The 2010-11 regular season ended last Friday for the Greenwood High School Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball teams, and it did so on a high note for both squads. Coach Brian Martin's GHS boys notched a season-ending road victory at Morrilton, knocking off the Devil Dogs on their home floor, 64-62. Senior center Chris Caudle continued his late-season offensive surge with 24 points, while junior guard Ryan Lensing added 22 points in the victory. Greenwood outscored Morrilton 17-10 in the final period to secure the victory. Caudle averaged more than 20 points per contest over his last three games as he prepares to transition to baseball, where he is a star pitcher for the Diamond 'Dogs.
The win ended the Bulldogs' season with a 14-12 overall record - significantly better than the 9-19 record in Martin's first year as GHS head coach. The Greenwood boys also finished 7-7 in the tough 5A West Conference race, tied for fourth with Huntsville, which edged the Bulldogs in the tiebreaker to earn the league's fourth seed in the state tournament being played this week in Alma. Coach Martin seems to have the 'Dogs on the right track in restoring the program to the success it enjoyed in the late 1990's when Martin himself, as a star player, helped lead the team to an appearance in the state finals.
Chris Caudle and Billyjack Freeman are the only GHS seniors who made major offensive contributions this season, and most other conference schools are losing significant portions of their teams to graduation. Jacob Fritsche, Shawn Hankins, Patrick Kelley, and Caleb Williamson are the other GHS seniors who ended their high school basketball careers last week. Returning starters Ryan Lensing and Braden Suter will be seniors next year and hope to lead the Bulldogs back to the state tournament. Sophomores Drew Morgan, Cole McAllister, and Jansen Stein all made important strides this past season, especially Morgan, gaining valuable experience and offering real promise for the future. Coach Martin himself expects his team to be among the serious contenders for the conference title next season.
Lady 'Dogs hoping to return to state finals
The GHS girls steamrolled the Lady Devil Dogs last Friday, notching an easy 51-15 road win to wrap up the 5A West's top seed in the state tournament. The Lady Bulldogs finished tied with Vilonia for the league title with a 12-2 record, but earned the top spot by virtue of the tiebreaker. At Morrilton, Greenwood led 13-6 after one period, 31-8 at the break, and 47-10 after three quarters. Sophomore Sammy Richards led the team with 14 points while junior Endsley Evans scored 11 points. The Lady Bulldogs gave up just seven field goals to Morrilton.
The GHS girls are the reigning Class 5A state champions and opened defense of that title Wednesday afternoon at Alma High School against fourth-seeded Nettleton of the 5A East. If Greenwood wins that game as expected, they will meet the winner of the Monticello-Magnolia contest in the quarterfinals Friday night at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will move on to the semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs must be considered as strong contenders to repeat as state champs, though fellow number one seeds Paragould, Watson Chapel, and Little Rock Christian lead a field of 15 other teams who hope to claim the title for themselves. Other 5A West teams at the state tournament include Alma, Harrison, Siloam Springs, and Huntsville on the boys side, and Vilonia, Siloam Springs, and Alma on the girls side.