Thursday, February 22, 2001

Region 1, AAA

Warden Going Full Speed

By Kevin Taylor
Times Record • ttaylor@swtimes.com

OZARK
At halftime of Saturday’s Conference 4AAA Tournament finale between conference power houses Clarksville and Ozark, Panthers assistant coach Jake Thompson meandered over to the scorers table and shook his head as he was trying to explain to official scorer Sue Ann Eichenberger that Clarksville simply had no answer for Ozark’s Jeff Warden.
“Man,” proclaimed Thompson, “Warden’s killing us.”
During the first half of last week’s game, Warden had scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and snatched three rebounds — all the while holding his own against the best rebounding team in Conference 4AAA, the Clarksville Panthers.
Problem is, Warden was the only one doing damage.
“Every time we’ve played them, we haven’t shot well,” Warden said. “In the first quarter, we were 3-for-14. At some point, somebody told me I was 3-for-4 and the rest of the team was 0-for-10. I don’t think it’s a mental thing. They’ve got bigger guns, but we’ve got more ammo ... we’ve got a really deep bench.”
Despite losing to Clarksville in last week’s tilt, 71-61, there’s a good chance both teams could face one another at this week’s AAA Region I Tournament at Paris High School. The Hillbillies will open play Thursday against West Fork at 8:30 p.m.
Ozark will again be at full strength this week, with senior Brett Whitwam back in the fold. The 6-foot-2 Whitwam missed the Clarksville game because of a family emergency. With 6-7 Cody Tedford, the burly 6-4 Warden, 6-4 Brandon James and the 6-2 Whitwam, the Hillbillies have plenty of inside strength to go along with their talented outside game.
“Not having Brett the other day really hurt us,” Warden said. “He came out with 17 points (against Subiaco), shooting lights out, and he didn’t play.”
Warden shot the ball well during the district tournament, pouring in 15 and 11 points, respectively, against Subiaco and Clarksville.
For Warden, a three-sport star in football, basketball and golf, playing basketball at full strength again following an ankle injury two years ago didn’t come without its price. Warden, ranked fourth in his class academically, listened intently to doctors and his trainer, Sherry Riggs, after the injury.
“After injury, our trainer, Sherry, worked with me, and I worked hard,” Warden said. “Mainly, I wanted to get back for golf. I was getting back to where I could walk on it. I was out of my cast four days when we had our first golf match. Basketball shape is a lot different than football. Mainly, I did what the doctors told me. I put it in their hands.”
At the time of the injury, Ozark coach John Parrish felt Warden was among the team’s strongest players.
Following Riggs’ advice, Warden has fully recovered. When he’s on the court, Warden explained, he doesn’t worry about a recurring injury.
“You really couldn’t play if you did, you couldn’t give it your all if you were worried about hurting it again,” he said. “It’s (his ankle) coming back pretty strong. I’ve got to have it taped all the time.”
When he’s on his game, such was the case last week, Warden has a strong power move inside and he can drain the 10-footer, a lost art these days, with a perfect fall-away jump shot.
“Playing down low, with my strength, it’s important to play inside,” Warden said.
Because of a late birthday, Warden — who won’t turn 18 until Aug. 29 — actually should just be a junior.
“I’m supposed to be in the 11th grade ... I won’t turn 18 until three weeks after I start college,” he explained. “(But) I love these guys; I wouldn’t miss playing with these guys.
“I think it’s made me a lot better athlete because of it.”

Local teams gearing up for toughest

challenges in Class 1AAA Regional

By JEREMY COX

Staff Writer

If there's one thing tougher then getting past a 1AAA District Tournament upset for West Fork boys coach David Ferrell, it may just be the Ozark Hillbillies.

"I was telling my team the other day that these guys are not the Arkansas Razorbacks. ... They're a lot better than the Razorbacks," Ferrell said only half-jokingly of Ozark Tuesday afternoon. "They're a good team and the only thing that keeps them from being the favorite is Clarksville."

