The GHS girls’ basketball team ended their season last Saturday in the semi-finals of the Class 5A state tournament held at Lake Hamilton High School. For the second straight season the Lady Bulldogs won at least 20 games, finishing the year with a 20-9 record.
Their season ended on a bittersweet note, losing for the third time in 2019 to Little Rock Christian, probably the best team in Class 5A, and the favorite to win the state title later this week.
It was also a poignant ending because longtime head coach Clay Reeves was not on the sideline. Reeves took medical leave in December and did not return to the bench. He was temporarily replaced by boys’ assistant coach Matt Bryant, who did a fine job under difficult circumstances.
Bryant had previous head coaching experience in Oklahoma, even winning a state championship two years ago, so he was clearly qualified. But a mid-season coaching change is hardly a formula for success at any level. Still, the Lady Bulldogs went 15-8 under Bryant after a 5-1 start with Reeves.
Five of their nine losses came at the hands of Little Rock Christian (28-2) and Vilonia (25-3), two of the state’s top teams all season, which also happen to play in the same conference (5A West) as Greenwood.
They also lost to Fort Smith Northside and Bentonville in non-conference play in December. Northside (27-1) is playing Bentonville (20-9) this week for the state’s 6A title.
Their other two non-conference losses came on the road in holiday tournament play against Tulsa-Washington and Sapulpa, schools playing in Oklahoma’s largest division.
So, kudos to the Lady Bulldogs for another excellent season under less-than-ideal circumstances, and special congratulations to the team’s seniors for finishing their careers with poise and dignity.
Thanks also to Coach Matt Bryant for providing the needed leadership and character in the midst of a difficult situation, and to Athletic Director Dustin Smith as well for how he handled the coaching change.
As for Coach Reeves, we missed you and hope the very best for your health. We can’t wait for next season to see you back on the bench with the Lady Bulldogs, who will return most of their starting lineup.
Watson Chapel
Greenwood drained nine three-pointers in the first half and led from beginning to end in the opening round of the state playoffs last Wednesday (February 27th), a 59-27 win over Watson Chapel.
The Lady Bulldogs played at Watson Chapel in non-conference play last December, winning in overtime, but last week’s rematch was no contest.
Sophomore guard Kinley Fisher had the hot hand early, dropping back-to-back treys as the Lady Bulldogs bolted to a quick 6-0 lead. Junior guard Jaelin Glass and senior guard Kyiah Julian also added first-quarter bombs, and Greenwood led 16-3 after one period.
The Lady Bulldogs then bagged five more three-pointers in a 24-point second quarter explosion to lead 40-21 at the intermission. Julian hit three of those treys. The 19-point cushion was all they needed to coast to the opening round win.
“It feels good to see those girls play like that,” said Coach Bryant after the win. “They’ve worked all year to get here, and they came out and played the way they can play.
“We came out and knocked some shots down,” he added. “We haven’t every single game this year. We’ve done it here or there, but in practice that’s the group I see right there, knocking shots down like that. This is when you want to be playing your best, and that was one of our best games.”
Greenwood’s swarming defense shutout Watson Chapel in the third quarter, 10-0, while causing 11 turnovers and holding the Lady Wildcats without a field goal in six tries.
“They were determined not to lose, and it showed defensively,” said Bryant. “They flew around. We’re fast enough to do that. I’ve seen it in practice.”
Guard Ally Sockey’s bucket inside off an assist from fellow sophomore Shea Goodwin opened the fourth quarter and invoked the mercy rule and a continuously running clock over the final seven-plus minutes.
“We talked about not coming out expecting to win but playing like you’re not going to lose,” Bryant said. “From the opening possession, they were determined they weren’t going to lose the game. They came out and played really well.”
Defensively, Greenwood held Watson Chapel to only nine field goals in the contest, and forced 29 total turnovers, converting many of them to points on the other end of the floor.
“They were determined not to lose, and it showed defensively,” Bryant said. “They flew around. We’re fast enough to do that. I’ve seen it in practice.”
Fisher led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 19 points. She opened the first, second, and third quarters with three-pointers. Kyiah Julian added 15 points, Ally Sockey had 11, and Jaelin Glass had eight points.
Paragould
Two days later Greenwood found itself embroiled in a much different kind of game against Paragould, a team known for pounding the ball inside. The Lady Rams started three girls over six feet tall.
“We were way out-sized, and not just one girl, but their entire team,” said Coach Bryant after the win. “I asked their coach what they feed them over there. That’s probably the biggest girls’ team I’ve ever seen.
“We knew that would give us problems rebounding and [that] they would try to throw it over the top of us. [But] we didn’t give up very many offensive rebounds, so I think we did a pretty good job there.”
After feasting on three-pointers against Watson Chapel, the Lady Bulldogs had to contend with Paragould’s great interior size and more methodical offensive style.
Instead, Greenwood converted 27 of 32 shots from the charity stripe, including six in the critical final minute, to defeat Paragould, 68-60, advancing to the state semi-finals against conference rival Little Rock Christian.
