Class 1A Arkansas girls basketball preview

Eight teams to watch in Class 1A Arkansas prep girls basketball

By Kyle Sutherland | Photos by Tommy Land 

With the start of a new season, SBLive is previewing Arkansas high school basketball. Today, we feature eight teams to watch from the girls ranks of Class 1A. Over the coming weeks there will be features for each classification as well as player position lists. 

Head over to the website for complete coverage and standings throughout the season. You can also listen to our weekly podcast, Arkansas Prep X-tra, for even more in-depth coverage.

BRADLEY BEARS

Head Coach: Benny Harris

Conference: 1A-7

2022-23 Finish: 24-13, 1A state first round

Notable Departures

Kailee Allen | all-state, all-state tournament

Billendria Harris

Players To Watch

Sharese Harris JR

Maddie McDonald SR

Ainslee Moore 6-3 JR

Outlook

Head coach Benny Harris, who has coached at Bradley in some capacity for over four decades, led the boys to a state title last year and hopes to do the same with the girls for the first time since 2000. With Allen and Billendria Harris gone, the trio of Sharese Harris, McDonald, and Moore - one of tallest players in Class 1A - look to lead the Lady Bears back to the state tournament after being eliminated in the first round last spring.

KINGSTON YELLOWJACKETS

Head Coach: Pat Summers

Conference: 1A-1E

2022-23 Finish: 30-9, 1A state semifinalist

Notable Departures

Brooke Blinds

MaKenna Clemons

Renee Pittman | all-state, all-state tournament

Megan Parker

Players To Watch

Grace Cooper 5-3 SR

Callie Edgmon 5-2 SO

Lauren Fancher 5-3 JR

Lila Hartness 5-4 JR

Jaidyn Head 4-11 SR

Karli Myers 5-3 SR

Rilee Pittman 5-6 JR

Paige Randall 5-3 SO

Outlook

Kingston started last season 2-5, but turned the corner in late November as they went on a Final Four run. The Lady Jackets could experience growing pains early as one of the smaller teams in the state, as well as the loss of four key seniors including leader Renee Pittman. Renee’s sister, Rilee, is one the coaching staff expects to take big strides in her junior season, while a host of others will need to do the same in order to make another deep tournament run.

Coach Said

“We were little last year and are going to be smaller this year, so it is really going to come down to, are some of the girls going to take the next step in their shooting? Renee and Brooke made leaps and bounds from their junior to senior year, and I have two girls right now who I hope will fill that spot. As far as the season goes, we think we will be in the running to where we were last year. It is what we are hoping for, but it is going to be a little tougher.”

-Pat Summers

KIRBY TROJANS

Head Coach: Robert Tucker

Conference: 1A-7

2022-23 Finish: 30-7, 1A state semifinalist

Notable Departures

Felicity Pate | all-state tournament team

Jaci Vines | all-state

Players To Watch

Jenna Bailey 5-6 SR

Kirsten Miller 5-8 SR

Kendall Muse 5-8 SR

Kylee Crump 5-4 JR

Zoey Gaither 5-7 JR

Gracie Hardage 5-5 SR

Grace Turner 5-9 JR

Outlook

Excluding the Final Four loss to eventual 1A champion Norfork, Kirby went undefeated against in-class competition last season. Some of the defeats included 5A champion Greenwood, 4A champion Nashville, 5A-South champion Lake Hamilton, and 6A quarterfinalist Bryant. The departure of Pate and Vines could be felt early on, but there is plenty of depth and experience returning for the Lady Trojans to make another deep run.

Coach Said

“We have three key starters back that were big role players on a state semifinal team last year. They are going to have to continue to step up their role as players and leaders. We are working hard this pre-season and are getting better every day. Hopefully, with some of our experience and gaining more confidence as the season goes on we will be playing our best basketball in February and March!”

-Robert Tucker

MAMMOTH SPRING BEARS

Head Coach: Scott Small

Conference: 1A-3

2022-23 Finish: 32-8, 1A state runner-up

Notable Departures

Chevelle Graves

Joslyn Tucker

Megyn Upton | all-state

Players To Watch

Tay Davis 5-8 JR | all-state tournament team

Adrianna Corbett 5-9 JR

Sara Crowe 6-2 SR | all-state

Brynn Washam 5-9 JR | all-state, all-state tournament team

Laney Young 5-6 JR

Outlook

The Lady Bears were a force in the Class 1A ranks last season making it all the way to the finals, and they are primed to do it again. Upton will be a key loss in the paint, but in the big picture just about everyone returns including all-state performers Crowe and Washam - who lead the Lady Bears with 15 points in the state finals. The loss to Norfork in the championship game was Mammoth’s only defeat against 1A competition, while two of them came at the hands of 2A champion Melbourne and 3A champion Bergman, respectively.