West Fork is just one of four local teams that will take the floor this afternoon during the AAA Class 1 Regional Tournament in Paris, but a European paradise will hardly be waiting upon arrival. Instead, four regional rivals -- all of which could arguably be considered favorites -- will meet the squads head-on.

The goal is quite simple in today's opening round. Win, and your team is assured a berth in the state tournament. However, lose the first game, and you have little choice but to go home.

The tournament will begin with Prairie Grove's girls (3rd-1) taking on Clarksville (2nd-4) at 4 p.m., followed by Farmington's senior boys (2nd-1) battling Subiaco Academy (3rd-4) at 5:30. Farmington's girls (2nd-1) will then face Dardanelle (3rd-4) at 7 p.m., with West Fork's boys (3rd-1) capping the night versus Ozark (2nd-4) at 8:30 p.m.

But before Ozark's senior boys take the floor, Dardanelle's senior girls will take the first step toward the second round against Farmington and Lady Cardinals head coach Brad Blew, who is quite confident in his team's chances this week.

"Ozark is probably the clear-cut favorite, but I think that we have a chance to be successful, as well as Prairie Grove and Gravette. ... And we're certainly pulling for Berryville," Blew said of Ozark's first-round opponent. "It will be very competitive, and there's no telling who will come out."

But in order to achieve that chance in the second round, Farmington will first have to overtake Dardanelle, the regional tournament's third seed from Region 4.

"They're playing a lot of young kids, a lot of sophomores," Blew said of Dardanelle. "But they play very hard, they'll play man, a 2-3 zone, they'll do some pressing and really play an up-tempo game. ... But we've seen that all year, so that shouldn't be too much of a shock."

In order to give the Lady Cardinals a little more firepower, Blew has moved freshman April Carter into the lineup, an athlete who showed her worth during the district tournament.

"We are looking to do some things different now that we have moved April up," Blew said. "We can now have a smaller lineup or a big lineup and we're going to play a little different with each of those."

Despite a one-point loss at the hands of Gravette during the district tournament's final round, Blew noted that his team shouldn't be counted out of the next level as of yet.

"I was pleased with the way our kids played and I feel like we're playing the best basketball we've played all year," Blew noted. "Our kids are playing with a passion that we have not played with, but now we're looking for a way to get better and hopefully that will make the difference in a game."

Another team that definitely left the district tourney a little earlier than originally planned was Prairie Grove, as the 18-7 Lady Tigers were forced to wait through a bye before falling in the tournament's first round.

"We played ourselves into having to play a pretty tough team, so we're a little nervous about playing Clarksville," Prairie Grove head coach Lee Larkan said. "We know we're going to have to play really well to win."

Prairie Grove was put in this situation by the loss to Farmington in the semifinals of the district tournament, even with the Lady Cardinals being given the No. 4 seeding. Meanwhile, Prairie Grove was perched high above with a top seeding.

"I don't ever think it helps you to lose, but if you do lose, you've got to find a way to build on it," Larkan noted. "We're trying to find something positive to take away from it, and that thing is that I don't think our seniors are ready to quit playing basketball."

Prairie Grove at one time led the Lady Cardinals by 10 points, but Larkan's theory of his team's late collapse basically told the story.

"Late in the game we got out-rebounded, but actually, we just missed some shots and they hit theirs," Larkan noted. "And we've got to do a better job with the mental aspect of finishing a ball game."

But even with Prairie Grove facing a tough Clarksville team, Ferrell's West Fork senior boys may have drawn the toughest first-round assignment of the lot, facing a dominating Ozark squad that has posted plenty of impressive victories throughout the season.

"Ozark has beaten Alma at Alma by about 35, and they've also beaten (Fort Smith) Northside at Northside early in the year," Ferrell said. "Ozark is a good, solid basketball team."

What the Tigers must do to slay the monster is not fold under Ozark's hard-pressing defense, while keeping the game within striking distance in the first half.

"We just can't get taken out of the game early," Ferrell said. "But I think the positive for us is that I don't think they have anybody that can guard Joe (Buss) and Tim (Shepard) inside. ... They've got decent size, but their guys are more finesse players and aren't so much about power."

