Higginbottom, Wolfenbarger, Ford lead ASM Super Team
RUSSELLVILLE — The third annual Arkansas Sports Media High School Basketball Super Team was released Thursday afternoon and it includes the first ever 3-time members of the team.
Leading the girls' team are seniors Isabella Higginbottom of Batesville and Jersey Wolfenbarger of Fort Smith Northside. Both have been selected to the ASM Super Team First Team for the last three years.
Higginbottom was a 4-year starter for the Lady Pioneers. As a sophomore, Batesville won the Class 4A State Championship and Higginbottom was named the MVP of that title game. She finished with nearly 2,900 points scored and set a state tournament record when she scored 57 points against Little Rock Parkview in the opening round of this year's Class 5A State Tournament.
Wolfenbarger was also long entrenched as a starter for the Lady Bears and helped them win two Class 6A state titles. She averaged 19 points, 8-8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game her senior season.The two so far have not crossed paths on the basketball court yet but they will. Wolfenbarger has signed to play at Arkansas while Higginbottom will be going to Missouri.
Little Rock Christian senior Wynter Rogers also made the Super Team all three years but she was an honorable mention two years ago and selected to the Second Team last year. Rogers has signed to play at West Virginia.Joining those three on the First Team this season are Conway sophomore Chloe Clardy, who was a second-teamer last year as a freshman, and Jonesboro junior Ereauna Hardaway.
There are three seniors on the Second Team this year while the other two players are from the same team.Northside gets another senior on the Super Team as Tracey Bershers was picked fo the Second Team.
Bershers capped her senior campaign by being named the MVP of the Class 6A state title game where she scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in Northside's 52-51 double-overtime win over Fayetteville. Bershers has signed to play at Oklahoma State.
Bentonville's Maryam Dauda makes her second straight appearance on the Second Team. The highly talented and highly touted post player will be playing for Baylor next year.
Harrison's Alex Hill was the only player to score 30 points during Finals Weekend at Hot Springs last month as she led the Lady Goblins to their fifth state title, first since 2004. She will be playing for Arkansas Tech next year.
Melbourne junior Kenley McCarn and sophomore Jenna Lawrence round out the Second Team.
McCarn was a first-teamer last season and has been named the MVP of the Lady Bearkatz' last two state championships. She averaged 16 points per game this season.Lawrence led the Lady Bearkatz in scoring this season with 17 points per night and also averaged 3.2 blocks per game. Lawrence has already committed to play for Arkansas while McCarn has committed to Tennessee-Martin.
The top vote-getters for the boys' Super Team are juniors, Derrian Ford of Magnolia and Kel'el Ware of North Little Rock.
Ford is the first 3-team member of the Super Team and the only player to return to the team from last year. The list of colleges after Ford is too long to list but among them are all four of the in-state Division I schools.Ware, a 7-footer, is the tallest member of the Super Team and helped lead the Charging Wildcats to the Class 6A State Championship this season. Ware has narrowed his list of colleges down to: Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Oral Roberts.
Two more seniors made the First Team: Keylin McBride on Jonesboro and Terran Williams of Marianna.McBride helped lead the Hurricane to the Class 5A State Championship and will be playing for Harding next season.
Wiliams led Marianna to its first state championship in 38 years. He has signed to play for Louisiana Tech.Three seniors lead the Second Team: Cam Hunter of Bryant, Braxtyn McCuien of Mayflower and DJ Smith of North Little Rock. Hunter is committed to playing for UCA, McCuien and Smith both have offers from North Arkansas College.
The other two players selected for the Second Team are the top players to watch for in the coming years, Sylvan Hills junior Nick Smith and Little Rock Central sophomore Bryson Warren.
Both are on the Arkansas Razorbacks' radar.
2021 Arkansas Sports Media High School Basketball Super Team
Following are the selections for the high school basketball Super Team as voted on by a panel of sportswriters, sportscasters and other sports media from around the state for the 2020-21 high school basketball season:
GIRLS
FIRST TEAM
Chloe Clardy, Conway PG 5-9 So.
Ereauna Hardaway, Jonesboro G 5-5 Jr.
Isabella Higginbottom, Batesville PG 5-8 Sr.
Wynter Rogers, LR Christian F 6-0 Sr.
Jersey Wolfenbarger, FS Northside G 6-5 Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Tracey Bershers, FS Northside F 6-2 Sr.
Maryam Dauda, Bentonville P 6-6 Sr.
Alex Hill, Harrison F 5-10 Sr.
Jenna Lawrence, Melbourne P 6-3 So.
Kenley McCarn, Melbourne G 5-10 Jr.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cheyanne Kemp, Morrilton; Abbey Linville, Rural Special; AJ McCandlis, Viola; Jenna McMullen, Mayflower; Alex Rouse, Joe T. Robinson; Janiyah Tucker, West Memphis
BOYS
FIRST TEAM
Derrian Ford, Magnolia G 6-4 Jr.
Keylin McBride, Jonesboro G 5-11 Sr.
Joseph Pinion, Morrilton G/F 6-6 Jr.
Kel'el Ware, North Little Rock P 7-0 Jr.
Terran Williams, Marianna G/F 6-5 Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Cam Hunter, Bryant G 6-3 Sr.
Braxtyn McCuien, Mayflower P 6-6 Sr.
D.J. Smith, North Little Rock G 5-11 Sr.
Nick Smith, Sylvan Hills G 6-4 Jr.
Bryson Warren, LR Central G 6-2 So.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Caleb Faulkner, Izard County; Javion Guy-King, LR Mills; Mason Luna, Viola; Donyae May, Russellville; Jordan Mitchell, West Memphis
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