SBLive Arkansas Top 25 girls basketball rankings: North Little Rock lands at No. 1 in final rankings after winning Class 6A championship
In the final rankings of this season, we have some movements mainly among the Top 11, but most stayed where they were last week. Six state champions were crowned with some being lop-sided contests but one that was possibly the best game of the weekend and one of the best this year.
Here are the final Top 25 rankings for the 2021-22 season:
1. North Little Rock (27-4)
North Little Rock clinched its first state title since 2018 defeating rival Fort Smith Northside.
2. Greenwood (28-4)
The Lady Bulldogs have pretty much been the favorite to win the championship all season and, they lived up to the expectations winning the school’s sixth all-time and ninth for head coach Clay Reeves.
3. Melbourne (35-0)
One of the more dominant dynasties in state history, the Lady Bearkatz have now won four straight state championships and sent arguably the state’s most decorated player of all-time, Kenley McCarn out with yet another state tournament MVP.
4. Conway (28-2)
The Lady Wampus Cats did not expect to be one -and-done in the state tournament, but their overall body of work keeps them in the Top 5 to finish the year.
5. Northside (24-7)
Northside has been consistent in getting to the finals, but this was not their year as North Little Rock was just too much for the Lady Bears.
6. Jonesboro (22-7)
The Lady Hurricane were the best version of themselves at the right time and had a solid showing in the state finals, but were not able to get past Greenwood to win back-to-back titles.
7. Nashville (33-2)
Nashville was probably the most slept-on team all season and the Scrapperettes put the state on notice defeating Farmington in the state championship game on a Sidney Townsend 3-pointer with just a few seconds remaining.
8. Central (20-10)
Little Rock Central claimed the upset of the year, for both boys and girls, defeating Conway in the second round. They fell in the semifinals to Northside but have a lot of momentum heading into next year.
9. Bergman (43-0)
The Lady Panthers allowed Lamar to stick around in the state championship game for the first quarter, but it did not take much longer to pull away claiming the Class 3A crown and capping an undefeated season.
10. Har-Ber (22-5)
The Lady Wildcats could not overcome newly top-ranked North Little Rock in the semifinals but had a great season winning the 6A-West.
11. Farmington (34-2)
The Lady Cardinals had a brutal ending to a rather incredible season falling to Nashville in the final seconds.
12. Bentonville (19-8)
The Lady Tigers’ season ended in the second round at the hands of Fort Smith Northside.
13. Marion (21-11)
Marion had a great run in the state tournament highlighted by Jessica Robins’ layup in the final moments against Jacksonville in the second round, but their hopes ended in the semis against Greenwood.
14. Little Rock Christian (24-6)
The Lady Warriors put on a 3-point clinic in Sheridan, but Jonesboro got out to a big lead that could not be overcome by LRC.
15. West Memphis (16-7)
West Memphis was right on the cusp of advancing to the semifinals, but Greenwood ended those hopes in the final seconds.
16. Vilonia (22-6)
Vilonia loses Ouachita Baptist signee Madeleine Tipton and fellow senior Addi Bonnema but with Sidni Middleton along with a host of other freshmen, this Lady Eagles team has plenty to look forward to.
17. Jacksonville (22-6)
The Lady Titans held off a rallying Russellville squad in the first round of state and then lost a heartbreaker to Marion ending their season.
18. Lake Hamilton (25-3)
The Lady Wolves were caught off guard by a sneaky good Paragould team that upset them in the first round. Their senior class, led by Arkansas Tech signee Hayleigh Wyrick, went 42-0 in three years of 5A South conference play.
19. Cabot (16-13)
The Lady Panthers earned a state tournament victory over Rogers Heritage before falling to North Little Rock, but with a young corps at the helm the future is very promising for Coach Jay Cook and Co.
20. Bryant (17-9)
Bryant had some memorable moments this year, including defeating state finalist Fort Smith Northside, and must replace UCA signee Parris Atkins but overall should feel confident about their returning players.
21. Paragould (16-6)
Paragould came into the state tournament confident notching a huge win over South top seed Lake Hamilton, but Little Rock Christian was too much for the Lady Rams in the second round.
22. Rogers Heritage (18-10)
After a second-place finish in the 6A-West, Rogers Heritage fell to Cabot in the first round of the state tournament but secured the 22nd-spot to end the year.
23. Siloam Springs (17-10)
Siloam Springs fell victim to great long-range shooting against Little Rock Christian and the season ended in the first round of state.
24. Bentonville West (16-11)
The Lady Wolverines did not finish like they would have hoped but remained in the Top 25.
25. Lamar (31-3)
The Lady Warriors are typically consistent-scoring but had a tough time getting shots to fall in the state championship ending their season as the Class 3A runner-up.