Just one week ago, it took three players to stop Buss during the district tournament, as Farmington's senior boys piled three post players on the West Fork standout during the closing minutes, leading to West Fork's early exit by a 54-44 margin.

The Cardinals will attempt the same result this afternoon versus Subiaco Academy, just a few days after a 48-41 loss to Huntsville in the 1AAA-West District Tournament's final game.

However, Farmington is fortunate to have the firepower of Thomas Fulcher and Sean Sterling, who combined for 36 points in the Cardinals' upset over West Fork.

Clarksville wins at slower pace

By Henry C. Apple
Courier sports editor

PARIS -- After watching his team go more than three quarters in a fast-paced catfight with Green Forest, Clarksville Coach Gary Thompson decided to apply the breaks Wednesday night.

The slowdown tactic proved to be the best move for the Panthers, who went on to claim an important 70-58 opening-round victory over Green Forest in the Class AAA Region 1 tournament.

The win moves Clarksville (25-2), the 4AAA Conference champion and the fourth-ranked team in the Associated Press boys poll, into Friday's semifinal game against either Farmington or Subiaco, who meet in today's 5:30 p.m. game. More important, the Panthers earn a berth into next week's Class AAA state tournament.

"There's no rest yet," Thompson said. "We'll go in and have a film session, then we will probably have practice after that. We don't care who we are playing. We're just happy to be in Friday's semifinal round."

Clarksville entered the fourth quarter with a 51-46 lead, only to see Neal Hodges bury a 3-pointer and make it a 2-point game. Ron Blackmon's running jumper made it a 53-49 game with six minutes remaining and -- after Green Forest (21-8) failed to score on its next possession -- Thompson called on his team to hold the ball for a while.

The ploy was successful. Clarksville stalled for two minutes before Blackmon was fouled and hit two free throws, then George Tate and Finlay Brashears each added a pair to give Clarksville a 59-49 lead 1:55 remaining.

"We weren't shooting the ball that well, and we weren't rebounding that well," Thompson said. "That's two very had things to happen to a team. So, with a 4-point lead, we decided to hold the ball and make them pick us up.

"We felt like we could run with Green Forest and eventually drain them at the end. But with the way Green Forest was playing, we felt good about slowing the game down at that point."

Hodges added a bucket with 1:45 left, breaking the Tigers' 5-minute scoring drought, but that would be as close as Green Forest would get. Clarksville went to lead by as much as the final margin.

Nathan Kilbourn's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Green Forest, which entered the tournament as the fourth seed from the 1AAA Conference, an 18-15 lead after the opening period featured five ties and three lead changes.

Hodges, who finished with 32 points to lead all scorers, gave the Tigers their biggest lead when his 3-pointer made it 23-17 with 6:14 left in the first half. Clarksville, however, came back and tied it at 24-24 on Gavin Ludgood's bucket with 3:12 before halftime.

The Panthers regained the lead when Terrance Brown's bucket made it 28-27 at the 2:25 mark. Brandon Escareno's basket moments later put Green Forest back in front, but Clarksville countered with back-to-back baskets by Blackmon, helping the Panthers take a 32-31 lead at intermission.

Clarksville opened the second half with baskets by Ludgood and Tate and two free throws by Brashears, extending its lead to a 38-31 margin. But the visiting Tigers answered and eventually tied the game at 43-43 on Hodges' bucket with 2:42 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers responded with 3-pointers by Brashears and Nathan Clark and a basket by Ludgood for a 51-43 lead. Hodges followed with another 3-pointer, pulling Green Forest within five before the period ended.

Blackmon came off the bench and had 15 points to lead five Clarksville players in double figures. Ludgood and Brashears each added 14, while Tate and Brown chipped in 12 apiece. Hodges wound up scoring all 12 of Green Forest's fourth-quarter points, while Kilbourn was the only other Tiger in double figures with 10.

