6A girls basketball state championship: Fort Smith Northside wins ninth state title, third since 2019

The Lady Bears earn redemption after falling twice to Fayetteville during the regular season

Tommy Land

The old saying goes that it is hard to beat a team three times, but Fort Smith Northside completed the three-game season sweep of Fayetteville with a 56-48 win over the Purple Dogs for the 6A girls state championship at Bank OZK Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Northside (27-5) defeated the Purple Dogs twice in 6A-West play and overcame one-point first quarter and halftime deficits to win their ninth state championship in school history, third since 2019. All of those championships have been won under head coach Rickey Smith.

Northside senior and University of Colorado commit Erianna Gooden was named the 6A state tournament's Most Valuable Player. She finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists on the afternoon. Cam Schmidt led the Lady Bears with 17 points on eight of 15 shooting, six rebounds and two assists. Hazley Grotjohn added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Freshman Payton Caudle led Fayetteville with 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Whitney Brown added 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Pregame

For the past two seasons, both 6A state finalists were from the Central conference, but this time around it is an all-West final between two squads who have combined for 29 state championship appearances — Fort Smith Northside 15, Fayetteville 14. The last time both finalists were from the West was when these two faced off in 2021, when the Lady Bears survived the Purple Dogs 52-51 in a thrilling double-overtime finish.

That victory earned Northside coach Rickey Smith, who has more than 800 wins as a head coach, his eighth state championship. Northside (26-5) returned to the state final the following year and fell to North Little Rock, and the team is now in the championship round for the fourth time since 2019. The Lady Bears dropped consecutive contests to Douglass (Okla.) and Springdale in the 6A-West opener, but they got on a roll and won 16 of their next 18 to reach this point.

Senior twins Erianna and Erikka Gooden are the last remaining players on the roster who played in the 2022 state championship game. Erianna (15.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.3 spg) is signed to play at the University of Colorado, and Erikka (3.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 spg) is headed to the University of Nebraska – Omaha. Erianna is Northside's all-time leading scorer with 1,879 points. Hazley Grotjohn (12.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 spg) is Northside's third 2025 college signee as she will play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Junior Camryn Schmidt (11.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg) also has received college offers.

On the other side, Fayetteville (19-11) is led by a very established coach of its own in Vic Rimmer. Rimmer won titles with the Purple Dogs in 2015 and 2017, and he split with Bentonville during the COVID-ridden 2020 season, when the championship game was called off. Rimmer also won two state titles at Shiloh Christian.

It took some time for everything to really come together, but the healthy mix of seniors and highly-talented youth has meshed at the right time as anyone who followed this team knew it could. Senior leaders Whitney Brown (10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg), a Hutchinson (Kan.) College signee, and Mariyah Moss (6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) have been mainstays for for the Purple Dogs, and junior Charley Rawlins (8 ppg) is an experienced starter.

Sophomore Syniah Coachman and freshman Payton Caudle are two of the state's next high-profile college prospects. Coachman (13 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 1 bpg) has offers including Arkansas and Alabama, and Caudle (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg) has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Miami, Minnesota and Oklahoma State, among others.

(Updates will appear here after the game starts.)

FINAL: Northside 56-48

The Lady Bears earn their ninth state title all-time and third since 2019.

Fourth quarter

Northside 54-48, :15

Syniah Coachman lays one in on a fast break. Timeout Fayetteville.

Northside 53-46, :29

Erianna Gooden is fouled hard on an intentional and connects on both free throws. Timeout Northside.

Northside 51-46, 1:04

Fayetteville turns it over after Charley Rawlins falls out of bounds. Timeout Northside and they will inbound when we return.

Northside 51-46, 2:07

Fayetteville is hanging tough and one of two successful free throws by Kyra Ball following a Mariyah Moss layup cuts the Northside lead to five.

Northside 51-43, 4:44

Caudle is fouled and her two successful free throws breaks the 9-0 Northside run.

Northside 44-41, 6:22

Each team has yet to score in the fourth nearly two minutes in. Northside Coach Rickey Smith takes a timeout

Third quarter

Northside 49-41, 5:35

Schmidt scores again to stretch the Lady Bear lead to eight. Timeout Fayetteville.

Northside 47-41, 6:12

Gooden breaks the scoring drought with a layup, then is fouled and hits the and-one.

End 3rd: Northside 44-41

For the first time at a quarter break the Lady Bears have the lead as we head to the final frame. Both teams are shooting sub-40% from the field.

Northside 42-38, 1:25

Grotjohn puts the Lady Bears up by seven with a fast break lay up and Northside is on a run. However, Caudle halts that run with a left corner three.

Northside 35-32, 4:45

Caudle ties it back up with two free throws, then Grotjohn takes back Northside's lead on the other end.

Northside 31-27, 6:42

Blackmon swishes a wide open three from the top of the key.

Northside 28-27, 7:42

Grotjohn regains the lead for the Lady Bears with a layup.

Halftime: Fayetteville 27-26

Just like after the 1st quarter, the Purple Dogs take a one-point advantage into the break. Brown and Caudle lead all scorers with nine points, while Camryn Schmidt has eight for Northside.

Second quarter

Fayetteville 25-24

Grotjohn finds Kaydence Flemming under the basket and Flemming lays it in. Fayetteville Coach Vic RImmer calls time.

Fayetteville 23-22, 2:53

Right before the media timeout Lily Crone is fouled and connected on one of two free throws to regain the Purple Dog lead.

Tied at 22, 3:11

Blackmon cuts the Fayetteville lead to just two with a three from the right wing, then Hazley Grotjohn gets a steal and lays it in on the fast break to tie it up.

Fayetteville 20-13, 5:20

Brown hits a three from the left wing, Purple Dogs get it back on the ensuing Northside possession and Caudle is fouled on the other end while driving to the basket. Both free throws are good.

Fayetteville 15-11, 6:27

Northside cuts the lead to three, but Brown is fouled and converts one of two free throws to put it back at a Purple Dog two possession advantage.

Fayetteville 11-7, 7:53

Payton Caudle breaks the field goal drought, gets fouled and hits the and-one.

First quarter

End of 1st: Fayetteville 8-7

Gooden lofts a jumper on the inbound pass with .02 left on the clock, it looked good but it was waved off. Neither team has hit a field goal since the 4:02 mark.

Fayetteville 8-7, :20

Syniah Coachman puts Fayetteville back ahead after converting one of two free throws.

Tied at 7, 1:43

Erianna Gooden ties it up with two free throws.

Fayetteville 7-4, 3:58

Whitney Brown breaks a 4-4 tie with a three from the right wing.

We are underway!

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