The GHS girls and boys squads traveled the short distance to Alma on February 7th to rekindle one of the best rivalries in Arkansas between two cities and schools known for their athletic prowess. Greenwood and Alma have traditionally slugged it out on the football field each November, with a conference title usually on the line, and the basketball rivalry has grown more intense with the Alma boys and Greenwood girls earning state titles in recent years.
Fanning the flames, the Alma girls defeated the Lady Bulldogs last season in the state semi-finals, denying the GHS girls a chance to defend their championship from the previous year. The top-ranked Alma boys also earned a road victory at Greenwood earlier this season. But any lingering bad memories for Greenwood were expunged last Tuesday by a doubleheader sweep over Alma. With Greenwood set to move up in classification next year, the two schools played for the last time in the regular season as members of the 5A West Conference.
To begin the festivities, the Lady Bulldogs scored the first 10 points of the game en route to a convincing 66-38 victory. Greenwood never looked back, leading 23-12 after one quarter and 36-14 at the half, holding Alma to just two points in the second period. Another scoring outburst netted 22 points in the third quarter for a 58-26 GHS advantage, invoking the mercy rule and shortening the game.
Greenwood got the best of Alma on the boards, outrebounding the home team by a 29-11 margin in the first half, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to four first-half field goals. As usual, the Lady ‘Dogs were led in scoring by sophomore guard Lundon Williams with 19 points. Junior Sammy Richards grabbed five rebounds and added 15 points as the only other Greenwood player to reach double digits. Junior Allie Wilson had eight points, sophomore Megan Hartness chipped in with seven points, and sophomore Mikayla Roberts had six points.
In the boys contest, Greenwood got off to a hot start and outlasted Alma, 57-52, in what could be the final game between the schools on the basketball court. “What a great way to end the rivalry,” said Greenwood head coach Brian Martin. “Let’s hope that we can schedule some games in the future. Rivalry games are always fun. It sure feels good to get this one.” Alma head coach Stan Flenor also spoke of the heated competition between the two schools, saying, “It was great atmosphere for high school basketball. We’re disappointed in losing. Rivalry teams don’t like each other very much. It was a tough, physical game.”
Greenwood ended a seven-game losing streak against the Airedales, winning at Alma for the first time since 2006, and also completed the first doubleheader sweep at Alma since 2001. The Bulldogs used a 9-0 scoring run in the first period to take charge of the game, leading 18-13 after one period. Another run, this time 11-0, highlighted the second quarter for the visitors, and Greenwood led 33-21 at the half, having made 50% (15 0f 30) of their shots, led by junior guard Drew Morgan’s 10 points.
The Airedales made their charge in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 15-8 in the period, closing the scoring gap to 41-36. In the fourth period, with the contest tied at 52, GHS junior Colton McEvoy hit two critical free throws with :39 remaining. Alma then missed two shots on its end of the court, and senior guard Ryan Lensing was fouled and added two more GHS free throws with :19 left. Alma missed again, and Lensing added one last foul shot to seal the victory with :11 seconds showing on the clock.
“We knew it was going to be a close game,” said Coach Martin, “[but] I’m really excited for our guys. They earned [this] one. They wanted it, and [they] went and got it. We played a great team in Alma. It was a great game. It was a hard-fought game.” Drew Morgan led a balanced scoring attack for the Bulldogs with 12 points. Junior forward Ethan Clark and Ryan Lensing each added 11 points, while McEvoy contributed 10 points. Oddly enough, the win at Alma was Greenwood’s fourth victory in five tries on the road in conference games this season.