NORTHSIDE GRIZZLIES FACE NLR AGAIN WITH 7A CHAMPIONSHIP ON LINE

Northside senior point guard Isaiah Joe summed it up best when asked about the Grizzlies returning to play for the 7A championship. “It feels great, it’s like deja vu,” Joe said. “Hopefully, we can pull it out.” And, just like last season, the Grizzlies once again will face 7A-Central rival North Little Rock. The Grizzlies are also hoping history repeats itself. Northside lost both of its conference games to NLR last season but the Grizzlies avenged those losses to the Charging Wildcats with a thrilling 50-49 win for the state championship. The same scenario may be unfolding today at Hot Springs’ Bank of the Ozarks Arena. Just like last season, the Grizzlies dropped their two regular-season games to NLR, with the Charging Wildcats winning on their home court 59-47 before going to Northside and coming away with a 41-37 win. Can lightning strike twice again for the Grizzlies? Regardless of today’s outcome, it has been a challenging road back to Hot Springs for Northside. The Grizzlies had to replace four starters off that title team, with Joe the only returning starter back in the fold. They also dealt with the mid-season leave of absence by coach Eric Burnett along with Joe missing three games late in the regular season due to various ailments. Yet here they are, with a chance to repeat as 7A state champs. “I told them that I think the mark of a championship team is not when things are going good and you’re winning all these games and all that, but when adversity hits, how do you respond when adversity hits,” Burnett said. “I’m telling you, the last two weeks, we kind of had a rough go and for us to come back and put two games together like we have in the state tournament is really good.” The Grizzlies, with Joe back in the lineup, returned with a vengeance at last week’s 7A State Tournament, rolling to decisive wins against Bentonville and Fayetteville. Joe, for one, believed the Grizzlies were still good enough to get back to Hot Springs and play for another title. “They just didn’t understand that the young talent that we have is great, it’s tremendous,” he said. “I’ve been working with them since day one. ... We knew from the beginning of the year that we had a chance to make it to the state championship game again and we did. Now that it’s here, we’ve just got to go out and perform.” North Little Rock, on the other hand, can get its chance to pay back Northside for last season’s title game loss. The Charging Wildcats had possession in the final seconds, but the Grizzlies’ defense forced a turnover, and the ball ended up in Joe’s hands as time ticked away. “We really didn’t talk too much about it all year,” NLR coach Johnny Rice said. “We talked a little bit about it last week, that we had the ball with six seconds left and didn’t get a shot off, so we kind of talked about that. ... They know us and we know them and they know what we do and how we do it and we know what they do and how they do it, so it’s just going to be who makes the plays.” Like the Grizzlies, the Charging Wildcats blasted their competition at the state tournament, which was held in their arena. NLR ran past Bentonville West and then Springdale Har-Ber in the semifinals to get another shot at Northside. “They played their best two games I’ve seen them play on the year, but I think they could say the same thing about us,” Rice said. “We played our two best games that we’ve had. “They’ve probably got the best player in the state in Isaiah Joe and he’s going to get his (points) and we’ve got to make sure to make him earn those and not let other people get stuff that they don’t normally get. Just make plays and make shots, that’s going to be the key, who makes shots.” Leading the Charging Wildcats are 6-foot-4 junior Collin Moore and 6-5 sophomore shooting guard Moses Moody. In the semifinal win against Har-Ber, Moore and Moody had 16 and 14 points, respectively, as four NLR players hit double figures. Joe, the University of Arkansas signee who is playing in his final game at Northside, comes into today averaging 23.1 points per game, along with leading the team in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (2.9 per game). But there have been other impact players for the Grizzlies this season. Senior forward Kentrell Jacobs is second on the team in scoring (10.4), while 6-9 sophomore center Jaylin Williams leads the team in both rebounds (5.8) and blocks (2.4).

NORTHSIDE GRIZZLIES FACE NLR AGAIN WITH 7A CHAMPIONSHIP ON LINE

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 3/8/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie Mitchell