Coach Said

“I feel like we have gotten better at knowing our roles, playing faster, and communicating on both ends of the floor. We lost some key elements to last year's team, but we have kids who have stepped up to fill roles and I think that they have grown tremendously in their understanding of the game and the expectations that they have for themselves. Last year we had several sophomores who encountered new situations as the season progressed, but I believe that they will be more comfortable in those spots this year. “

-Scott Small

NORFORK PANTHERS

Head Coach: Luke Cornett

Conference: 1A-2

2022-23 Finish: 1A state champions

Notable Departures

Ashlyn Estes

Players To Watch

Kiley Alman 5-8 SR | all-state tournament Most Valuable Player

Keely Blanchard 5-10 JR | all-state, all-state tournament

Kasey Moody

Liza Shaddy 5-9 JR | all-state tournament

Jordan Rasmussen 6-0 SR

Outlook

Luke Cornett led Rural Special to a state championship over Norfork in 2021, now he hopes to lead the Lady Panthers to their second title in a row in his first season. He has a great chance of doing so returning three major pieces in Alman - who scored 22 points in the championship game, Blanchard, and Shaddy, along with imposing post Rassmussen. The Lady Panthers only lost one game in Class 1A last year, a 60-56 loss to Mammoth Spring in the 1A-2 regional title game that was later avenged in the state championship.

Coach Said

“We are trying to get better every day in practice, and we are looking forward to this season starting so that we can have a measuring stick of where we want to go. Obviously, they were successful last year, but we have a slightly different team this year, so it is going to be a little bit of an adjustment. We are returning four players, but the one we lost played a lot of important minutes so we are going to have to find what our new identity is without her on the floor. We are looking forward to it and it should be a fun year.”

-Luke Cornett

SACRED HEART KNIGHTS

Head Coach: Kyle Duvall

Conference: 1A-4

2022-23 Finish: 19-14, 1A state quarterfinalist

Notable Departures

Karlee Cooper

Halen Hoelzeman | Cottey College signee (softball)

Anna Reece Jones

Rylee Oliver | all-state tournament

Players To Watch

Emma Dold 5-10 SR

Ayla Hoelzeman 5-10 SO

Emerson Hoelzeman 5-6 JR

Emilee Shipp 5-6 JR

Outlook

Following a state quarterfinal appearance, the Lady Knights have plenty of work to do filling the voids of four key players, but they will start from the inside out with Dold returning in the post as a reliable shooter (43% from the field). Ayla Hoelzeman will be another solid option in the paint after shooting 47% from the field and leading the team in blocks as a freshman. If they put all of this together and combine what should be a great defense with effective shooting, another state tournament run could be on the horizon.

Coach Said

“We have one senior and not a lot of experience on the team, but they work hard and getting better every day. I think our team speed is really good and we are really excited about getting the season started.”

-Kyle Duvall

VIOLA LONGHORNS

Head Coach: Jason Hughes

Conference: 1A-2

2022-23 Finish: 18-18, 1A regional first round

Notable Departures

Preslee Dillinger

Kennedy Renfro

Trinity Sherrill

Players To Watch

Kailey Hallmark 5-7 JR

Marissa Hutson 6-0 FR

AJ McCandlis 5-6 SR | all-state, Delta State (Miss.) commit

Audrey Newberry 5-5 JR

Cheyenne Newberry 5-4 FR

Outlook

Currently, the Lady Longhorns are one of those “what if?” teams, but when you have McCandlis leading your squad as arguably the top player in Class 1A (22 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG) plus a corps of promising young talent, positive results are bound to happen. Hutson and Cheyenne Newberry are both coming off outstanding junior high seasons, while Hallmark and Audrey Newberry should be good compliments to McCandlis as they can both shoot the long ball from anywhere.

Coach Said

“We should be able to score better this year. Our size and shooting should keep opposing defenses more honest. Hopefully less junk defense on AJ. Our defense must improve. We aren't the most athletic group, so we have to be smart about how we guard our opponents.”

-Jason Hughes

WONDERVIEW DAREDEVILS

Head Coach: Mark Simmons

Conference: 1A-4

2022-23 Finish: 26-12, 1A state quarterfinalist

Notable Departures

Jaylyn Scroggins

Players To Watch

Abbi Baker 5-7 SR | all-state tournament team

Anna Ford 5-10 JR

Riley Gottsponer 6-0 JR

Alli Pruitt 5-7 JR

D’Asia Simpson 5-8 JR

Maddie Stovall 6-1 SR

Layla Terry 6-3 JR

Outlook

Coming off a quarterfinal appearance falling to eventual state runner-up Mammoth Spring, Wonderview has about as much length and experience as anyone in the class. The Lady Daredevils return almost everyone and have a plethora of youth who got some crucial experience. They won nine of their first ten games of 2021-22 and are looking to repeat that this year, while also continuing to improve as there was some inconsistency in the back half of the regular season.

Coach Said

“Expectations are high in Wonderview for this Lady Daredevil team. Coming off of a 2021-2022 season of advancing to the quarterfinals of the state tournament, they have most of the pieces from that team returning and also have added some new editions, providing the Lady Daredevils with a deep roster of talent.”

-Mark Simmons