Conway finding its stride

Conway won’t catch top-ranked North Little Rock in the 6A-Central Conference standings, but the Wampus Cats are running everyone else down. Powered by the emergence of several role players, Conway has gone from the middle of the pack in late January to being tied for second place with Fort Smith Northside and Bryant with three games to go before the Class 6A state tournament begins March 4. The Wampus Cats have split a pair of games with the Grizzlies, and they will travel to Bryant for the regular-season finale after beating the Hornets in their first meeting. But Conway was in a rough spot after a 59-54 home loss to Little Rock Central on Jan. 24 resulted in a 2-3 start in league play. “This conference is just so tough anyway, and we lost a few,” Conway Coach Brian “Salty” Longing said. “We were still trying to establish some depth because we were relying on Caleb [London] to do so much.” London, a two-time all-stater and an Arkansas State University signee, was forced to play out of position for the majority of the nonconference portion of Conway’s schedule because of the team’s lack of size. London, a 6-4 senior, is still putting up efficient offensive numbers for the Wampus Cats, but he no longer has to shoulder the bulk of the scoring load or go inside to battle bigger players. “We finally have our full roster together, and that’s been big,” Longing said. “Bryce Bohannon, one of our point guards, had been out with a football injury up until three weeks ago, and we’ve got him back. Jaylin Williams [6-5 junior] is playing fantastic, and part of that is because he’s in shape now. “Kyler Spencer [6-4 freshman] has probably already exceeded our expectations as a ninth-grader playing against the best competition in the state. He’s providing the depth that we need.” Conway (17-6, 7-4) has responded by notching victories in five of its past six games. “Caleb doesn’t have to go out and score 30 a game to win now,” Longing explained. “Our guards aren’t big, but they’re gritty. When you’ve got a guy like Lucas Foster, who’s our designated three-point shooter … when he’s on, we’re pretty good. Trey Tull is fearless game in and game out. “You know what you’re going to get out of Caleb every night, but now we’re getting contributions from a lot of other players, and that makes us an even better ballclub.”

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Conway High School Athletics

CONWAY FINDING ITS STRIDE

ERICK TAYLOR

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 2/21/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Conway High School Athletics