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36 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Sunday, November 3, 2019 GIRLS FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE LADY BEARS COACH Rickey Smith CONFERENCE 6A-Central 2018-19 RECORD 28-1, 13-1 PLAYOFF RESULT Won Class 6A state championship after beating Bentonville 36-34 at Hot Springs WHO'S BACK? Jersey Wolfenbarger (Jr., 6-2), Tracey Bershers (Jr., 6-1), Jazz Coleman (Sr., 5-10). THE SCOOP Defending state champions return plenty of play- ers, led by Jersey Wolfenbarger, the MVP of the state tournament. . …. Wolfenbarger is a top Divi- sion I prospect who averaged 15.7 points as a sophomore. She scored 23 points and went 7 for 7 in championship game vs. Bentonville. …. Tracy Bersh- ers returns after averaging 18.4 points per game. …. Jazz Coleman averaged 15.9 points per game. …. Coleman is the daughter of Red Coleman, who also won a state championship at Northside. FAYETTEVILLE LADY BULLDOGS COACH Vic Rimmer CONFERENCE 6A-West 2018-19 RECORD 20-5, 12-2 PLAYOFF RESULTS Lost in semifinals to Fort Smith Northside in three overtimes. WHO'S BACK? Sasha Goforth (Sr., 6-0), Coriah Beck (Sr., 5-8), Haitiana Releford (So, 5-8), Claudia Bridges (Jr., 5-4), Ariana Saitta (Jr., 5-6) THE SCOOP Fayetteville appears loaded with all five starters returning from a team that finished 20-5. … The team is led by senior guards Sasha Goforth and Coriah Beck. . … Goforth averaged 16 points and 5 rebounds per game. She is verbally committed to Ore- gon State. … Beck averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds per game. She is verbally committed to Memphis. … Releford averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds as a freshman. … Fayetteville expects major contribution from Caroline Lyles, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard who already has Division I offers. ROGERS LADY MOUNTIES COACH Preston Early CONFERENCE 6A-West 2018-2019 RECORD 18-10, 9-5 PLAYOFF RESULT Lost in quarterfinals to Conway. WHO'S BACK? London Hatch (Sr., 5-7), Kate McCo- nnell (Sr., 5-7), Gracie Carr (Jr., 5-11), Taylor Treadwell (Jr., 5-9). THE SCOOP Rogers graduated its top two scorers from a team that finished third in the 6A-West Confer- ence. …. Kate McConnell returns after averaging 9.5 points per game last season. …. London Hatch returns after averaging 7 points and 3 assists per game. ….. Gracie Carr, a 5-11 forward, and Taylor Treadwell, 5-9, will be counted upon in the frontcourt. SPRINGDALE HAR-BER LADY WILDCATS COACH Kimberly Jenkins CONFERENCE 6A-West 2018-19 RECORD 9-17, 2-12 PLAYOFF RESULT Did not make state tournament WHO'S BACK? Sophie Nelson (Sr., 6-0), G Kania Starks (Jr., 5-7), G Caylan Koons (So., 5-6). THE SCOOP Caylan Koons re- turns after leading Har-Ber with 15.6 points and 8 assists as a freshman. Made all-conference, all-state, and selected NWADG Di- vision I Newcomer of the Year. She shot 42.6 percent from 3-point line. … Senior Sophie Nelson re- turns after leading Har-Ber with 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Has recovered from a back injury that hindered her for most of conference season. … Top defender Kania Starks returns after averaging 9.4 points and 2.6 assists last season. … With only three seniors on the roster, Har-Ber will need contributions from its sophomores and freshmen. C L A S S 6 A T E A M C A P S U L E S Wolfenbarger Koons File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHARLIE KAIJO Fayetteville guard Sasha Goforth (13) dribbles during a basketball game last season against Fort Smith Northside in the Class 6A state tournament. Goforth, a four-year starter at Fayetteville, has verbally committed to Oregon State. v Continued on next page Courtesy Photo/GLEN GILLEY Fort Smith High School Principal Earl Farnsworth presents Gayle Kaundart the 1955 state championship trophy. Kaundart coached for 19 seasons at Northside and led the Grizzlies to five state championships. fourth consecutive year. Arkansas would love to get its hands on Williams, a 6-10 center and 4-star recruit. Williams earned MVP honors in the championship game after he scored 20 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked three shots in a 44-41 win over Bryant. It was the 11th state championship for the boys, and Northside displayed its basket- ball power when the Lady Bears under coach Rickey Smith also returned home from Hot Springs with a championship plaque. Voters in Fort Smith approved a mill- age last year that will lead to renovations at Northside and Fort Smith Southside. The improvements will include new basketball arenas, but Kaundart Griz- zly Fieldhouse will remain standing and host the ninth-grade basketball teams. A new 2,500-seat arena will be built on what is now a parking lot next to the legendary red-bricked Mayo-Thompson football stadium at Northside. That facil- ity will undoubtedly host future champi- onship teams and stand a short distance from the gym where legends were made. For Burnett, he came full circle back to Northside after earning his degree at Arkansas Tech and beginning his coach- ing career at Southside and Springdale Har-Ber, where he was the Wildcats' first coach. It was a special day for Burnett in April 2010 when he was announced to replace Johnny Mason, his former junior high coach who coached varsity for 15 seasons at Northside. "Growing up in Fort Smith, I used to dream about being the head coach at Northside," Burnett said. "It's always been like that for me. That's why I wanted to come back here and contin- ue the great tradition at Northside High School." Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@nwadg. com or on Twitter @NWARick. Northside v Continued from Page 35