Alma Sports Wrap
‘This team loves each other’
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Sports
Second-year Alma girls basketball coach Chanlee Bottoms is already dreading Senior Night. The same holds for assistant coach Garrett King.
Graduating four seniors isn’t usually a big deal. But it is for Bottoms.
This season’s four seniors, the Gramlich sisters (Jaden and Jordan), Daiyma Parker, and Haven Welch, have set the tone for what lies ahead.
The first team to win nine games before the Christmas break is nice. But playing together is better.
“I don’t look at the nine wins,” Bottoms said. “I look at how hard our kids are competing right now and how they’re putting in time outside of practice, and how much they love one another.”
There’s no denying talent sometimes wins out. But does good harmony.
“Going into the Christmas break, I hope that we’re 11-and-2, but again, I’m not really looking at the record,” Bottoms said. “I’m looking at how hard we’re competing.
“This team loves each other.”
The upstart Lady Airedales can add to their big start with two wins this weekend at the Christmas Shootout in Kansas City. Alma (9-2 will face Mount Vernon, Mo. ( ) Friday at 1:45 at Hyvee Arena.
On Saturday, Bottoms and Co. will battle high-scoring Marshall County, Ky. The Lady Marshals average 72.8 points per game while holding opponents to under 30 (27.4).
“Marshall County will give us a good look because they run a match-up zone, which Harrison runs,” Bottoms said. “We can upload that and get ready for the conference.”
After dropping its season opener to Lakeside, the Lady Airedales reeled off seven straight wins for the first time in 44 years. Last weekend, they went 2-1 at the Sequoyah Tournament in Tahlequah.
Alma opens the Pea Ridge Tournament (Dec. 26) against 14-2 Valley Springs.
“It’s a good schedule, but we need that going into our league (5A-West),” Bottoms said. “You’ve got Mountain Home, you’ve got Farmington, Greenwood, Van Buren, and you’ve got us. We’re all playing extremely well.”
Airedales
Never one to back off of playing good people, Alma boys basketball coach Dominic Lincoln and the Alma Airedales will break for Christmas boasting a 7-6 record. They’ve had some good games and some frustrating games, too.
Alma went 1-2 at the Sequoyah Tournament in Tahlequah, dropping a three-point decision (64-61) to Sequoyah and a 57-51 overtime tussle to Muldrow, Okla. - a team Alma had beaten 61-44 just eight days before.
Winners of 21 games in 2023-24, the Airedales open 5A-West play against Russellville on Jan. 7. The Cyclones are currently 10-2, having opened the season with seven straight wins.
Last season, Russellville was 18-1 before falling to the Airedales (59-46) in the third game of the conference race.
Hall of Fame
Former Alma boys basketball coach Stan Flenor will be inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association this summer in Hot Springs.
Flenor led Alma to two state championships and is the school’s all-time winningest coach (457 victories).
It’s a star-studded cast of inductees, including former Greenwood football coach Rick Jones and longtime Lady Bulldogs coach Clay Reeves.
Sherry White (Harrison, Lake Hamilton, Russellville, Southside), Leslie Henderson (Mountain Home and Watson Chapel), and Lake Hamilton’s Jerry Bridges are also being inducted into the AHSCA Hall of Fame.
Junior High
The Alma junior high girls' seventh—and eighth-grade teams took a trio of games from Butterfield Junior High on Wednesday.
Ryleigh Floyd, Cydney Hopper, and Sonnie Tally combined for 22 points in the eighth-grader’s 40-21 victory, with Floyd finishing with eight points.
Eslee Travis and Brayli Wasson added six and five points.
Conlea Van Matrey had four points in the seventh-grade ‘Gold’ team’s 11-2 victory. Kylynn Holt had three, and Bria Jenkins and Aaliyah Richardson scored two apiece.
Alma’s seventh-grade ‘Green’ term earned a 45-2 victory.