2A-3 Conference Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school basketball season is right around the corner in the state of Arkansas. Before the season tip-offs, I wanted to preview every division of every conference in the state. These will have player breakdowns, coach quotes, and more. It should be noted that almost all the stats, such as records or returning players, are from MaxPreps/Scorebook Live. I say this because records on scorebook live are not 100% accurate. With that being said, let's hop into conference 2A-3.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Buffalo Island Central</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 21-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 13-4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 10–5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 10-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of Regional Tournament (Tuckerman)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2850622"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9b15ad0f341"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6'2 senior is one of the best two-way players in all of 2A. Kirby plays incredibly hard, whether that's diving on the floor or chasing after long rebounds. Where the guard is best is getting downhill. Showcasing elite playmaking attributes, Kirby is exciting to watch around the basket. It's not abnormal to see things like a behind-the-back pass. It's not all flash, though; the guard is great at setting up teammates for easy looks. In his senior season, you'll see Kirby display a deep offensive bag for BIC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Corning</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 7-23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 6-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 5-8</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 2-11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of District Tournament (Cross County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>East Poinsett Co.</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 24-5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 17-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 14-4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 9-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of State Tournament (Woodlawn)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3758813,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9b15ad0f3b8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The first thing that stands out about Johnson is his heart. The Junior guard is constantly crashing his body into others for rebounds and diving on the floor. He's an overall great defender, constantly going for steals. Whether that's in the passing lanes or “getting a “Wolf” steal, AJ has very active hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Marmaduke</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 6-29</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 3-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 3-11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 3-16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 2nd round of District Tournament (Rector)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Maynard</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 17-19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 2-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 10-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 6-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of District Tournament (Marked Tree)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key Players - Jordan Adams 2028 and Jaden West 2027</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Pigott</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 3-25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 0-16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 2-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 1-15</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of District Tournament (Marmaduke)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Rector</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 17-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 10-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 11-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 6-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of Regional Tournament (Sloan-Hendrix)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2969632"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9b15ad0f417"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">After watching [player_tooltip player_id='2969632' first='Ford' last='Mills'] at BeElite this summer, I was thoroughly impressed. So much so that I gave him MVP of the entire camp. Getting back into the school season, the style of basketball is obviously different than AAU. Playing for Rector last season, Mills showed an ability to run a high school offense. The floor general plays well through designed plays, being calculated with opportunities for himself and others. Ford is a three-level scorer, whose ability to create for himself has continuously grown. The all-state selectee is one of the best guards in the state, and his rank will almost certainly continue to rise throughout the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3697023"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9b15ad0f464"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id='2969632' first='Ford' last='Mills'], Mooney's ability to score on and off the ball has really shined. Without the ball, he's a major threat from three and is someone the defense can't slack off on. With the ball is where Mason showcases some of his best work. Flashing a strong handle, he gets to his spots effectively, elevating over defenders. Throughout last year, my favorite part about his game is his on-ball defense. Mooney showed he can consistently guard the other team's best players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Riverside</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 21-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 10-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 11-4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 7-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the 1st round of District Tournament (Rector)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2965910"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9b15ad0f4b1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As Couch enters his senior year, he will certainly be the go-to option for Riverside. Out of the power forward/center position, he is a true three-level scorer. Down low, he has perfected a go-to move in the turnaround jumper. He's able to get it off in traffic and make it at an efficient clip. Getting the shot off while being contested has also led to consistent visits to the foul line. What rounds out his game is his ability to put the ball on the floor. At 6'6, Daniel is a difficult task for anyone to guard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->