Class 3A, Region 4 Tournament

Nashville's boys fell to Euroda, 62-60, in overtime and Drew Central eliminated De Queen's girls from the postseason playoffs with a 57-34 win over the Lady Leopards during the opening night of the Class 3A, Region 4 Tournament here Wednesday.

Prescott's boys also lost, 70-38, to Hamburg, while Fordyce beat Mena, 44-13, in the other girls' game.

Almefty keeps Pulaski Academy in clear

DARREN IVY
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Beebe -- Top seed Pulaski Academy got a scare from fourth seed Dollarway before pulling away for 66-51 victory in the first round of the AAA Region 3 District Tournament at Beebe Sports Arena.
Rami Almefty led the Bruins with 29 points, including 9 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter.
"It was too much Rami," said Dollarway Coach Eliis Berry, whose team finished 11-13.
Dollarway never led, but the Cardinals were as close as 47-44 with 4:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Almefty and senior Brandon Hanks, who scored six of his nine points in the fourth quarter, took over. They scored the next 12 points to put the game out of reach at 60-48 with 1:20 left.
"We showed some maturity," Pulaski Academy Coach Scott Louks said. "I was really proud of Hanks. He played a great game."
The Bruins jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the game and led 11-9 after one quarter.
Both teams shot well in the second quarter -- Pulaski Academy was 8 for 11 and Dollarway was 8 of 12 -- but the Bruins made four three pointers compared to zero for the Cardinals. All four of those were made by Almefty, who scored 16 points in the quarter.
"We look for Rami to score for us," Louks said. "He stepped up tonight."
Brandon Mays kept Dollarway close in the second quarter, but the Cardinals trailed 32-25 at halftime.
Dollarway closed the gap to 34-30 on two baskets by Mays and a free throw by Eddie Ringo in the third quarter. Then Mays went to the bench for a breather and the Cardinals failed to score until he returned 4:05 later. By that time, the Bruins led 39-30 on a two-pointer by Will Peoples and a three-pointer by Quinton Jones. A off-balance shot by Andrew Henry with one second remaining gave Pulaski Academy a 43-34 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Pulaski Academy extended its lead to 47-34 on a basket by Peoples with 6:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Dollarway went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to 47-44 at the 4:20 mark. William Shorter sparked the run by scoring eight of his team-high 14 points.
Dollarway squandered several opportunites to draw closer by hitting 4 of 9 free throws.
"We got tired and a little complacent," Berry said. "We weren't patient enough on offense ... ."
Pulaski Academy will play the winner of the Lonoke-CAC game on Friday.
PULASKI ACADEMY (66)
Almefty 8 9-10 29, Jones 4 0-0 9, Henry 3 0-0 6, Hanks 3 3-6 9, Hardin 1 2-2 3, Harkins 0 0-1 0, Peoples 4 0-1 8. Totals 23 14-20 66.
DOLLARWAY (51)
Mays 6 1-2 13, Ringo 1 1-3 3, Bowers 1 0-0 2, Evans 3 0-0 6, Johnson 2 2-6 7, Shorter 6 2-4 14, Dunn 3 0-0 6. Totals 22 6-15 51.

Pulaski Academy (22-6)	11	21	11	23 -- 66
Dollarway (11-13)	9	16	9	17 -- 51

Three-pointer PA 6 (Almefty 4, Jones, Hardin) Dollarway 1 (Johnson). Fouls PA 15 Dollarway 20 Fouled out PA Jones, Dollarway Bowers, Evans. Technical Dollarway bench

Tuesday, February 20, 2001

Region 2AAA

Boys

Heber 66

Brookland 56

Valley View 52

Pocahontas 40

Girls

Mt View 32

Pocahontas 41

EPC surprise entry in regional tournament
By PAUL BOYD

Records for the Valley View Lady Blazers and East Poinsett County Warriors may not be at all similar, but the two teams do enjoy a pair of similarities heading into the Class AAA Region 2 tournament, which starts today at Valley View's Blazer Gym.

Both teams have momentum on their side, having each won the 3AAA-South tournament championships.

The two teams also both received first-round byes in the regional and need only one more victory to secure a spot in the AAA state tournament to be held at Riverview High School near Searcy.

That's where the similarities stop.

The Lady Blazers (36-2) will be looking for their third straight regional title and ride a 30-game winning streak in the tournament.

On the other hand, the Warriors (7-19) won more games in winning the district tournament (four) last week than they did the rest of the season.

Pocahontas , the third seed out of the 3AAA-North, takes on the Mountain View, third seed out of the 2AAA , to open the tournament this afternoon at 4 in a girls' game.

Other opening-day games include Trumann, the 3AAA-South third seed, meeting Hoxie, the 3AAA-North fourth seed, at 7 in another girls' game.

In boys' action, Heber Springs, the 2AAA third seed, meets 3AAA-North third seed Brookland at 5:30 and 3AAA-South third seed Valley View meets 3AAA-North fourth seed, Pocahontas, at 8:30.

EPC's unlikely championship run has been spearheaded by a talented quartet of freshmen, who were moved up to the high school team after rolling through a 26-0 undefeated district championship season in junior high.

Freshmen Marcus Monk, a 6-3 swingman, and point guard P.J. Lacy have been catalysts for the Warriors' success, while classmates Chris Thomas and Daniel Collins have also seen action in each tournament game

EPC, which went 0-12 in 3AAA-South conference play and was seeded seventh in the seven-team district tournament, knocked off sixth-seeded Harrisburg, then taking out third-seeded Gosnell and second-seeded Valley View, before clipping top-seeded Rivercrest for the title.

Monk was in double figures in three of those victories, including a game-high 18 against regular-season co-champion Valley View, while Lacy reached double digits once in the tournament.

Other first-round girls' matchups Tuesday include Highland taking on Harrisburg at 4 and Rivercrest meeting Batesville Southside at 7.

In boys' action Tuesday, Piggott meets Trumann at 5:30 and Rivercrest faces Yellville-Summit at 8:30.

On the boys' side, EPC, Cave City, Mountain View and Highland all drew first-round byes. Valley View, Clinton, Cave City and Piggott drew byes on the girls' side.

The top four teams advance to the AAA state tournament at Riverview, which begins next week.

Sunday, February 18, 2001

MOUNTAIN VIEW 69, CAVE CITY 66, OT Ty Sims led the Yellowjackets with 19 points as they defeated the Cavemen (27-5) in overtime of the championship game of the 2AAA District Tournament. Jeremy Davis added 15 for Mountain View. Byron Turner scored 17 and Brandon Treat 10 for Cave City.

Saturday, February 17, 2001

CAVE CITY 58, YELLVILLE-SUMMIT 56 Jimmy Hodges finished with 25 points, including the game-winner from 15 feet as time expired, as the Cavemen topped the Panthers in the semifinals of the 2AAA District Tournament in Bald Knob. Byron Turner added 12 for Cave City. Brant Bishop scored 22 and Mikey Bauss 15 for Yellville-Summit.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 62, HEBER SPRINGS 53 Mountain View picked up 20 points from Ty Sims and 15 from Luke Treat in defeating the Panthers in the semifinals of the 2AAA District Tournament. Preston Cranford led Heber Springs with 19 points, while Daniel Hargrove had 11.
PULASKI OAK GROVE 61, CAC 59 Brandon Mooney scored 25 points as the Hornets held off the Mustangs in the semifinals of the 5AAA District Tournament in Perryville. Andrew Davie led Central Arkansas Christian with 17, while Matt Stagg had 15.
PULASKI ACADEMY 60, LAMAR 41 Brandon Hanks led the Bruins with 14 points in a victory over the Warriors (13-12) in the 5AAA District Tournament semifinals. Andrew Henry added 12 for Pulaski Academy. Justin Wyles scored 18 for Lamar, while Caleb English scored 14 and grabbed seven rebounds.
DE QUEEN 81, PRESCOTT 47 Matt Hall scored 19 points as the Leopards posted a 7AAA District Tournament semifinal victory over the Curly Wolves. Jonathan Neely added 16 for De Queen. Keon Stockwell scored 13 for Prescott.
NASHVILLE 49, FOUNTAIN LAKE 46 Keadrien Finley scored 16 as the Scrappers defeated the Cobras in the semifinals of the 7AAA District Tournament in Fountain Lake. Chris Benson added 14 for Nashville. Jarred Chaney scored 25 for Fountain Lake.

