NHS’ WILLIAMS COULD BE ‘X-FACTOR’ IN 7A STATE TOURNEY

There’s no question that Northside has the shooters to get the Grizzlies back in position to repeat as 7A state champs. Something else which might help the Grizzlies as they begin the 7A State Tournament today in North Little Rock has been the emergence of 6-foot-9 sophomore center Jaylin Williams. In 14 7A-Central games, Williams averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Against eventual league champion North Little Rock in a game two weeks ago, he had 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. For the season, Williams is averaging 2.4 blocks per game, with a season high of eight in a game against Blue Springs (Mo.) in December. “I see a 6-9 guy that can do a lot of things,” Northside coach Eric Burnett said. “We put him on the front of the press. ... He’s got good timing on blocking shots, he rebounds well. “I just see him do a lot of things, and when he gets out on the court, I just start seeing flashes of it come out with each ballgame, and so he just keeps getting better and better.” And Burnett definitely believes that Williams could be an “x-factor” as the Grizzlies play their first game at the 7A State Tournament today in North Little Rock. Northside (19-9) plays in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. against Bentonville, which posted a 46-37 win against Cabot in Wednesday’s opening round. “I agree (Williams can be a difference maker), because when Jaylin fixes his mind that he’s going to play like he played against North Little Rock, that puts us on a different level, it really does,” Burnett said. Williams is literally growing into his role with the Grizzlies in his first season on the squad. Three years ago, at the end of his seventh-grade year, he was 5-8. He shot up to 6-2 as an eighth-grader, and then as a freshman at Kimmons Junior High last season, he grew to 6-6 before his current 6-9 stature. Williams said when he was at least a foot shorter several years ago, he had a feeling he would get much taller. “My dad (former Northside player Michael Williams) has a lot of uncles that are 6-5 and 6-6, so I think it came from that side,” Jaylin Williams said. At first, though, Williams was hesitant to grow taller but now likes his height, especially when it comes to playing basketball. “I kind of wished I wasn’t going to be taller than everybody, but then coming towards basketball and when basketball comes around, I’m glad that I am tall,” he said. “It helps me out a lot. “I can see the court better sometimes, see over people. It gives me better mismatches and stuff like that.” Williams was one of several newcomers to a Grizzly squad coming off of last season’s 7A state title. He also didn’t buy the initial notion that the Grizzlies were in a rebuilding phase. “We’re doing pretty great,” Williams said. “Coming into this year, everybody thought we were young and inexperienced and we proved a lot of people wrong showing what we can do on the court.” The Grizzlies, however, come into the state tournament having lost their last three games. Their last two losses were played without senior guard and leading scorer Isaiah Joe, who was taking care of an injured knee. But Joe — who is averaging 22.7 points this season — is good to go for today, and it couldn’t come at a better time for Williams and Northside. “Isaiah is a big piece on our team, he has meant a lot. ... (He’s taught me) how to play the game, helping our teammates out and getting open and creating plays,” Williams said. “We’ve just got to play good as a team. Limit turnovers, get rebounds, play good and Isaiah coming back is going to be a big help to the team.” Lady Bears Northside finished in a three-way tie for first place in the 7A-Central with powerhouse programs Conway and North Little Rock. The Lady Bears now get set to play in the 7A State Tournament. Northside (24-3), which got the No. 3 seed out of the 7A-Central, will take on former 7A-West foe Rogers, the No. 6 seed from the 7A-West, at 1 p.m. today in the opening round. “Rogers is a very good basketball club, well-coached. ... Over the years, we’ve had some tremendous battles with Rogers,” Northside coach Rickey Smith said. “We had a 74-game home winning streak a few years ago, and Rogers broke it here. They’re a very, very fundamentally sound, shoot the basketball team.” While the Lady Bears survived the rigors of conference play, the state tournament is at an entirely different level. Particularly with many players who will be playing their first 7A state tournament game today. “The first game of the state tournament, it’s just a matter of trying to get down and play and get in the flow of the basketball game,” Smith said. “Our young kids have played a lot of ballgames this year, and played a lot of big ballgames, so at this point I don’t view them as freshmen or sophomores anymore. They’ve had a year of experience at Northside and they don’t get any bigger than playing Conway, (Little Rock) Central and North Little Rock.” Junior forward Sara Bershers, in her first season at Northside, leads the Lady Bears in scoring with 13.2 points per game. Freshman guard Jersey Wolfenbarger is second with 10.2 points per game. Another freshman, Tracey Bershers, is the team’s top rebounder, averaging 6.5 boards a game. Sara Bershers is next with a 6.1 average. The Northside-Rogers winner will advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round against Bentonville, the No. 2 seed from the 7A-West.

NHS’ WILLIAMS COULD BE ‘X-FACTOR’ IN 7A STATE TOURNEY

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 3/1/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford