South Arkansas College enters the final month of the regular season having won three straight games, but the Stars will face their toughest test to date tonight.
National Park College, the No. 1 team in the country, visits El Dorado for a Region 2 showdown with the Stars.
Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
SouthArk has a recent history with No. 1 teams in other sports. Last spring, the Stars’ baseball team topped No. 1 LSU-Eunice as part of their season that culminated with a trip to the Division II World Series.
For SouthArk coach Cam Robinson, the Nighthawks (18-0, 5-0), who have been the No. 1 team for the past three weeks, are a team that has all of the components needed to make a run at a national title.
“They’ve got a little bit of everything that you need for a championship-caliber team,” Robinson said. “They’ve got size, they’ve got athleticism, they’ve got shooters, they’ve got a legit go-to player that can make things happen more than just scoring the ball. They play hard and they play together. They’re a good team.”
The Nighthawks have four players averaging in double figures, but sophomore Nakavieon White has had a terrific year, leading the team at 18.1 points per game along with 9 rebounds and 7.2 assists while also connecting on 51% of his shots.
National Park won the first meeting between the schools 111-86 back on Jan. 8 with White scoring 24 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, but it was Patrick Punch who gave the Stars (12-5, 3-2) fits, scoring 36 points while connecting on 14 of his 16 shots. He had 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Taylor Harrell also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Ja’Bryant Hill had 16 points and 8 assists.
Anthony Swift had 15 points off the bench, hitting 6 of his 7 shots for the Nighthawks, who shot 63% from the floor and knocked down 11 3-pointers.
SouthArk had five players in double figures in the first game with Raheem Briggs’ 17 points leading the way.
The Stars also shot the ball well, finishing at nearly 52% from the floor while draining 10 3-pointers.
“It was a closer game than what the score showed,” Robinson said. “We were in the game in the middle part of the first half. It was a wake-up call for the team. It showed that when you’re playing a team of that caliber, you’ve got to bring it the entire game. Basketball and sports in general is a game of runs.
“Everybody is going to make their run. When you’ve got a team like that, you can’t let them have that many opportunities. You’ve got to be aggressive the whole time. We didn’t really play like an underdog, we played like a team like we should be out there with them, but the effort wasn’t consistent with that.
“The times that we did, it showed us that we could play with these dudes. The better team showed the majority of the game, and they gave it to us.”
The Nighthawks haven’t played a game with a single-digit difference since Nov. 18. In Region 2 play, the closest game National Park has played was their most recent — a 99-85 win over North Arkansas College on Monday.
Although the No. 1 team in the country will be in El Dorado, Robinson said he is trying to keep the focus on it being another region game.
“We don’t want to make last night’s (Monday) game not as important as Thursday’s game when we’re playing the No. 1 team,” Robinson said.
“We want to keep that aspect going. We want to keep it as normal as possible, but understand that the level of competition that we’re playing, you have got to bring it.
“We have to guard with confidence and not be so reactive. We’ve got to bring it and guard them with confidence. We’ve got to do things at a quicker rate. One thing that I brought to them was that whenever they see something open, they make that pass, they make that pass, they make their move.
“We were a little hesitant at times. If we just do it with confidence, we’ll put ourselves in a position to win the game. It’s just playing hard and playing smart at the same time.
“Every possession matters because a team like that can get hot, and when they make threes, they’re like Golden State a little bit. Just playing hard and guarding with confidence. We can play with them.”
The Stars got off to an 0-2 start in Region 2 play, but have responded by winning three straight to put themselves in position to contend for a postseason home game as a top-four seed depending on how the second half of the schedule shakes out, and Robinson said their success stems from their loss at home to SAU Tech.
“A lot of teaching,” Robinson said. “A lot from the SAU Tech moment because that was a moment there that we should’ve won and we let it slip away. SAU Tech came out and played more aggressive throughout the entire game and took that game away from us.
“Just teaching life with them and using that game as an example and humbling us at the same time because the lead that we started out with against SAU Tech, we got ahead of ourselves a little bit. Just understanding that you might start off big, but the game is not over.
“It’s conference time. We’re playing for something. They’re not going to fold the tent or throw in the towel just because you made an 8-0 run.
“There’s still a lot of game left. These dudes are going to fight back. We’ve been getting other teams best punches, and we’ve been doing a better job of being a little bit more resilient and continuing to fight.”
With SouthArk set to face the No. 1 team in the country, Robinson said he is hoping to see a full house for the game.
“We need some people at these games, especially a game like this,” Robinson said. “This is different here because it’s never happened in this region as far as the No. 1 team in the country actually coming. This is a big deal here. I like my team, I’m confident in my team. If we win this game, it will be a big deal, but it won’t be a surprise.
“We need people here to experience it. In a game like this, you need a real home-court advantage. I know the support is growing, but in a game like this, you don’t want to miss this because El Dorado as a whole isn’t getting games like this every day, especially on the college level. Our players need the support, it’s more about them than anything.
“The No. 1 team in the country, you want the stands packed just like the SAU Tech game. I’m looking forward to it, the players are looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great challenge, and I know National Park is going to come in and give it their best.”