NHS TEAMS IN CONTENTION FOR CONFERENCE TITLE AT MIDWAY POINT

At the midway point of the 6A-Central conference schedule, Northside’s basketball teams are in contention for league titles. The Lady Bears went through the first half of 6A-Central play unscathed as they lead the conference with a perfect 7-0 record. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, went 6-1 with their lone loss coming to North Little Rock, which currently leads the 6A-Central at 7-0. But the road will undoubtedly be a challenging one for both the Lady Bears and the Grizzlies in the second half of conference play, beginning on Friday. Northside will have to make four road trips in its next six games. For the Lady Bears, that means having to go to the three teams ranked right behind them in the standings in second-place Conway (6-1), third-place Cabot (5-2) and fourth-place Bryant (4-3), which will host Northside this Friday. “We’ve got a tough road to hoe ahead of us, and our kids know that,” Lady Bear coach Rickey Smith said following his team’s 56-27 win last Friday against Southside. “We got a chance to play a lot of other kids (Friday), they got a little bit of game experience under the big lights and they were a little nervous, but that’s part of it. “I’m proud of our girls, proud of our team. We did what we wanted to do, get a double-digit win and get the 10 points for our conference and finish the first half of the round-robin 7-0.” Smith added he is glad that the Lady Bears (18-3 overall) are off on Tuesday, giving them time to rest while allowing a few of the players to heal up from injuries. ?(It’s come at a) great time, a great time,” Smith said. “We’ve practiced every weekend since probably Thanksgiving maybe; we’ve played tournaments all the way through. ... So we’ve given them (the weekend) off, give them Tuesday off, trying to get our kids healthy again and make a run at the next seven basketball games and the state tournament but I like our team; we’re capable of doing a lot of different things.” Like Smith, Grizzly coach Eric Burnett is also grateful to have this Tuesday off as his team gets set for a slew of road games. Northside (16-5 overall) will play the teams ranked third through sixth in the conference all on the road. Currently, Conway and Little Rock Central are tied for third at 4-3, followed by Cabot and Bryant, in a tie for fifth place with 3-4 records. ?(The break) comes at a real good time,” Burnett said after last Friday’s 77-58 win against Southside. “That way, I can let my big guys get a little rest, we’ve got a couple of people sick right now and let them kind of get healthy before we go to Bryant next Friday. ?(Playing in the second half of the 6A-Central) will be no different, just like the first half. The first half was tough, and the second half is probably going to be even tougher and we’re going to have to step up and be focused every ballgame, because we’re going to start coming down the stretch and everybody’s going to be jockeying for position.” Like Northside, Southside’s teams are also off on Tuesday. Both the Mavericks and Lady Mavericks, each of whom are seeking their first win in conference play, resume action this Friday at home against Conway.

NHS TEAMS IN CONTENTION FOR CONFERENCE TITLE AT MIDWAY POINT

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 2/4/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Fort Smith Northside High School Athletics