As sure as the turning of the earth and the rising and setting of the sun, the tide comes in and the tide goes out, just ask Bulldogs’ Head Coach B.J. Ross. Within the last two weeks his team ended a five-game losing streak, won the Bill Frye Classic at Mansfield, then added two more victories for a six-game winning streak to improve their season mark to 9-6 just in time for conference play next Tuesday at home against Van Buren. They have already nearly doubled their win total from last season.
While it’s been a total team effort, there is no doubt the addition of senior Grant Karnes and junior Kane Archer, both stars on the gridiron for the defending state champion Bulldogs and future Division I college players, has made a huge difference. The fact that they’ve only been with the team for three weeks also means they will continue to get better as the season progresses. Both players have assumed starting roles, lending their talent, toughness, and tenacity to a team and a program on the rise. The Bulldogs will need all of that and more as they embark on their journey through the challenging 5A West conference next week.
Beebe Badgers
On Tuesday, December 17th, the Greenwood High School varsity boys traveled to Central Arkansas to take on the Beebe Badgers in hopes of breaking the Bulldogs’ four-game losing streak that saw them drop below the .500 mark on the season. But after playing well in the first half and going into the locker room with a 27-22 halftime lead, the GHS boys stumbled badly in the third stanza, scoring just four points, allowing the hometown Badgers to tie the score heading into the final period of play, 31-31. Beebe then outscored Greenwood 20-13 over the last eight minutes to secure the victory, 51-44.
Postgame analysis showed a glaring discrepancy in shooting between the two teams. Greenwood hit just 31% of its offerings while the Badgers sizzled at 50%. Greenwood stayed in the game offensively because of its six three-point baskets, 11 steals, and 12 points off Beebe turnovers. But the Badgers dominated the interior, outscoring the Bulldogs 30 to 16 in the paint and winning the battle of the boards, 34 to 29.
Senior Jayden Garnes led the way for Greenwood with 20 points, two rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Less than two weeks after the state championship football game, winning quarterback and most valuable player Kane Archer added 10 points with four boards and two assists. Sophomore Ty Holt netted six points off the bench plus four rebounds. Hudson Clark scored four points with six rebounds while Grant Karnes, Lane Philpot, and Jack Scott added two points each. Philpot also had five rebounds and three steals.
Waldron Bulldogs
Two days later Greenwood made the short trip southward to Scott County for a dogfight with the hometown Waldron Bulldogs, finally snapping the five-game slide with a 60-53 victory. The visitors from South Sebastian County used a strong third quarter performance to propel them to a 10-point advantage and ultimately the seven-point win. Greenwood led throughout the contest, 14-11 after one period and 30-28 at the half. Head Coach B.J. Ross saw his team scorch the nets for 21 third quarter points to build a double-digit lead after three periods, 51-41.
Both teams shot well from the field with Greenwood at 43% and Waldron at 41.5% but the hometown ‘Dogs hit six three-pointers (50%) to four by the visitors (17.4%). Waldron also won the battle at the free throw line, 13 points to just four for Greenwood. But the GHS boys harassed their hosts to the tune of 13 steals and took advantage of 21 total turnovers, scoring 26 points off those mistakes. Greenwood also dominated the paint offensively, outscoring Waldron 40 to 22. The home team led in rebounds with 36 compared to 27 for the GHS boys.
Again, Kane Archer displayed his overall athletic ability by leading the team in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers and a free throw to go along with two rebounds, six assists, six deflections, and two steals. Lane Philpot was next with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting plus five boards and three assists. Grant Karnes added eight points with nine rebounds while Jayden Garnes netted seven points with three rebounds, seven assists, and six steals. Jack Scott added six points, Hudson Clark scored five points, and Blake Christiansen two points.
Rogers Heritage
The day following their win at Waldron, the Bulldogs hosted the War Eagles of Rogers Heritage High School, a Class 6A opponent. With the score close throughout the contest, the home team pulled away in the final eight minutes for the 54-46 victory. The game was tied at 15 at the end of one quarter with the visitors leading 29-27 at the break. Greenwood cut that margin to a single point after three periods, 40-39. But the Bulldogs won the fourth stanza convincingly, 15-6, for the victory.
Greenwood won the overall shooting battle, 47% to 33%, but the War Eagles were deadly from long range, hitting nine of 21 three-pointers to keep themselves in the game. The Bulldogs made four of 13 three-point attempts. Greenwood also scored 15 points off 20 Heritage turnovers and netted 30 points in the paint to just 14 for Rogers. For once, the Bulldogs also won the battle of the glass with 32 rebounds to 30 for the War Eagles.
