By Jason Avery
News-Times Staff
EL DORADO - After a campaign that saw El Dorado reach the 6A state finals, as well as Junction City reach the 3A state tournament and Parkers Chapel win 22 games, several standouts were honored for their outstanding seasons.
Overall, six players earned either All-State or All-State Tournament honors with two players getting nods on both teams.
The Arkansas Activities Association released the teams this week.
After posting a 28-5 record that included the aforementioned trip to the 6A state finals, El Dorado had three players earn All-State honors.
Daniel Gafford, who has signed with Arkansas, earned both All-State and All-State Tournament honors after enjoying a terrific senior season by averaging a double-double.
Overall, Gafford averaged 17. 4 points and 16 rebounds per game.
He also averaged 7.7 blocks and 2.5 steals per contest.
Joining Gafford on both teams is Czar Perry, who has signed with Itawamba Community College in Mississippi.
A senior, Perry was the Wildcats' leading scorer at 21.4 points per game.
Perry also was El Dorado's assist leader, finishing with seven assists per game.
He also averaged 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 steals per game.
The third Wildcat to make the All-State team is guard Ryu Unice.
A senior who has signed with Ecclesia College, Unice came up big in the postseason for the Wildcats, drilling five 3-pointers in El Dorado's win over Pine Bluff in the state semifinals.
Unice also had 23 points in the Wildcats' triumph over Texarkana in the finals of the 6A West Conference Tournament.
Unice finished the year at 11.2 points per game along with 5.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and two steals per game.
After a couple of lean seasons, Parkers Chapel won 22 games with Bryce Coke leading the charge.
A senior, Coke averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Trojans.
Coke also made opponents pay from downtown, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.
The senior had three games with 20 points that includes a win over Rison in the semifinals of the district tournament
Junction City reached the 20-win plateau thanks to the steady play of Terrell Gibson and LaJuan Hill.
A junior, Gibson earned All-State honors for the Dragons, who won 10 of their first 12 games on their way to a 20-win season.
Gibson had a solid season, averaging 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists while nursing a shoulder injury.
Junction City coach Kendall Hutcheson said Gibson was supposed to have surgery after football season ended, but declined in order to play basketball.
Hutcheson said he will have surgery on Friday.
Gibson also delivered a win for the Dragons at Warren by hitting a free throw with two seconds left in overtime.
Hill, a senior, was named to the All-State Tournament team.
Hill's versatility helped guide the Dragons to the state tournament in their first year as a 3A school.
Overall, Hill averaged 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and just over three assists per game.
The senior had a steady season, scoring in double figures in back-to-back games in the Dual State Tournament before joining Gibson with 19 points in a win over Hamburg.