Smackover to face Fouke in district tournament

Smackover has had to rely on a plethora of underclassmen this season.

On Monday night, they will make their postseason debut, as the Bucks will take on Fouke in the opening round of the 7-3A District Tournament.

Game time is set for 6:20 p.m. from Prescott.

The Bucks (4-21) are the No. 7 seed, while the Panthers (9-15) are the No. 6 seed.

Fouke swept Smackover, but both games were close with the Panthers winning 65-58 in overtime on Dec. 17 at home and 62-58 at Smackover on Jan. 24.

The second half of the season has been difficult for first-year coach Lenell Brown and his team.

The Bucks have gone winless since topping Hampton 54-42 on Jan. 6.

“We lost a ton in the second half,” Brown said. “We lost a lot of good players to eligibility and breaking team rules. We’ve lost quite a few pieces in the second half.”

But for all of the difficulties the Bucks have endured, Brown has been pleased with the development of his squad.

“A ton of growth. They’ve been looking extremely good,” Brown said.

Sophomore Brandon Lockhart and freshmen Daylon Curley, Jarius Burgie and D’Kylan Hildreth all have stepped to the forefront.

“Those four are the future of Smackover,” Brown said.

Given their struggles down the stretch, Brown has stressed to his players not to lose confidence.

“It will work itself out in the end,” Brown said. “Everyday, especially dealing with a young group at that age, confidence is a big thing already.

“I have to keep reassuring them, ‘Listen guys, we’re young, it’s going to work itself out. Better days are coming. Don’t let this season determine the future of Smackover.’ It’s a process. Building a program takes about two or three years before you see real growth.”

Although the Bucks went winless in the 7-3A, they have not made things easy for opponents.

Smackover fell to Bismarck 51-43 last Tuesday before Centerpoint topped the Bucks 49-36 on Friday in a game that the Bucks trailed by one going into the fourth quarter.

Lockhart, who Brown said is “looking outstanding,” had 13 points to lead the Bucks. Curley was also in double figures with 10 points. The freshman had a solid outing in the Bucks’ last encounter against Fouke, scoring 19 points.

“We had a fourth-quarter drought that was probably the biggest drought in basketball history,” Brown said. “At the beginning of the fourth quarter it was 33-32, and we couldn’t find a bucket to save our lives. For some reason, we went on a big drought, and that happens, but that fourth quarter really killed us.”

As far as expectations for Monday’s game goes, Brown said his team will be ready.

“It’s like I tell my guys, we’re going to continue to fight until it’s actually our last game,” Brown said. “We’re not going in and saying Monday is our last game, because we’re not giving in to no one. Whoever we draw is going to have a tough battle because we’re going to come to fight regardless. I want my guys to keep swinging.”

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