Monday, February 12, 2001

CLASS AAA

TEAM	RECORD
1. Clarksville	22-2
2. Hughes	26-1
3. Dermott	19-4
4. Ozark	25-4
5. De Queen	18-4
6. Hamburg	16-5
7. Cave City	26-4
8. (tie) Pulaski Academy	19-6
8. (tie) Pulaski Oak Grove	14-6
8. (tie) CAC	19-5

MOUNTAIN VIEW 71, CAVE CITY 47 Miachel Brewer led the Yellowjackets (16-6) with 22 points in a 2AAA victory over the Cavemen. Luke Treat added 16 for Mountain View. Jimmy Hodges scored 14 for Cave City.
HUGHES 57, PB DOLLARWAY 55 Robert Davis scored 26 points and Hughes (26-1, 12-0 6AAA) beat Pine Bluff Dollarway. Lonnie Smith added 10 points for Hughes. William Shorter had 13 points for Dollarway and Chris Evans 12.
PULASKI OAK GROVE 68, LAMAR 54 Justin Wyles scored 22 points to lead Lamar (10-12, 7-7), but it wasn't enough to prevent a loss to Pulaski Oak Grove in 5AAA action. Caleb English added 17 for Lamar.

Saturday, January 27, 2001

WEST FORK 52, PRAIRIE GROVE 47 Joe Buss had 20 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocked shots as West Fork (15-4, 6-1 1AAA) beat Prairie Grove. Tim Shepard added 15 points for West Fork.
OZARK 63, SUBIACO ACADEMY 55 Cody Tedford scored 14 points and Ryan Mort 13 to lead Ozark (22-3, 8-2 4AAA) past Subiaco Academy (13-6, 7-3). LaMarcus Irvin scored 18 points for Subiaco, and Stephen Tencleve had 12.

1AAA
Berryville at Eureka Springs
Huntsville 59, Green Forest 58, 2OT
West Fork 52, Prairie Grove 47
2AAA
Cave City 71, Riverview 47
Yellville-Summit 59, Clinton 56 2OT
3AAA-NORTH
Brookland 90, Corning 74
4AAA-WEST
Ozark 63, Subiaco Academy 55
6AAA
Dollarway 89, England 20
Hughes 51, DeWitt 25
7AAA
De Queen 66, Ashdown 65
8AAA
Dermott at Lake Village
Fordyce 77, Drew Central 64
Star City at Eudora

Thursday, January 25, 2001

BEEBE 65, CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN 61 Jason Donaldson led the Badgers (10-9, 4-5) with 30 points in a 5AAA upset of the Mustangs (13-5, 5-3). Jacob Farris added 16 for Beebe, which trailed 43-40 entering the final quarter. Andrew Davie led CAC with 19 points while Matt Staggs hit 17.
PULASKI OAK GROVE 66, PERRYVILLE 29 A dozen players scored for the Hornets (10-5, 8-1) in a 5AAA victory over the Mustangs (7-16, 0-9). Lance Boykins led Oak Grove with 12 points while Brandon Mooney, Buddy Gandy and Spencer Pierson each added 8.

Saturday, January 20, 2001

Highland nips Westside
By KEITH FORRESTER

Every game ends for a reason. Sometimes it is to stop the bleeding, other times it is to break your heart. Friday night was one of those other times at Warrior Gym as Highland strolled away with a breathtaking 49-48 victory over Westside in senior boys' basketball.

