There is high school basketball scheduled for Thursday, as the state championship games get underway, and Norfork’s girls will be among the teams featured in Hot Springs. The Lady Panthers will face another area team in Rural Special with teams seeking to return with the Class 1A state title.
Norfork is 21-11 on the season. The Lady Panthers entered the tournament after finishing in fourth place in Region 2. They picked up a couple of easy wins over Emerson and Clarendon in the first two rounds and beat Greers Ferry West Side by six in Monday’s semifinals.
Norfork is facing a Rural Special team they are familiar with, since the two were conference foes in the 1A-2. Lady Panthers’ head coach Will Stewart says that familiarity can be both a blessing and a curse.
Listen:
Rural Special has a record of 28-4. The Lady Rebels ended up as the 1A-2 conference and district champions and the runners-up of Region 2. They breezed past Ouachita in the opening round and picked up a pair of three-point wins over Kingston and Viola in the next two rounds.
Luke Cornett is in his first season as Rural Special’s head coach, and he says with the pandemic and other obstacles, this season hasn’t been the easiest for his team.
Listen:
Tip-off at Bank OZK Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The last game of the day will feature another area team. The Viola boys are also looking to leave Hot Springs with the Class 1A championship, as they will be paired with Greers Ferry West Side.
The Longhorns bring a mark of 36-6 into the matchup. Viola finished as the 1A-2 conference runners-up and district champions and the Region 2 champs. They beat up on Strong and County Line in the first two rounds and knocked off the defending state champs from Nevada in the semifinals.
This is the first year Rick Luna is at the helm of the Longhorns’ program, but he’s far from having his first taste of success. Luna was previously the head coach at Dora. He led the Falcons to the state championship game in Missouri his last two years there, and they won the title in 2020. Luna says this trip to the finals is just as thrilling as the first two occasions.
Listen:
Just like the Class 1A girls’ game, this matchup will feature two teams in the 1A-2. West Side is 27-6 on the season and won the conference championship. Viola split with the Eagles in the regular season and later beat them in the district and regional title games. Luna says the Longhorns should be prepared to face a team well-coached by Keith Brown.
Listen:
Gametime is scheduled for 7 p.m.
All of the Arkansas high school state basketball championships will be televised live on Arkansas PBS.
This will also be the final week of the season in Missouri, as the Show Me Showdown gets underway for the larger schools, and one area team will take part. West Plains’ girls will be on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, as they meet Union in the semifinals of the Class 5 State Tournament.
The Lady Zizzers entered the tournament as the District 9 champions. West Plains is 27-3 on the year after beating Carl Junction Saturday in the quarterfinals.
Tip-off at JQH Arena is set for 5 p.m.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI