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After reaching the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament two years ago, the Berryville Bobcats were in rebuilding mode as they struggled to a 6-23 record last season.
With the addition of a talented sophomore class and a change in offensive philosophy, longtime coach Brent Compton is hopeful that the Bobcats are on the rise once again.
So far, so good. Berryville opened its 2024-25 season with a pair of victories last week, dominating Haas Hall Fayetteville 57-22 on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Bobcat Arena before nipping Cotter 56-55 on the road two nights later.
Junior Peyton Smith, who led the Bobcats in scoring as a sophomore last season, scored 20 points against Haas Hall. Against Cotter, Smith scored 13, including the goahead basket with four seconds remaining.
The Bobcats also got big performances from their sophomore class. Carson Mc-Mellon had 12 points on four three-pointers against Haas Hall, then led the Bobcats with 21 points — all from three-point range — against Cotter.
“Carson McMellon’s really standing out,” Compton said before the season started. “He’s made progress. He was a standstill shooter in junior high. Now he can do some things off the bounce, off the dribble. I’m really excited about him.”
Berryville’s sophomore class also includes CT Hicks, Hudson Norris, John Butler and Mason Zogleman, all of whom could see extensive playing time for the Bobcats.
Just four days after starting at quarterback for the Berryville football team, Hicks scored nine points against Haas Hall. He added 13 in the win at Cotter.
Norris had eight points against Haas Hall and nine against Cotter.
“Our young guys are really going to make an impact,” Compton said. “There’s going to be some serious competition for playing time.”
Another player who earned praise from Compton is junior Kevin Arrizon, who helped secure the win at Cotter by knocking the ball away to McMellon after Smith’s go-ahead basket with four seconds remaining.
“I’m so proud of his progress and we’ve got to find a place to put him out there,” Compton said before the season.
The Bobcats’ offense will have a new look, Compton said.
“I evaluated things over the summer and honestly, offensively, what I’ve been doing for 28 years as a coach, I felt like with our personnel and the kids that we have all the way down to the third grade, I just felt like it was time to change to something more modern,” Compton said. “Even though what we were doing has been successful for a long time, I thought it was time to do something different. Our kids are really enjoying it, but it’s going to take us a little bit of time to get going as far as offense is concerned.”
The Bobcats will look to attack the rim with a different approach than a traditional low-post presence, Compton said.
“We’re really going to spread the floor and take advantage of advantages on the floor,” he said. “Every kid on our team will be able to play you one on one, so to speak. We’re working on those things every day. We’ll be able to take advantage of mismatches. It’s just more modern, more NBA. It’s something similar to what U of A is doing. It’s something that’s exciting for the kids and I think we’re just going to be able to get more out of it as we move forward. We’ll be better at the end of the year and that’s when it counts.”
Berryville will play at Eureka Springs on Tuesday, Nov. 19, before hosting Valley Springs on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Bobcat Arena.
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