The Greenwood Bulldogs varsity basketball team have ended their 2025-26 campaign, playing their final two games on the road. It was a quiet finish and a tough season for a young team that returned less than four points per game in scoring from last year. It was also the third season at Greenwood for Head Coach B.J. Ross, who is rebuilding the GHS program after several years of middling play and very few trips to the state playoffs. The coach knew it was going to be a difficult season and said as much last fall.
Asked about the state of the program in early December, if it was still trending upward, Ross said, “It’s too soon to say. A lot of times when you’re building something you have a quick spike, then you plateau, then you take off, and that’s the way it looks here. I think we’re building [with] the right pieces. But I don’t know with this group. It’s so early. I think it’s going to take us about 10 games before we really know who we are.”
As the head coach noted when the season began, youthful inexperience, a lack of size, and injuries have been a big part of the 2025-26 season. Ross started three sophomores at times, including Parker Thomas, Braxton Canada, and Caden Mendenhall, battling more mature and seasoned juniors and seniors on opposing teams. They are talented and will certainly get better over the next two years, forming the foundation of the team’s future success, but they’ve had to take their lumps as sophomores. Parker and Mendenhall, both 6’3”, were the tallest Bulldogs to see significant playing time, but the opposition often had one or two players even taller at 6’5” or 6’6”, and those extra two or three inches make a big difference.
Finally, injuries impacted the Bulldogs this season, as it often does most teams. But when your margin for success is narrow and your bench lacks experience and depth, the impact of injuries gets magnified. Junior Ty Holt, one of Greenwood’s top players, missed the first half of the season due to a wrist injury sustained last spring in baseball requiring surgery in October. He wasn’t able to play until February. Sophomore football player William Rye also missed the first half of basketball season due to illness and never found his footing on the hard court. Another gridiron star, Braxton Canada, had a 28-point effort early in the season, but was never really able to build on that performance, especially after a foot injury sidelined him for more than two weeks in the middle of conference schedule.
But help is on the way, because the freshmen Bulldogs won both their regular season conference crown and their postseason tournament championship. That group includes several basketball-only players and several large bodies who still have plenty of time to grow over the next three years. Those reinforcements arrive next season and will certainly boost the pool of talent Coach Ross and Coach Lensing have at their disposal. This year’s sophomore class will be older with a year of varsity experience under their belts, and seniors-to-be Ty Holt and Micah Cowart will help lead next season’s team back to respectability, the first step before achieving prominence and long-lasting success.
The GHS boys started the season with a pair of wins, then a couple weeks later found themselves at 3-3 before things began to go south, especially when 5A West conference play began in January. The Bulldogs did manage to win three league contests, two over Harrison and last week’s victory at Russellville, finishing 3-11 in conference play. Since February 10th they played five games to finish their season. Those opponents were Alma, Farmington, Siloam Springs, Russellville, and Mountain Home.
Alma
On Tuesday, February 10th, the Bulldogs traveled to Crawford County to take on the Alma Airedales, a team that beat Greenwood by 20 points in their first meeting in January. The Bulldogs fared better the second time around, but still fell to the Airedales by nine points, 68-59. Alma won both the first and third periods while Greenwood was able to match the Airedales’ scoring in the second and fourth quarters. The home team led 20-13 after eight minutes and 32-25 at the half. Alma added two more points to its lead, winning the third period, 17-15, for a 49-40 advantage heading into the final stanza.
The shooting stats tell the story of the game. Alma shot 52% compared to Greenwood’s 28%. The Airedales made 17 of 26 two-point shots while the Bulldogs hit 12 of 38 attempts. The Airedales made eight three-pointers to Greenwood’s six treys. The Bulldogs were able to make up some of that difference at the free throw line, sinking 17 charity shots to 10 for Alma. The Bulldogs did win the rebounding battle, 41 to 30, but the Airedales outscored the visitors in the paint, 34 to 20.
Offensively, Greenwood had four players in double figures. Ty Holt, Hudson Clark, and Braxton Canada all scored 14 points, while Parker Thomas added 13 points. Thomas led the team in rebounding with 14 boards, while Canada grabbed seven rebounds with Holt getting five boards. Clark had five assists while Holt had three steals. Canada also had two steals.
Farmington
Three days later, on Friday, February 13th, the Bulldogs welcomed the Farmington Cardinals to H.B. Stewart Arena. The Cards have run away with the 5A West conference race this season and are currently ranked among the state’s top five teams according to MaxPreps Sports. Farmington dominated the opening half at Greenwood, winning the first period, 22-14, and the second quarter, 36-14. Trailing 58-28 at the half, the Bulldogs outscored the visitors, 21-20, in the third period but lost the fourth stanza, 15-9. The final score was a lopsided, 93-58.
The visitors scorched the nets at Greenwood, hitting 55% of their shots, including an incredible 16 of 33 from behind the three-point line. Both teams hit five free throws as the officials were very restrained in blowing their whistles. The Cardinals won the battle under the basket, scoring 30 points in the paint and grabbing 37 rebounds. The Bulldogs had only 14 points in the paint and 27 rebounds. Farmington had 12 steals to just three for the home team while the Cards had four less turnovers than Greenwood.