Kyle Baty scored his only basket of the game with 4.8 seconds remaining on a beautiful left-handed reverse layup. He was fouled, but missed the free throw, and after Westside controlled the rebound Brock McKeel was called for traveling. Highland then ran the last 2.8 seconds off the clock for the win.

Highland (17-4, 6-2) entered the 3AAA-North contest riding a seven-game winning streak and seeking to position themselves for a bye in the district tournament in February.

Westside (5-13, 1-8) entered the game reeling from a 80-68 defeat at the hands of the Rebels on Nov. 21 in which Highland bigman Zac Smith torched the Warriors for 42 points.

Smith was not much of a factor this time as the 6-4 senior suffered from foul trouble and only scoring 12 points. Tim Hansen, who fed Baty for the winning basket, led all scorers with 18 points.

Westside opened with a 7-0 lead as Highland started the game lackadaisically failing to score a point for the first four minutes. That drought ended as Smith scored down low, and the Rebels finished the quarter with a 8-2 run.

"I thought our team was kind of flat," said Highland head coach Chad Arnhart. "I'm not sure we were ready to play. Westside was. They came out fired up. We struggled from the floor early and they hit their shots."

Smith was charged with his third foul three minutes into the second period and headed to the bench. It didn't matter, however, as both teams got hot.

Hansen nailed two 3-pointers in the period as six different Rebels scored easing the pressure on the Smithless lineup.

Westside got big baskets in the period from Rocky Key, Jonathan Pattee and Jackson Ishmael who led the Warriors with 16 points.

Highland led 25-24 at halftime.

Westside took the lead 29-27 in the third quarter when Jonathan Pattee, who finished with 11 points, scored inside.

Westside athletic director Barry Jones, who sat in for ill head coach Chad Soden, said the Warriors expect to win each time they step on the court.

" We're real close to getting over the edge," Jones said.

Smith then calmly drained a 3-pointer from the right baseline to make it 30-29 Highland. Smith's basket started a 10-0 Highland run that was capped by Randy Baldridge's stickback of a Smith miss.

Randy Baldridge's bucket would give the Rebels their largest lead, 37-29, midway through the period.

Pattee ended that run when he scored a nifty basket in transition to make it 37-31 at 1:15. That basket would start Westside on its own run that was aided when Smith picked up his fourth foul with :58 left in the quarter.

Rocky Key scored quickly for the Warriors to open the fourth quarter and with Smith on the bench, Westside started to establish themselves down low.

With the score 38-35 in favor of Highland and Westside gaining momentum Jackson Ishmael stepped up and drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to knot the score 38-38 at the 6:26 mark.

Quick baskets by Ishmael and Key finished a 13-1 Warrior run, and the seven-point Rebel lead had been turned into a four-point Warrior advantage.

Hansen scored from 10 feet with 4:45 left to make it 42-40 Westside.

The Warriors actually increased their lead to 46-40 with 2:09 remaining when Ishmael hit two free throws.

Back in the game, Smith scored his only basket of the fourth quarter to make it 46-42 Westside and then a drive and score by Hansen with :45 left made it 46-44 Westside.

"The main thing we wanted to try and do was keep the score low," Jones said. "As long as we had the ball they couldn't score."

Key hit a wide-open shot from ten feet and then Hansen lofted a 3-pointer from beyond 30 feet with 16.2 seconds left that softly bounded around and hung on the rim before dropping through to cut the Westside lead to 48-47.

"He's got pretty good range," Arnhart said. "Usually he doesn't shoot them from that far out, but we were in a desperate situation. He's a big time player for us."

Warrior point guard John David Mitchell was fouled and missed the front end of a one-and-one and Smith made his biggest play of the night by snatching the rebound and calling time-out with :13.4 remaining.

After setting the play Hansen drove from the left corner into the paint maneuvered toward the free throw line and found Baty underneath who, with his back to the basket, flipped the ball with his left hand off the backboard and in with only :4.8 remaining.

"Unfortunately we had a breakdown on defense. Penetration will kill you every time. They did a good job," Jones said.

