lady Blue Devils’ halftime advantage to just one point, 22-21.
The contest remained close throughout the second half, with the Lady Bulldogs narrowly on top for most of the time. Their biggest lead was seven points (36-29) early in the fourth quarter, but each time Greenwood threatened to pull away the Lady Blue Devils rallied. The GHS girls led 31-28 after three periods, but got a trey from Trusty and a jumper from Cartwright early in the fourth quarter to build their seven-point lead.
However, Greenwood’s lead quickly evaporated after back-to-back treys by West Memphis around the 5:00 mark. After the Lady Blue Devils took a 39-37 lead, Abby Summitt nailed a three-pointer to put Greenwood back on top by one. Cartwright then took a charge, causing a turnover, and converted on the other end with a three-pointer, putting the Lady Bulldogs ahead, 42-29. But with about a minute left to play, West Memphis had a 5-0 run to retake the lead, 44-42.
With 26 ticks left on the clock, Abby Summitt tied the game at the free throw line, but West Memphis quickly drove the floor and scored inside, going up 46-44 with :14.5 remaining, and that’s when the unexpected happened. With the Lady Blue Devils pressuring the inbounds pass, Abby Summitt received the ball and quickly dribbled across the halfcourt line, looking for a scoring opportunity as time was running out.
That chance presented itself in the form of Carley Sexton all alone outside the three-point arc on the right side of the court. Summitt’s pass was on the mark and Sexton drew a bead on the basket and left fly a high-arching three point shot that found nothing but net with about five seconds left to play, putting Greenwood ahead, 47-46.
But with 4.8 seconds remaining, West Memphis called a timeout to set up a final play for the tie or win. When play resumed, the Lady Blue Devils drove the length of the floor, penetrating across the free throw line before launching a mid-range runner that bounced off the iron, preserving the narrow GHS victory.
Mady Cartwright was the offensive player of the game for Greenwood with a team-high 27 points to go along with her five rebounds and two assists. She was also a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Anna Trusty had nine points and led the team with 11 rebounds. Abby Summitt added eight points and four rebounds. Carley Sexton scored just three points, but they were the biggest three points of the game and of the season so far.
Lady Bulldogs vs. Marion
The state semifinals were played last Saturday at noon against the Lady Patriots of Marion, the #3 seed from the 5A East. Marion advanced to face Greenwood by defeating top-seeded Jacksonville, 42-41, on a last second shot less than 24 hours earlier. By contrast, the Lady Bulldogs had about 40 hours of rest after beating West Memphis on Thursday night.
But despite being outsized once again, the GHS girls handled the Lady Pats without much difficulty, leading 13-9 after one period and 30-16 at the intermission. An 11-1 scoring run to start the second quarter allowed Greenwood to build a double-digit lead (24-10) at the 3:00 mark. The icing on the cake was a last second drive by Mady Cartwright, scoring the basket and drawing the third foul on Marion’s 6’0” center Alyse Holliman, who didn’t have much impact on the game.
Leading 30-16 at the half, the Lady Bulldogs added to their lead in the third stanza, jumpstarted by Abby Summitt’s three-pointer to open the quarter. Greenwood then beat back a brief Marion run and closed the period strong with a shot off the glass by Carley Sexton and a pair of free throws by Cartwright. Greenwood led 41-23 with eight minutes left.
The fourth quarter was a mere formality for the Lady Bulldogs, who quickly pushed their lead to 20 points (43-23) and beyond to 25 points (53-28) midway through the period. The two squads then traded baskets until Mady Cartwright stood at the line with 36 seconds left. Coach Reeves pulled three of his starters and then lifted Cartwright after she hit both free throws. Carley Sexton, the lone remaining starter, then hit the game’s final basket, closing out the 66-42 GHS victory.
Unofficially, Cartwright and Trusty had huge games offensively. The junior led the team with 23 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Trusty added 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Sexton added 16 points, eight boards and three steals to top off an incredible week for the sophomore. Abby Summitt had four points, six rebounds, and three assists. Senior point guard Megan Gray, who was quiet offensively for much of the week, had two points, one rebound, three assists, and two steals.
Championship game
The Lady Bulldogs will take on the Jonesboro Lady Hurricane, the defending state champions next Thursday at noon in Hot Springs in Bank of the Ozarks arena at the Convention Center. Jonesboro defeated Greenwood last season in the second round of the playoffs and the Lady ‘Canes are the #1 seed from the 5A East, returning a wealth of talent and experience from last season. They beat Little Rock Christian in the semifinals to earn the right to retain their crown. The game should be a good one and the defending champs should be slightly favored to win. Tipoff is set for noon on Thursday.