KFletch Weekly Coverage Preview

Week of November 11

Tuesday, November 11

Tuesday night takes me to Hall-West, where both the girls’ and boys’ matchups have stories worth watching closely.

Girls: Maumelle Looking to Turn the Corner

Last season, both the Lady Warriors and the Lady Hornets spent the year fighting through building phases, growing pains, and roster development. This year, Maumelle has the experience, depth, and talent to take a meaningful step forward.

Head Coach Grover Garrison has been intentional over the past several seasons, adding pieces, building confidence, and developing players who understand what it means to compete. This year’s group brings back key contributors:

• Ava Fowlkes, junior

• Kaylen Robinson, senior

• Makalyn Hall, senior

• Zoe’e Williams, junior

And the new additions matter. Freshman Sasha Burel and sophomore Talia Collins bring new energy, length, and versatility. This team has been climbing. They’ve been putting in work quietly. They have fought through years of adversity.

If they are going to make a move, this feels like the year.

The Lady Warriors, meanwhile, are still searching for identity and rhythm. There is talent developing there, and this matchup will be an early measure of where the two programs stand.

Boys: Chemistry vs. Hunger

The boys’ matchup brings two teams with very different but equally compelling stories.

Hall returns a group that knows each other, plays together all summer, and has already established chemistry and fluidity. This is a group that won all but two conference games last season, the only two losses coming to Mills, who went on to win the 4A state championship.

Key leaders return, including:

• Micah Moore, senior

• Landen Hill, senior

• Tristan Jahnke, senior

And now former Conway Wampus Cat, senior guard Jace Sullivan joins the roster, bringing size, athleticism, and scoring ability to an already cohesive unit. The Warriors are deeper, more polished, and ready to make another run.

On the other side of the court, the Maumelle Hornets are in a new era, but not a rebuilding one.

Last season’s 5A state runner-up team graduated six seniors, five of whom are now playing at the next level. That kind of loss reshapes a roster. But it does not erase culture.

Leadership returns:

• Jordan Harris, senior – returning to the floor after sitting out last season

• Bubba Johnson, senior – also returning from injury and carrying experience

• Reese Shearon, senior

• Kennon Johnson, junior

• Kam Alexander, junior

• Ashton Shelton, junior

Under new head coach Jeremy Hall, the Hornets have sharpened accountability and raised expectations. The mindset is simple:

Outwork everybody. Every day. Every possession.

This matchup is not just early-season basketball. It is a tone-setter.

• Hall: A program with established identity and a roster built on time spent together.

• Maumelle: A program with new leadership, new standards, and hungry returners ready to prove something.

  
  

We learn something about both teams Tuesday night.

This is just the start of the week. Coverage continues Thursday at Day 1 of the Da Matchup Showcase, where four of the state’s most exciting teams take the floor. Saturday brings an additional nine high-level matchups and performances that will define early-season momentum.

Da Matchup Showcase Coverage

Location: LRCA Warrior Arena — 19010 Cantrell Rd., Little Rock, AR 72223

Tickets: Sold on-site

• Thursday: $10 per person

• Saturday: $20 per person

• Ages 5 & under: Free

• Payment: Cash, CashApp, and Venmo accepted

I will be on-site both days, providing full team stats for every game, posted after each matchup to all of my social media platforms.

Thursday, November 14

6:00 PM — Bryant vs. Parkview

7:30 PM — LRCA vs. North Little Rock

Saturday, November 16

9:00 AM — Maumelle vs. Fort Smith Northside

10:30 AM — Hot Springs vs. Har-Ber

12:00 PM — Bentonville West vs. eStem

1:30 PM — Bentonville vs. Marion

3:00 PM — Little Rock Hall vs. Farmington

4:30 PM — The New School vs. Grind Prep

6:00 PM — Little Rock Central vs. Fayetteville

7:30 PM — Bryant vs. Mills

9:00 PM — LRCA vs. Benton

This week marks the beginning of the rhythm that defines Arkansas basketball season: packed gyms, early statements, new faces stepping into bigger roles, and programs beginning to shape who they will become. I’ll be on the baseline all week, documenting the work, the effort, and the moments that matter. Stats, highlights, and coverage will follow each game.

See you in the gym.

KFletch 🖤