The Lady Rams (20-8) held Greenwood without a three-pointer in the opening half. The Lady Bulldogs missed all six of their first-half attempts, but made up for it with layups and free throws.
“We tried to play our game the first half,” Bryant said. “We just didn’t hit any shots. We had some shots that we didn’t knock down. We missed a few layups the first half as well.”
Seven of Greenwood’s total of eight first half field goals were layups. Harley Terry’s jumper from near the free-throw line was Greenwood longest made basket in the half. They also added 12 made free throws in 13 attempts and trailed by only a point, 29-28, at the break.
Greenwood’s defense made the difference in the first half, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to stay close by forcing 16 turnovers. They ended the first half with a pair of free throws by Kinley Fisher and a fast-break layup by Ally Sockey after a Paragould turnover.
The GHS girls opened the second half with a bucket by Terry off a pass from Kyiah Julian, followed by a three-point play by Julian for a 33-29 lead. Angela Price then hit Greenwood’s first three-pointer of the game to push Greenwood up, 36-31, with 5:12 left in the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs led 47-45 after three periods.
“We made some shots,” Bryant said. “The first half, we made layups and free throws. The second half, we threw some threes in there. The second half, we were mentally composed no matter what happened. Things didn’t go our way the whole game, but in the state quarterfinals there are going to be some lapses.”
But the Lady Rams didn’t go quietly. Paragould opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to take a 48-47 lead. Julian responded with a trey of her own, and fellow senior Susannah Stain grabbed an offensive rebound that led to two free throws by Jaelin Glass. Greenwood took the lead for good at 52-48 with 5:31 left.
Fisher added four points from the line and a late layup in the final minute of play. Teammates Ally Sockey and Angela Price also had free throws to preserve the win. Fisher was 16-of-16 at the line.
The sophomore guard led Greenwood with 28 points without hitting a three-pointer. Julian added 15 points while Sockey had 10 points. Harley Terry, Angela Price, and Shea Goodwin had four points each.
“We did a great job hitting free throws in the first half and second half when it mattered,” said Bryant. “I thought we were a really good team. Everybody that stepped on the floor contributed in some way.”
Little Rock Christian
Greenwood’s season ended last Saturday with an 85-56 loss to the Lady Warriors, featuring two Division I college-bound players. LR Christian outscored the Lady Bulldogs by at least five points in each period, and scored at least 20 points in each of the last three quarters.
Earlier this season the Lady Warriors won at Greenwood, 63-54, in the conference opener for both teams, then won again at home, 57-51, in February.
“It’s tough playing a team three times,” said Little Rock Christian head coach Ronald Rogers. “Greenwood’s a very good team. We were fortunate to hit shots. We know them. They know us. That’s what it comes down to. Our kids came to play. It was probably our best performance,” he added.
Little Rock Christian’s big three, senior Reagan Bradley, committed to Southern Methodist University, and Amber Brown (University of Pittsburgh), along with sophomore post player Wynter Rogers, combined for 61 points and 26 rebounds.
But in the opening moments of the game it was the supporting cast of LR Christian that hurt the Lady Bulldogs. A pair of three-pointers by Ashton Elley put the Lady Warriors up for good at 8-6 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
“I think that was really important,” said Coach Bryant in analyzing the loss. “[Defensively], we did a couple of things differently to make those other girls hit some shots. [But] every time we did, those girls hit those shots, besides the big three scoring on us.”
Elley added two more treys in the third quarter and finished with 12 points. Guard Isis Isom added nine points, including a third-quarter three-pointer.
Little Rock Christian also restricted Greenwood’s long-distance baskets to just five treys through three periods. Angela Price hit Greenwood’s first three-pointer for a 6-3 lead with 5:52 left in the first quarter. Greenwood trailed 14-8 after eight minutes.
Susanna Stein also swished a left-handed trey from the corner to open the second quarter to keep Greenwood within striking distance at 14-11. Price hit another bomb with 54 seconds left in the first half to trim the Greenwood deficit to 31-21. But that was as close as the Lady Bulldogs could get, trailing 35-21 at the half and 57-38 after three quarters.
“They came out and played well,” Bryant said of the Lady Warriors. “Defensively, they are really good and solid. It’s hard to get off shots on them.” Greenwood had only two brief scoring runs, both 5-0 bursts in the third quarter. “Every time we get something going, they’d come back and hit something or score or do something to us,” added Bryant.
Fisher finished her sophomore season with 17 points, while Julian closed out her stellar prep career with 15 points. Ally Sockey added 11 points, and Price nine points.
Bright Future
Julian and Stein are the only two seniors who saw significant playing time this past season, and both distinguished themselves during their high school careers. Julian hopes to continue playing on the college level.
Most of this year’s Lady Bulldogs will return next season, along with a nice crop of ninth graders moving up to the varsity level after winning a junior high regional championship with a 23-2 overall record.
With the expected return of Coach Reeves, with seven previous state titles under his belt, the future remains bright for the Lady Bulldogs, who will be seeking their fifth title under Reeves next season.