Braxton Canada led the Bulldogs with 20 points, including four three-pointers. Hudson Clark netted 11 points and had four assists. Ty Holt chipped in with nine points, five rebounds, and four assists. Caden Mendenhall contributed six points with three rebounds and three assists. Archer Colley and Micah Cowart both had three points while Gavin Vonderheide, Cooper Bland, and Parker Thomas had two points each. Thomas also led the team in rebounds with nine.
Siloam Springs
On Friday, February 20th, the Bulldogs played their final home game of the season when the Siloam Springs Panthers came calling at H.B. Stewart Arena. It was senior night as well. But the home team didn’t put up much of a fight in a game Coach Ross called their worst performance of the season. The Panthers won three of the four quarters and led 30-17 at the half before blowing the game open in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-6 over the last eight minutes. The final score was 69-38.
Siloam Springs jumped to a quick early lead, winning the first quarter, 18-8, and the second, 12-9. Both teams netted 15 points in the third quarter before the visitors went wild in the fourth stanza for the 31-point victory. The Panthers stroked the nets at a 51% clip compared to just 28% for the home team. Siloam Springs also hit eight three-pointers to just two for Greenwood and the Panthers drained 17 free throws to eight for the Bulldogs. The visitors outscored the home team in the paint as well, 26 to 18, and had 14 steals to just five for Greenwood.
Two GHS players reached double digits in scoring. Ty Holt and Hudson Clark each had 13 points. Clark added five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Holt also had three boards, one assist, and two steals. Parker Thomas added four points and led the team in rebounding with eight. Blake Christiansen added six points, Parker Thomas four points, and Braxton Canada two points. Christiansen and Canada had two rebounds each.
Russellville
Last Tuesday, February 24th, the Bulldogs hit the road traveling to Pope County to play the Russellville Cyclones, and they put on quite the show from behind the three-point line, hitting 12 treys including a 5-of-5 performance in the fourth quarter. Greenwood narrowly lost the opening quarter, 13-12, but dominated the rest of the game. They won the second period, 16-13, to lead 28-26 at the break. A 14-8 scoring difference in the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to get some separation, leading 42-34 after three periods. But Greenwood’s offensive explosion over the final eight minutes turned the game into a blowout. The Bulldogs won the quarter, 29-11, to account for the 71-45 final.
Overall, the Bulldogs shot nearly 43% to just 29% for the Cyclones. Greenwood also hit 12 of 26 three-point shots while Russellville made seven treys. The two squads were basically even at the free throw line, but the Bulldogs outscored the Cyclones 24 to five in points off turnovers. Russellville had 23 turnovers to just nine for Greenwood. The visitors also had 12 steals to just three for the home team. The Cyclones won the rebounding battle, 42 to 33, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the GHS victory.
Four Bulldogs’ players reached double digits in scoring. Ty Holt hit five three-pointers for 17 total points plus four rebounds and four assists. Braxton Canada also scored 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers, plus four rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Hudson Clark added 16 points with four boards, four assists, and four steals. The final double-digit scorer was Blake Christiansen with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers. He also had four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Parker Thomas added five points with eight rebounds and three assists. Hudson Nichols had three points and Malakai Willis two points.
Mountain Home
On the last Friday in February the Bulldogs played the final game of their season against the Bombers of Mountain Home, the #3 playoff seed from the 5A West. Earlier this season the Mt. Home boys won at Greenwood by 18 points, 54-36, and their second meeting wasn’t much different. The Bulldogs were competitive through the first two quarters, trailing 28-25 at the half. But the home team took charge in the third period by outscoring the visitors, 18-10, to lead by 11 points, 46-35. The two squads combined for just 14 points over the final eight minutes, but even that went the way of the Bombers, 9-5, for the 55-40 final score.
Oddly enough, the GHS boys shot the ball much better than the Bombers, 42% to 32%. But the scoring difference came in three-pointers and free throws. Mountain Home hit nine three-pointers to just three for Greenwood and the Bombers made 16 of 23 free throws while the visitors had just five attempts, making only one charity shot. There was tremendous disparity in the number of whistles blown and fouls called by the officiating crew.
Another interesting and contradictory stat showed Greenwood winning the scoring battle in the paint, 30 to 8, yet losing the game by 15 points. Mountain Home barely won the rebounding battle, 30 to 26, and points off turnovers, 17 to 12. The Bombers also won the turnover differential with just eight giveaways to 16 for Greenwood.
Two Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring, Hudson Clark and Parker Thomas, both of which scored 12 points. Parker also led in rebounding with nine. Clark had four boards, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Ty Holt added six points, Braxton Canada five points, Caden Mendenhall three points, and Blake Christiansen two points. Holt also had three rebounds and three steals. Canada added four boards, one assist, and one steal.
While the results of the just completed season are probably best left behind for Coach Ross, assistant coach Dexter Pearcy, and their players. But no one should discount the heart and effort given by the players this season and the experience gained by those players returning next fall. It will pay off in the future with an influx of physically imposing and talented players from the junior high ranks. Rebuilding the program is taking time, but success is not far away, and the results next season should be better with even greater success to follow.