After picking up two fouls early in the first quarter Saturday, Arkansas four-star junior basketball pledge Joseph Pinion of Morrilton could have focused on the possibility of not getting to play another game this season.
That was especially true when back-to-back champion Magnolia (23-0), riding a 54-game winning streak, scored 19 unanswered points after he headed to the bench in the Class 4A state tournament semifinal matchup.
But Pinion (6-6, 180) simply processed what he planned to do upon his return and responded by scoring 13 of his 15 points after halftime as the Devil Dogs rallied for a 70-64 win on their home court.
“I was like, ‘I have to turn it up in the second half because I am not going to let my team lose,’” Pinion said. “I had a feeling I was going to be sitting out until the second half and then we would make a second-half push because that is what we do.”
Pinion, who also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of blocks, is worthy of his lofty standing, but is also aware of his job as a facilitator on the court.
“I know that all eyes are on me and I draw a lot of attention and that leaves my teammates open, so I need to make plays by dishing it off to them,” Pinion said. “That’s what I did and took my shots when they were there. I have great confidence in all my teammates.”
Pinion’s second block of the game came on a potential game-tying three-pointer from the right corner with 13 seconds left.
“I just know that whether it’s on offense or defense, there are plays to be made and that’s what I try to do to the best of my ability,” Pinion said. “I have great teammates, all big-time players and they all deserve recognition. They are just really good and all of them stepped up.”
Morrilton (20-6) advances to the state championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Hot Springs, where it will play Little Rock Mills.
Magnolia junior Derrian Ford (6-4, 195), another Arkansas 2022 recruiting target, had 21 points in his team’s first loss in more than two years.
“He is a great player,” Pinion said of Ford. “He really had us (retreating) the entire game. He can really go and and I would love to have him as my teammate at Arkansas.”
Pinion chose Arkansas over Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Creighton, Ole Miss, DePaul and others and also was being recruited by Duke when he committed to the Razorbacks on Oct. 23.
“What he can do with the basketball is just tough to defend,” Morrilton head coach Keith Zachary said. “He can score a variety of ways at a variety of levels. It’s his maturity, his leadership and he is a very humble kid. If you didn’t know he was Joseph Pinion, you would just think he was another kid walking the halls in high school.
“He is just a very humble, Christian kid and I just love him to death.”
Brock Hendrix had 18 points, Henry Cowles 13 points and 11 rebounds and Darrius Allison 11 points for Morrilton.
That trio helped shave the Devil Dogs’ deficit to 41-38 by halftime.
“Lot of teams focus on Joseph, but we have got guys around him that complement him so well,” Zachary said. “We can do it without Joe, but don’t get me wrong, he is the biggest piece of the puzzle, but he has been in foul trouble before and they don’t panic.”
Pinion’s basket midway through the fourth quarter put Morrilton up 62-52 and then the Devil Dogs held off a frantic push from the Panthers, who got within 67-64 in the final minute.
Zachary said his team didn’t fall into the trap of focusing on Magnolia’s sustained success.
“All we focused on was us,” Zachary said. “We didn't focus on all that hoopla of theirs, which is well-deserved for their program. I have great respect for their program and always will. But it was about us, and the kids bought in to it being about us.”
Zachary noted his team’s philosophy had carried it through the season.
“We wear shirts that say 'humble and hungry, loyalty and selflessness and trust the process,'” Zachary said. “That is who they are.”
Pinion is excited about how the Razorbacks (22-6) have played this season.
“They are a great program and playing fantastic right now,” Pinion said. “I think they are going to win it all. They deserve everything they have gotten so far.”