Happy Friday, Varsity Vibe fam! High school hoops are heating up — and we’re here to recap the week and take a look at what’s ahead!

🎙️ Hear from NBA champion Jaylin Williams
📈 Recapping some big wins in NWA
👀 Our One to Watch
🏀 Games of the Week

Let’s dive right in!

🎙️ Arkansas Pride. On this week’s Courtside Chats with Alyssa Orange, we sit down with former Northside Grizzly, Arkansas Razorback and reigning NBA champion Jaylin Williams. As someone who has dedicated his time giving back to the community in the river valley and Northwest Arkansas, Williams talks about life as an NBA champion, what he learned as a high school player at Northside and his best advice to high school players right now.

⚡️ Late Game Surge. Bentonville took down Har-Ber this week in a close one, coming away with a 67-64 win. The Tigers improved to 10-7 overall with three conference wins. In the victory over the Wildcats, junior LeShaun Goshett led the offensive charge with 21 points, followed by junior Demarion Lee and senior Quinn Hosley with 15 each. Hosley came in clutch near the end of the game, hitting three 3-pointers to help build a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

⚜ Saints Up. Shiloh Christian wasted no time putting points on the board, building up a 27-10 first-quarter lead in the Saints’ 80-30 win over Gentry. The Saints led 47-14 at halftime and continued to pull away in the second half. Senior Jude Humphry led Shiloh’s crusade with 18 points, while senior Aden Hagan added 15 in the dominant victory. Shiloh remains undefeated in 4A play and is 15-3 overall.

💪 Fayetteville Force. Fayetteville basketball stays perfect in 6A play with a home win, 73-54, over Fort Smith Northside. Senior Derrick Hudson led the Bulldogs’ effort with 25 points, while sophomore Byron Daniels scored 18 and sophomore Will Schaefer added 11. The Bulldogs improved to 8-9 overall and 2-0 in conference action. Fayetteville will face off with Rogers tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm and the game can be watched here. 

🏀 Sophomore Maddi Reese was unstoppable against Rogers, adding 30 points in three quarters as Bentonville West recorded a dominant 71-40 win. Reese scored 20 in the first half alone, sparking a hot offensive start that put the Lady Wolverines in control early.

🏀 Bryant basketball has gone 7-0 against Little Rock Southwest since 2021, and will look to continue their series winning streak tonight. The Hornets are coming off a big 59-50 win over Little Rock Central, where the senior RJ Young scored 23 points to help Bryant improve to 17-3 on the season. Southwest, on the other hand, has a 9-6 overall record and is coming off of a 69-65 win over North Little Rock. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm and can be watched here.

⛹️‍♀️ Farmington and Greenwood’s girls basketball teams are both riding winning streaks, but one will come to a stop tonight. In Farmington’s last matchup, the Lady Cardinals dominated Harrison with a 68-31 victory. Sophomore standout Easton McCollough scored 31 points with a double-double. Greenwood most recently took down Alma, 82-53. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm and the game can be watched here.

Jan. 16:
🏀 6A Bentonville @ Northside, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Southside @ Har-Ber, 7:30 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Bentonville West @ Springdale, 7:30 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Fayetteville @ Rogers, 7:30 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Little Rock Southwest @ Bryant, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 5A Greenwood @ Farmington, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 5A Mountain Home @ Van Buren, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 4A Shiloh Christian @ Pea Ridge, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 6A Bentonville West @ Springdale, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 6A Fayetteville @ Rogers, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 6A Southside @ Har-Ber, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 6A Bentonville @ Northside, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 6A Little Rock Southwest @ Bryant, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 5A Greenwood @ Farmington, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 5A Mountain Home @ Van Buren, 6:00 pm | Watch Here
⛹️‍♀️ 4A Shiloh Christian @ Pea Ridge, 6:00 pm | Watch Here

👋 Hello There!

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