State Championship Eye Openers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state championships are quickly coming to an end in Hot Springs. However, the action continues to heat up. In this article, we will highlight several players who opened eyes in the state championship games over the past few days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2811070' first='Ashton' last='Reel']-Small Forward-East Poinsett County-5'11” 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2811070' first='Ashton' last='Reel'] put the rest of the state on notice with his solid play in the state championship this week. He hit several clutch baskets and grabbed plenty of rebounds along the way. He filled up the stat sheet against Tuckerman to the tune of 18 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal in helping the Warriors earn the 2-A state championship. Reel is a player to watch out for over the next couple of years for the Warriors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MJ Washington-Combo Guard-Osceola-6'2” 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington had a strong performance for Osceola. He did an excellent job of staying active on both ends of the floor. Washington helped Osceola seal the state championship and put up an impressive performance in the process. Washington accounted for 15 points, five rebounds, four steals, and one assist. He is a player to watch out for over the next few months for Osceola. He has the ability to take over a game and displayed in the title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2673223' first='Isaiah' last='Templeton']-Shooting Guard-Morrilton-6'4” 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next few months, it would be wise for folks to pay attention to Morrilton's [player_tooltip player_id='2673223' first='Isaiah' last='Templeton']. He is a prospect who has had an excellent 2024 basketball season. Templeton did an excellent job of pushing the Devil Dogs in the title game against Little Rock Mills. He stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal on the night. Templeton is a player with the potential to explode over the summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2021842' first='Zaylin' last='Rowland']-Point Guard-Little Rock Mills-6'2” 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2021842' first='Zaylin' last='Rowland'] did an excellent job of in impacting the game on both ends of the floor against Morrilton. Rowland earned state final MVP honors against Morrilton and help the Comets earn a 56-51 victory. In the process, he had 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists on the night for the Comets. Rowland had an impressive 2024 season and the Comets were able to grind out a state championship victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->