Grant Karne and Jayden Garnes shared the scoring honors for Greenwood with 13 points each. Karnes was six of eight from the field with five rebounds while Garnes added four boards to his offensive performance. Jack Scott netted nine points with three blocks and Kane Archer scored seven points with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Steven Philpot, Ty Holt, and Hudson Clark all scored four points each. Philpot added eight boards and three steals.
Booneville Bearcats
Last Friday, two days after Christmas, the Bulldogs trekked down Highway 71 to Mansfield for the annual Bill Frye Classic, opening play against the Bearcats, notching their third consecutive victory in convincing fashion, 59-33. Greenwood’s defense likely contributed to Booneville’s poor shooting performance (29.5%) while the Bulldogs hit 41.5% from the field, including 7-of-25 from beyond the three-point line. A 16-8 first quarter scoring differential helped the ‘Dogs get off to a good start. The Bearcats rallied a bit in the second period, but still trailed at the half, 25-22. The GHS boys scored 17 points in each of the final two periods and a 1-point fourth quarter by Booneville led to the final lopsided score.
The Bulldogs had nine steals and took advantage of 16 Bearcat giveaways to score 18 points off turnovers. Greenwood also outscored Booneville in the paint, 28 to 14. Rebounds were nearly even with the Bulldogs holding a slight edge, 34 to 29. They also hit eight of their 15 free throw attempts. Jayden Garnes and Hudson Clark led the winners with 11 points each. Garnes added five rebounds and eight assists.
Three more GHS players scored at least eight points, and nine Bulldogs scored in all. Grant Karnes and Jack Scott had nine points each while Kane Archer added eight points. Karnes added four boards and two steals, while Scott had four rebounds. Archer had two assists and two steals. Ty Holt added four points and five boards, Micah Cowart scored three points, while Lane Philpot and Elijah Nolan added two points each.
Heavner, Oklahoma
The following day at Mansfield the Bulldogs won by a similar margin over the Heavener Wolves, 68-44, to advance to the tournament championship game. Both teams scored in double digits in all four quarters, but the Bulldogs exploded for 25 points in the third stanza to nail down the victory. Greenwood led 17-12 after one period and 27-23 at the half. They led 52-34 after their big third quarter and closed out the win with a 16-10 margin in the final period.
Neither team reached 40% in shooting, but Greenwood held the advantage at 39% to 35% for Heavener. The Bulldogs hit seven of 31 shots from long range and dominated the paint offensively and scored nearly a third of their points off enemy turnovers. The GHS boys outscored the Wolves 40 to 24 in the lane and netted 21 points off turnovers to just four for Heavener. Greenwood dominated the boards, 44 rebounds to 29 for the Wolves. Greenwood also had 12 steals and took advantage of 20 Heavener turnovers.
Three GHS players scored in double figures – Jack Scott (19), Grant Karnes (13), and Jayden Garnes (11). Scott got most of his points from beyond the arc, hitting five of 15 three-point attempts. He also added four rebounds and two steals. Karnes had a whooping 13 rebounds, two assists, and two steals, in what turned out to be an overall stellar tournament performance.
Five other Bulldogs also scored, starting with Kane Archer’s eight points. Lane Philpot and Cooper Bland scored six points each with Philpot nabbing seven boards, six assists, and three steals along the way. Blake Christiansen added three points and Elijah Nolan scored two points in the win.
Hackett Hornets
The championship game of the Bill Frye Classic was last Monday between Greenwood and Hackett. The Hornets entered the game with an 11-1 record, but the Bulldogs won the contest going away, 58-43, to win the tournament title. Grant Karnes was named as the event’s most valuable player and just like on the gridiron the past couple of seasons, he was more than happy to share the spotlight with teammate Kane Archer.
Karnes scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the tournament finale while Archer finished with 18 points, nine assists, six boards, and four steals. Now three weeks since football season ended, two of the best athletes on the GHS campus seem to be rounding into basketball shape, and that’s good news for Head Coach B.J. Ross and his team.
"I bet half of his assists were to me," Karnes said of Archer after the game. "We just have that chemistry from every sport we play. He's my quarterback. Winning this tournament was great momentum for us. We've won several games in a row now [and] we feel great as a team." Karnes and Archer have played in three consecutive state championship football games, winning the last two, Archer at quarterback and Karnes one of his favorite receiving targets.
Jayden Garnes also added 10 points in the win, the first time the Bulldogs have won the Bill Frye Classic. "I have to remember it's been a while for us to do this," said Coach Ross of his team’s modest winning streak. "This is special. We beat a very good team in a great atmosphere. You don't get to play in front of crowds like this every night. I'm proud of the kids winning this one.” Greenwood improved its record to 8-6 on the season with the victory.
