Garland County saw one of its teams make the state championship game at Bank OZK Arena in the 2022-23 basketball season, and saw standout players from all classifications.
The Sentinel-Record selected 10 players from both boys and girls Garland County squads to create All-Garland County First and Second Teams.
BOYS FIRST TEAM
NOAH FUTCH, JESSIEVILLE
One of the most prolific scorers in the county, Jessieville could count on Noah Futch to get a bucket when the Lions needed it most this season.
The Jessieville senior finished the season with an astounding 29.9 points per game to go with 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Futch was no stranger to huge performances, tallying games of 53, 48, 41 and 40 points this year. He recently signed his letter of intent to play collegiate basketball at Midland University.
Futch led the Lions to a Class 3A-7 conference championship and a district tournament title this season, and he ended the season with All-State honors.
KJ MCDANIEL, CUTTER MORNING STAR
On the road in a pressure situation against his team's arch nemesis, it was no surprise that Cutter Morning Star's KJ McDaniel looked calm in the face of pressure.
McDaniel scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Mountain Pine and led the Eagles to a 60-59 win, typifying his senior season.
Known as a "humble superstar" by Cutter Morning Star head coach Beau Brickell, McDaniel led the Eagles to a second place finish in the Class 2A-5.
McDaniel ended his senior season averaging 18.7 points per game to go with 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He recently signed to National Park College to continue his basketball career.
The Eagle senior also earned All-State honors.
ZAC PENNINGTON, LAKE HAMILTON
Zac Pennington helped command the floor for Lake Hamilton during the Wolves' run to the state championship game.
Finishing the season averaging 15 points per game, five assists per game and three steals per game, Pennington's passing ability and basketball IQ were on full display throughout the year.
Following his parent's footsteps, Pennington signed to play collegiate basketball at Southern Arkansas University.
Pennington ended the season with All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament team honors. He was also voted as a top five player in his classification by the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.
OCTAVIOUS RHODES, HOT SPRINGS
In a start to the season where it was hard to see Hot Springs making improvements on its previous campaign, junior Octavious Rhodes led the Trojans to just three points shy of the semifinals in the Class 5A state tournament and had Hot Springs battling for a conference title late in the year.
Rhodes finished the season 56% from the field, averaging 15 points per game to go along with nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block per game.
When star man Jabari West graduated after last season, the Trojans needed a host of players to step up. Rhodes was one important piece of a collective group that finished with a 13-3 record in the 5A-South.
Rhodes finished the season with All-Conference and All-State honors.
TY ROBINSON, LAKE HAMILTON
In an All-Garland County First Team made up of three seniors, Ty Robinson excelled during his junior season at Lake Hamilton.
With the help of fellow First-Team selection Zac Pennington, Robinson led Lake Hamilton to the Class 5A state championship game, highlighted by big performances when the lights were brightest in the state tournament.
Robinson scored 38 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Parkview in the first round before notching 24 points in the semifinals against Harrison.
Robinson finished the campaign averaging 23 points per game, eight rebounds per game and three steals per game.
Matching teammate Zac Pennington, the junior earned All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament team honors. He was also voted as a top five player in his classification by the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.
SECOND TEAM
Fountain Lake's Colby Lambert and Evan East, Hot Springs' Kendall Williams and Lakeside's AJ Howard and Skylar Purifoy made up the boys All-Garland County Second Team.
GIRLS FIRST TEAM
PAIGE DAVIS, FOUNTAIN LAKE
Although Fountain Lake struggled to get anything going in a new conference this season, Paige Davis proved she could be a threat from anywhere on the floor.
The Lady Cobra averaged 17 points per game and made 63 3-pointers on the year, shooting 35.2% from 3-point land.
Davis shot 46.5% from the field and grabbed three rebounds per game to go along with 2.4 steals per game.
Davis displayed her ability to challenge defenses with dribbles inside and tough finishes at the rim, while also clearly not being afraid to pull up from beyond the arc.
PAYTON FUTCH, JESSIEVILLE
Bursting onto the scene as just a freshman, Jessieville's Payton Futch dominated the floor from day one for the Lady Lions.
Futch scored 656 points in her freshman season, averaging 21.9 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and 4.9 steals per game.
Just like her brother and All-Garland County selection Noah Futch, Payton Futch was no stranger to big performances.
In just one of many impressive stat lines, she tallied 33 points, four rebounds, three assists and seven steals against Centerpoint.
The freshman Lady Lion led Jessieville to a berth in the Class 3A state tournament, where the team fell to eventual semifinalist Bergman.
Payton Futch finished with All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament team honors.
ALLIE POLLOCK, LAKESIDE
As the only senior on Lakeside's team this season, Allie Pollock needed to show her leadership to help the Lady Rams to a state tournament berth.
The Arkansas Tech signee did just that and finished the season averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
A threat down low in the post, Pollock illustrated that she could also hurt teams from range, knocking down a 3-pointer when the Lady Rams needed it throughout the season.
Pollock ended her career at Lakeside as an All-State and All-State Tournament player.
AMELIA ROGERS, LAKESIDE
Showing impressive signs in her sophomore season, Lakeside's Amelia Rogers continued to improve and impress in her junior season and helped carry the load on offense for the Lady Rams.
Rogers averaged 19.3 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game, running the floor for Lakeside throughout the season. Rogers displayed the ability to stump junk defenses with her mid-range game and her ability to drive to the basket.
After a stellar senior class graduated after her sophomore season, Rogers and fellow First-Team selection Allie Pollock carried the Lady Rams to a fourth-place finish in a tough 5A-South conference and earned a bid to the state tournament.
Rogers finished the season as an All-State player.
TAYLOR SMITH, MOUNTAIN PINE
Just a freshman, Mountain Pine's Taylor Smith played on the senior high team all season and showed her ability in an extremely tough conference.
Playing in a conference with Bigelow, the 2022 state runner-up, and Conway Christian, this season's state runner-up, Smith led the Lady Red Devils to a 10-6 record in the Class 2A-5, good for a fourth-place finish out of nine teams.
In conference play alone, Smith averaged 14.6 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Overall, Smith averaged 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on the season.
SECOND TEAM
Hot Springs' Nicholette Nelson and Kyabra Lomax, Jessieville's Karstyn Scrivner and Lake Hamilton's Brooklyn Braughton and Nancy Coffman made up the girls All-Garland County Second Team.