Nothing in this world lasts forever, and the odds of winning four consecutive state championships in any high school sport are long indeed. Unfortunately, that’s a tough lesson the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs learned this past Wednesday in their opening game at the 5A state basketball tournament at Greene County Tech High School in Paragould.
The GHS ladies lost to a good Beebe squad that earned the #3 seed from the 5A Central and entered the game as the underdog despite an impressive 23-6 record. Greenwood was the #2 seed from the 5A West and had a record of 17-11 but were the three-time defending state champions. The bottom line is the best team likely did not win Wednesday’s contest, and that’s not to take away from what the Lady Badgers accomplished in upsetting the Lady Bulldogs, who collapsed in the second half.
Greenwood led 18-17 after one period and even led by double digits midway through the second period. But just when it appeared the Lady Bulldogs might build an insurmountable lead, the tide turned, and Beebe cut its deficit to 33-26 at the break. But the second half, and especially the third quarter, was a different story. The same Lady Bulldogs squad that scored 278 points in three games the previous week, scored only two points in the third stanza and just 11 in the fourth. Beebe outscored the defending champs 31-13 over the final 16 minutes to walk away with a well-deserved but unexpected 57-46 victory to end Greenwood’s season.
Examining the period-by-period stats for the game, the Lady Bulldogs shot the ball extremely well in the first half, hitting over 53% of their shots in the first quarter and 40% in the second stanza. But after the intermission the GHS girls went 0-for-7 from the field in the third quarter, scoring their only two points from the free throw line. Oddly, neither team scored a two-point basket in the period. Beebe’s points came on a pair of three-pointers and five free throws. The GHS girls also made nearly half (6) of their 13 turnovers in the period, costing them several more possessions and scoring chances.
The Lady Bulldogs righted the ship somewhat in the final period after losing their first half lead. Trailing 38-35, they connected on 4-of-9 two-point field goals and a single three-pointer. Likewise, Beebe scored 11 points from the floor in the final period but added 8-of-10 free throws to seal the win. The loss ended the prep career of three GHS senior starters – Izzy Smith, Piper Pitts, and Pate Jones – though Smith is a good candidate to be selected for the senior all-star game at the end of the school year. Team scoring leader and guard Kylah Pearcy and forward Ashlin Rose, both junior starters, will return next season.
Overall, Greenwood shot the ball well for the game, hitting nearly 40% of their shots, including 6-of-25 three-point attempts, but the third quarter was their undoing. By contrast, the Lady Badgers hit 36% of their total shots including 6-of-21 long distance tries. Of considerable concern was the way the game was called by the officials, who whistled Greenwood for 25 fouls to just seven on Beebe, rendering Greenwood’s patented pressure defense substantially less effective. Beebe scored 19 points at the free throw line to just two points for the Lady Bulldogs.
Greenwood still managed to make 13 steals but scored just 11 points off Beebe’s total of 17 turnovers. The Lady Badgers also outrebounded the GHS girls by a wide margin, 37-to-18. As a result, Greenwood had only five second chance points compared to 15 for Beebe. The Lady Bulldogs did win the battle of transition points, 15-0, but that was still far below their normal range. After averaging nearly 93 points per game against their last three regular season foes, they scored half that total in their state tournament opener and it cost them a chance to advance and possibly reach the title game for the fourth consecutive year. Beebe then lost to Greene County Tech in a very low-scoring game, 42-34. Tech of the 5A East will meet Farmington of the 5A West in the championship game in Hot Springs next weekend.
Individually, several Lady Bulldogs were hampered by foul trouble and two – Ashlin Rose and Izzy Smith – fouled out of the game in the second half. Pate Jones and Kylah Pearcy both finished with four fouls while Piper Pitts and reserve Keelie Dolan had three each. Six GHS players scored in the contest, but only Kylah Pearcy reached double digits with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting with two free throws but no three-pointers. She was also the team’s leading rebounder with eight plus five assists and seven steals, also leading in those categories.
Ashlin Rose was next with eight points, most of those coming on a pair of three-pointers. Also encumbered by fouls, the team’s #2 season scorer, Izzy Smith, had just six points, far below her double-figures average. She made 3-of-4 shots but did not even attempt a three-pointer, which is one of her strengths. She played only 20 of 32 minutes due to foul trouble.
Likewise, starter Pate Jones rode the bench for half the game (16 minutes) due to fouls. Though not a big scorer, Jones does so many other good things on the floor to make her teammates better but could never get into a rhythm against Beebe. Journey Clements came off the bench to play 20 minutes and hit two treys for six points. Piper Pitts netted three points plus two boards and three assists. Halle Fox had three points. The Lady Bulldogs finished their season at 17-12 overall, 11-3 in conference play, earning second place behind Farmington.
Head Coach Ryan Casalman, hired just before the season started in late October, commented on the disappointing loss and end of the season. After having some time to digest the loss he said, “When you look at the stats, they aren’t horrible. We didn’t shoot it bad, but we turned it over a few too many times. The thing that got us was rebounding. The way we’ve countered that all year is by forcing turnovers, but we just didn’t turn them over enough. I don’t think we played extremely well, but Beebe had a lot to do with that. They were very physical and were good defensively with a real good plan against us.
Asked about the way the game was called by the officiating crew, Casalman said, “We had it 24-to-9,” referring to the foul differential in the game. “I do think the way they called the game absolutely benefitted Beebe, but I always try to stay away from saying that officiating had anything to do with the outcome. Obviously, we play a style that is very aggressive, so if they are blowing the whistle a bunch, it tends to hurt us. But we’re not going to change the way we play because of that. We may make some adjustments, but in the end, I don’t think that’s what beat us. But we had two starters in major foul trouble the majority of the second half, so that definitely had an impact on how we played.
“It was a combination of several things,” he continued. “[Beebe] had a good game plan and had a good, quality squad. Us getting into foul trouble – just a lot of things coming together that made it not a very good experience for us. But I told the girls after the game, ‘I know it wasn’t how they wanted things to end, but at the same time, they had a hall of fame coach that retired (Clay Reeves) and a guy that came and stayed for a few months (James Halitzka) before I came in. So they went through some things and were able to be ultimately successful, and I was really proud of them and how they handled themselves. I was happy with the season.’”
Asked about his own future with the Lady Bulldogs, Casalman said he has not talked with Athletic Director Chris Young about coming back next season as varsity head coach. He was previously the junior high boys head coach and is prepared for whatever the school district wants him to do next season.
“That’s yet to be determined and I don’t know when that’s going to be done. I’m not sitting on pins and needles to try and figure out what’s going to happen. If they want me to continue, then I will figure out what we need to do to get better. If they want to hire somebody else, I understand completely. I understood that at the time [of my promotion] I was kind of a band aid, and I don’t know where we’re going with that. I just appreciate the school having the trust in me to be able to handle that situation, and I appreciate the girls for their effort and attitude. I hope I did a job that would make Greenwood proud.”