HOT SPRINGS — A year ago, after losing 46-44 to County Line in the Class 1A Arkansas state championship, Marked Tree High School boys basketball coach Barbara Wilburn-Covington vowed her team would be back in the final.
Saturday, not only was her team back in the final, but they made sure they left with the championship trophy and was the last one into the interview room after the game.
That’s because Marked Tree (35-3) won 66-43 over Nevada (30-8) for their first state title since 2001 when it defeated Turrell for the Class 2A state title. The title was the sixth in school history. Marked Tree also won in 1998 and in 1946, 1948 and 1949.
“We started out last year, and we made the statement to be last to do this (referring to the postgame interview). I’m proud of this. We came back and did what we were supposed to do. We knew we had to get back,” said Wilburn-Covington, who has coached Marked Tree for 33 years and has seen her team go 65-7 over the past three years.
Based on the way her team played, Wilburn-Covington had every reason to be proud. Her team led for 29:14 in a game that featured one tie and four lead changes. Her team shot 53.1 percent from the floor (26-of-49), including 6-of-14 on three-pointers and 8-of-11 from the foul line. They held Nevada to 18-of-49 shooting, including 5-of-20 on three-pointers. They won the rebounding battle 33-25 and held a 34-18 lead in points in the paint and had 10 turnovers to Nevada’s 19 with nine steals. They held a 22-7 edge in points off turnovers.
“It was good game to watch. I thought we played defense really well,” said Wilburn-Covington.
Ladarrius Brown led the way with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals and was named MVP of the state finals. Kenyon Carter had 10 points with 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Jonah Walker had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
