GRIZZLIES VS. MAVS IN CONFERENCE FINALE

There will be lots of scoreboard watching come Friday night when the Northside Grizzlies tip off with the Southside Mavericks at the Stubblefield Center. That’s because there will be some other games of interest to the Grizzlies and their fans, as Northside is fighting with other 6A-Central teams to get the No. 2 seed out of the conference and a first-round bye at state next week. Perhaps the most important game Friday will emanate from the site of next week’s 6A state tournament, Bryant. That’s when the Bryant Hornets play host to the Conway Wampus Cats. At the moment, Northside (18-9, 8-5) and Conway share second place in the conference. The Grizzlies and Wampus Cats split the head-to-head series. But due to the first tiebreaker which goes by margin of victory in the two games, Conway would be ahead of Northside should the two teams both win on Friday, so if that happens, Conway gets the No. 2 seed. Northside beat Conway by three points at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse. But the Wampus Cats took an eight-point decision in the rematch at Conway, so they have the biggest victory margin in the tiebreaker scenario. There is also the wild possibility of a five-way tie for second place. Three teams (Cabot, Bryant and Little Rock Central) are tied for fourth place with 7-6 records, a game back of Northside and Conway. So, if Southside beats Northside and Bryant beats Conway, Cabot would also have to win at 6A-Central champion North Little Rock and Central prevail at home against Little Rock Catholic in order for that five-way tie for second place to happen. That would likely necessitate which team has the most playoff tiebreaker points. In playoff tiebreaker points, Northside is two points ahead of Conway, Bryant and Central by a 61-59 edge. Cabot has 55 points. Essentially, the best possible scenario for Northside to get the No. 2 seed at state is to win against Southside while needing Bryant to defeat Conway. As far as Grizzly coach Eric Burnett is concerned, he just wants to end the regular season on a good note, especially coming on the heels of a tough 55-54 loss in overtime Tuesday at Cabot. “It’s a big conference game for us. ... I think that second seed is a really good draw for us, so that’s what we’re shooting for right now,” Burnett said. “But I just want us to go out and play (Friday); it is a big rivalry game and it is the last time that Northside and Southside is going to play as a conference game. ... I’m just hoping we’ll be focused and ready to play.” Burnett alluded to the fact that, for at least the near future, Friday’s game is the last time the Grizzlies and Mavericks square off as conference rivals. Next season, Northside stays in the 6A-Central while Southside moves to the 6A-West, though the two schools will continue their rivalry, albeit a non-conference game. “It’s going to be a really tough adjustment, it really is, because we’re used to playing twice in January and February and now for us to have to play them earlier in the year, it’s going to be different,” Burnett said. “But I think everybody in the community will miss that because of the big rivalry and everybody coming out and watching them play. “It’s just a big community event and that’s always healthy for the community.” On the girls side, the Northside Lady Bears already have the conference title wrapped up and the top seed at state. But with a win Friday against Southside, Northside (24-3, 13-0) can do what last season’s eventual 6A state champs were unable to, finish off a perfect 6A-Central slate. Last season, the Lady Bears went 13-1 in conference play, with their only loss on the road to North Little Rock. It turned out to be their only loss in a 28-1 season. Cabot and Conway currently are tied for second with 9-4 records, while Bryant and North Little Rock are a game back at 8-5. There is the possibility of a four-way tie for second if NLR beats Cabot and Bryant defeats Conway. After Friday’s regular season finale, Northside will be off for a whole week. The Lady Bears, ranked No. 1 both in 6A and in the entire state, won’t be playing again until the 6A quarterfinals, which take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 6 in Bryant.

GRIZZLIES VS. MAVS IN CONFERENCE FINALE

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 2/28/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Fort Smith Southside High School Athletics