Northside senior Grotjohn makes move from Missouri to Northside

It can be a big adjustment going from a very small town to a town the size of Fort Smith. And it can be a daunting challenge going from playing small-school basketball to a school in the largest classification in the state. Not to mention one of the elite programs not just in Arkansas but the entire country.

Northside’s Hazley Grotjohn, though, wasn’t fazed by the move or joining the Lady Bear basketball program when she moved to Fort Smith prior to her junior season along with her mother. Though Grotjohn was going from Seneca, Mo. — a town of more than 2,000 nestled in the southwest corner of the state — to Fort Smith, Grotjohn relished the step up.

“I grew up playing with some of (her Lady Bear teammates), so when I went there, I already knew, and we all kind of just fit in together and just went along and played,” she said. “I already knew people down there, so it was easier for me to fit in and just go down there.”

Grotjohn, a 5-foot-7-inch senior who can play point and shooting guard, has started since her arrival in Fort Smith.

“When I came in last year, I just knew what role to play and just to play my part,” Grotjohn said. “Me and (teammate and senior guard Erianna Gooden) have good chemistry together, so I just knew when I got out there, I knew what we were going to do, and I just worked really well with the team.”

But entering her senior season, with a year as a Lady Bear under her belt, Grotjohn shifted her focus on being an even better player. Though she is right-handed, Grotjohn really wanted to utilize her left hand more. She believes the difference has paid off.

Heading into next week’s 6A state tournament, Grotjohn was second on the team in scoring, averaging more than 12 points a game, and was second on the team in assists. In four games of a five-game stretch in February, she scored in double figures, all Northside wins.

“My numbers have been pretty good,” Grotjohn said. “My defense has been really good over these past few weeks, too. My passes, just getting them assists and just scoring when my team needs me to score, really just about everything all around. Just doing my part for my team.”

One of Grotjohn’s more satisfying games came on Feb. 11, when the Lady Bears came away with a hard-fought 56-51 win at perennial 6A-West contender Fayetteville. She scored 11 points in that game, which she described as extremely “physical.”

Northside had reeled off seven straight wins before the Lady Bears were defeated in their home finale by Springdale Har-Ber on Feb. 25.

“We lost two conference games (early), but we just got back in the gym, worked harder, and had better practices and just got back out there and gained our confidence back and just worked hard,” Grotjohn said.

She also likes the rapport with her teammates, especially after coming to Northside nearly two years ago. The team has bonded well off the court, too, including holiday get-togethers.

“(I like) everything about them; every single one of them are there if you need them, and they’re always going to be there to cheer you up, to help you out,” she said.

Grotjohn grew up playing basketball with her brother Zane, who still lives in Seneca with their father. Zane is also a senior and plays on Seneca High’s basketball team.

Grotjohn will get the chance to be closer to her family next season as she signed to play at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, a junior college in Miami, not very far from Seneca.

Before that, however, Grotjohn wants to do what another player from southwest Missouri (Jersey Wolfenbarger, now playing at LSU) once did after transferring to Northside — help lead the Lady Bears to a state title.

“All those teams (at state) are good, so we’re just going to have to not get down on ourselves and not get mad if a mistake happens; we just got to stay with it,” Grotjohn said. “We’ve got to stay together, we’ve got to grow together and just keep our heads in the game every second. We can’t let it go.”