The GHS boys jumped ahead 18-13 after one quarter, sparked by a 10-0 scoring run. The Bulldogs were then up 26-16 at halftime before a 12-2 run helped them to take a 40-25 advantage into the final period. Hackett trimmed Greenwood's lead to 49-39 with four minutes left, but the Bulldogs were able to close out the win for the tournament championship.
Greenwood shot 40% in the game compared to 30% for Hackett. Both teams hit a trio of three-pointers, and both teams scored nearly evenly at the free throw line. The Hornets outrebounded the Bulldogs slightly, 37 to 34, but Greenwood won the battle in the paint, outscoring Hackett 38-22 in the lane.
Cabot Panthers
The Bulldogs made it six straight wins this past Friday afternoon at home against the visiting Cabot Panthers, another Class 6A opponent. The GHS boys took the early lead and never relinquished it, though the Panthers took advantage of some Bulldogs’ mistakes to cut the margin to three points inside the final minute. But a Grant Karnes’ steal and some Jayden Garnes’ free throws sealed the deal in Greenwood’s 51-45 non-conference victory.
The Bulldogs scored 13 points in each of the first two quarters and led 26-15 at the intermission. A Panther rally in the third period allowed Cabot to trim its deficit to 33-26 after three stanzas, a trend that continued into the fourth quarter as the visitors cut the margin to just three points twice in the final minutes before Grant Karnes made a leaping interception of an inbounds pass to turn the tide, followed by a pair of Jayden Garnes free throws to push the GHS lead back to five points. Garnes and Kane Archer added more free throws before the final horn sounded.
The home team shot nearly 41% from the field compared to less than 35% for the visitors and neither team was great from behind the three-point arc. Cabot was slightly better in the paint, scoring 36 points to 32 for Greenwood, while the Bulldogs scored 17 points off turnovers. Both teams gave the ball away 15 times and rebounding was nearly even at 34 to 33 in favor of Cabot. Three GHS players reached double digits in scoring.
Jayden Garnes had a big game with 20 points, six of those coming from the charity stripe. He also had four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Continuing his fine play, Grant Karnes scored 16 points with eight boards and two assists. Kane Archer also played well, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds and five assists. He also went down with an apparent ankle injury early in the second half and hobbled off the court before being assisted by his coaches and the training staff. But he returned a while later to complete the game. Hudson Clark also added four points to go along with three boards and three steals.
Coach’s Comments
After Friday’s victory, Coach Ross talked with this writer about his team’s recent play, their current six-game winning streak, and the upcoming conference season starting Tuesday against Van Buren. The second-year GHS head coach appeared upbeat and hopeful as he talked about his team’s win over Cabot and the recent improvement in overall play by his Bulldogs.
When asked about the win over Cabot, Ross pointed out that despite a poor overall record, the Panthers pulled off a big win over Lake Hamilton a week earlier. “They beat Lake Hamilton, 59-50, and [the Wolves] are one of the top teams in our classification. Cabot’s record is not very good. They had some kids out early. But now they’re back and we knew we would have our hands full, but our kids are tough.” The coach agreed that getting an early lead and holding it was crucial to the win.
“That was the biggest key,” he said. “We held on even when we started sinking a little bit. Our tires started getting a little flat. But we weathered the storm before we stumbled a little bit at the end, but it was nice to build that early lead.” Ross also laughingly admitted that his heart skipped a few beats when Kane Archer went down with a sprained ankle, assisted off the court by his coaches. “When they took his shoe off, I knew he was going to be okay. His ankle was just a little puffy. But when he went out, I think we held it together alright.”
Asked about his two star athletes, Archer and Karnes, the coach agreed that the best is yet to come. “They’re going to get better,” he said. “What they’ve brought is a little bit of toughness and a different mentality. Our kids had a great preseason without them, but they’ve brought a lot of winning mentality, which has helped.”
Ross also talked about the value of momentum and a winning streak going into conference play. “It’s a good thing,” said the coach. “In our conference it’s going to be a war every night, but I think we’re better equipped for it this year than last year. These kids have more experience and have gotten their feet wet a little bit. They understand that it’s a battle every night and you can’t say enough about how hard they play. Every possession they fight it.”
Asked about his team’s 9-6 record, the coach said, “We think we should be 11-4, to be honest with you,” referring to a couple of close losses that could have gone the other way. “We won five games last year and we’re at nine wins already this year. It’s just a testament to the kids and how hard they’ve worked.” Fans are encouraged to come out and watch these Bulldogs battle in what should be a very competitive 5A West. It’s going to be fun.