It’s been a struggle this season for the Greenwood varsity boys basketball team, exemplified by a recent six-game losing streak in conference play. But that frustrating stretch ended last Friday night at Harrison with a 55-37 road victory, giving the GHS boys a 2-0 sweep of the Goblins for the season. The Goblins also lost their earlier visit to H.B. Stewart Arena in January.

Well out of the conference race for a playoff spot, the Bulldogs are basically playing for pride at this point, hoping to pull off an upset to impact the 5A West race any way they can while continuing to gain experience and build for the future. They are 2-7 in conference play with five games remaining, starting at Alma on Tuesday of this week. They will host first-place Farmington on Friday before closing the season with games against Siloam Springs, Russellville, and Mountain Home.

Russellville

The Cyclones have been a traditional power in the 5A West, but that’s proving harder to do these days. This season, like all the other conference teams, Russellville is chasing first-place Farmington and needs something of a miracle to claim a playoff slot. But Russellville won three of the four quarters against Greenwood on January 20th on their way to a 77-59 victory. The Bulldogs trailed 23-10 after one period and 47-31 at the break. Greenwood won the third quarter, 17-15, but dropped the final stanza, 15-11, for the 18-point loss.

The Cyclones shot the ball extremely well on the road, scorching the nets for nearly 54%, including making nine of 16 three-point shots. Greenwood shot just 31% and hit six of 28 long range attempts. The two squads were fairly even in free throws and rebounds with the Bulldogs holding a slight edge in the latter, 39 to 34. There were relatively few turnovers in the contest, 23 total combined with Greenwood giving the ball away just nine times.

Individually for the Bulldogs, Ty Holt led the team in scoring with 22 points in his return from injury. Parker Thomas and Blake Christiansen had 13 points each plus seven and six boards, respectively. Parker also had three assists. Christiansen led the team in rebounding with nine while senior Hudson Clark added seven points.

Mountain Home

Next came the Bombers of Mountain Home, taking on the Bulldogs at H.B. Stewart Arena on January 30th, but the home team came out on the short end of the score, 54-36. Greenwood won a low-scoring opening period, 8-7, but that advantage was quickly wiped away as the Bombers scored 15, 21, and 10 points in the next three quarters. By contrast, the Bulldogs netted just six points in the second stanza, 16 in the third period, and seven points in the fourth quarter.

The game stats showed the Bombers dominating in almost every category. Mountain Home led in shooting percentage, 41% to 23%, in rebounding, 37 to 23, and hit nine three-pointers compared to four for the Bulldogs. Both teams divided up the 32 turnovers and had similar stats in shooting free throws. Incredibly, there were only 17 free throws attempted in the entire game. Among Greenwood’s 15 turnovers were nine steals by the Bombers.

No one really stuck out for the Bulldogs in the stat book, with just two players reaching double figures in scoring. Parker Thomas had 11 points, and Ty Holt scored 10 points. Hudson Clark added eight points, Caden Mendenhall five points, and Braxton Canada two points. Thomas had nine rebounds to lead the team and Mendenhall had six.

Siloam Springs

Finally able to get the game in because of the weather, the Bulldogs traveled to Siloam Springs less than 12 hours after playing Mountain Home for a Saturday afternoon matinee, and Greenwood gave the Panthers all they could handle, at least for three quarters. Siloam Springs led 14-13 after one period, 31-24 at the half, and 51-42 after three quarters. But the final stanza was all Panthers, 20-8, to pull away and nail down the 21-point victory, 71-50. Greenwood post player Parker Thomas got into early foul trouble and eventually fouled out of the game in the second half.

The Panthers led in almost every game stat, starting with a 49% to 33% advantage in shooting and a huge edge in rebounding, 42 to 23. Siloam Springs also hit five three-pointers to just three for Greenwood. The Bulldogs got to the free throw line 30 times but made just 19 charity shots. The Panthers were 12 of 18 at the line. They also doubled up on Greenwood, scoring 44 points in the paint to just 22 points for the visitors, who did have fewer turnovers than Siloam Springs, 11 to 15.

For the Bulldogs, Hudson Clark led in scoring with 17 points plus six rebounds and three steals. Ty Holt and Parker Thomas both had 11 points. Thomas, who played only 15 minutes, also had four rebounds and a steal. Holt also had four boards plus three steals. Caden Mendenhall added five points while Blake Christiansen, Carter Koch, and Braxton Canada all had two points each. Christiansen also dished out three assists.

Van Buren

Last Tuesday, February 3rd, the GHS boys hosted the Van Buren Pointers as the second half of the league season officially got underway. The Bulldogs lost at Van Buren to start league play back on January 6th, and the results the second time around weren’t any better. Greenwood was outscored in every quarter by an average of seven points, adding up to a 28-point loss, 81-53. The Bulldogs trailed 16-11, 38-21, 61-39 through the first three quarters of play, falling steadily behind with each passing period.

The visiting team shot 50% from the floor to just 28% for the Bulldogs, though both teams made six three-pointers each. Both teams were comparable at the charity stripe and in turnovers, though there were 10 Van Buren steals among Greenwood’s 14 turnovers. The Pointers also held a big margin in rebounding, 43 to 31.

Individually, 10 Bulldogs got their names in the scoring column, led by Braxton Canada with 14 points. He also had four rebounds and a steal. Hudson Clark was next with 13 points plus five rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Blake Christiansen netted eight points plus two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Ty Holt added five points with five boards, three assists, and a steal. Carter Koch had three points while several others had two points, including William Rye, Malakai Willis, Caden Mendenhall, Cooper Bland, and Parker Thomas.

Harrison

Last Friday night the Bulldogs scored in double-digits in all four quarters while holding the Goblins to single digits in both the second and third periods. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but Greenwood held the edge at 32% to 28% for the home team. The visitors led 14-10 after one period and 25-14 at the intermission. A similar result in the third quarter had Greenwood leading 42-21 after 24 minutes. Harrison perked up offensively in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-13, but it was too little too late, and Greenwood pulled out the satisfying 18-point victory, 55-37.

The Bulldogs hit seven three-pointers to just two for Harrison and outrebounded the Goblins, 44 to 29. Greenwood also held the edge in points scored in the paint, 22 to 16, and in points off turnovers, 10 to 4. The teams were comparable at the free throw line and in total turnovers. In a seldom reported stat that shows scoring efficiency, the Bulldogs scored .92 points per possession compared to Harrison’s .64 points per possession.

Three Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring against the Goblins. Ty Holt netted 15 points while also leading the team in rebounding with 10, adding a pair of assists plus a steal and a blocked shot. Hudson Clark contributed 14 points with five boards, four assists, and three defensive deflections. Blake Christiansen added 11 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Caden Mendenhall was credited with seven points and eight rebounds. Braxton Canada netted five points with four rebounds and Parker Thomas added three points and six rebounds.