He was fouled by Key but missed the bonus. Key grabbed the rebound moved it ahead to McKeel at halfcourt where he was called for traveling with :1.6 seconds left.

Westside still did not retire as they kept tipping the inbounds pass away. After three tries Highland finally inbounded the ball and ran out the clock for the victory.

(Return to sports)

EUREKA SPRINGS 55, BERRYVILLE 50
EUREKA SPRINGS -- Griggs Covington scored 21 points and John Hall 12 to lead Eureka Springs past Berryville.
Grant Myrick had 17 points for Berryville, and Derrick Bell had 12.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN 74, ATKINS 28 Andrew Dazie had 21 points and Mark Smith 13 as the Mustangs (13-4, 5-2 5AAA) beat the Red Devils. Tyler Price scored 15 for Atkins.
PULASKI ACADEMY 68, BEEBE 60 Rami Almfty had 26 points to lead the Bruins (15-2, 8-0 5AAA) over the Badgers. Buddy Harding added 18 points for Pulaski Academy. Jason Donaldson had 27 points for Beebe.
LONOKE 51, DUMAS 49 Chad Wise scored 24 points and the Jackrabbits (10-5, 4-1 6AAA) came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Bobcats. Skippy Norman added 11 points for Lonoke, which trailed 40-39 going into the final quarter.

Monday, January 15, 2001

EUREKA SPRINGS 59, BERRYVILLE 54 Griggs Covington led the Highlanders (13-5, 4-0) with 18 points in a 1AAA victory over the Bobcats (4-9, 1-4). John Hall added 11 for Eureka Springs, which led 22-19 at the half. Grant Myrick scored 21 for Berryville, while Josh Jackson added 10.

Sunday, January 14, 2001

Highland 51, Pocahontas 46

Chuck Rees and Tim Hansen keyed an 11-1 spurt to end the third quarter as the top-seeded Rebels held off Pocahontas.

The Redskins (12-6) led 20-17 at halftime and held the advantage until Hansen's trey tied the game at 27 with 3:40 left in the third quarter.

Rees put Highland on top for good with a 3-pointer of his own, then finished a fast break with a layup after a Hansen steal for a 32-27 Highland lead.

Pocahontas hit one of two free throws with nine seconds left in the quarter, but Yates Paterson's 3-pointer from the left baseline at the buzzer gave the Rebels a 35-28 advantage.

The Redskins got no closer than four in the final frame.

Rees led Highland with 15 points, while Zac Smith added 12. Hansen also chipped in nine.

Brandon Swann led all scorers with 17 for Pocahontas, including five 3-pointers, while Joe Baltz added 11 and Rusty Farrin 10.

Highland led 12-7 after a quarter, Pocahontas rallied to lead 20-17 at halftime.

Rebels take Kell Classic from Pocahontas Redskins

Clover Birdsell, Special to the Villager Journal

The Highland Rebels won the Swifton Kell Classic Tournament in four rounds against some difficult opponents.

On Jan. 10 the Rebels defeated Mount Pleasant in the second round 57-47.

Senior Zac Smith scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior Tim Hansen has 22 points. Junior Chuck Rees had eight rebounds.

In the third round the Rebels defeated Marmaduke 69-51. Hansen was the leading scorer against this team. Smith added 18 points for the Rebels.

The finals of the Kell Classic were played Jan. 13. The Rebels were up against an old rival, the Pocahontas Redskins.

The first quarter allowed the Rebels to set their footing for the remainder of the game. Smith made a major contribution to the Rebels' strength in the first half with four buckets.

However, Pocahontas' defeat did not come easy for the Rebels. By the end of the first half the Redskins were leading the ballgame 20-17.

The Rebels returned in the second half with their game faces on, determined not to let Pocahontas get the better of them.

The Rebels pulled ahead in the third quarter. Rees had quite a bit of action in the third quarter, including four critical buckets.

On into the fourth quarter the Rebels continued to hold onto their win. The Rebels pulled through, defeating the Redskins 51-46.

Reed led with 15 points. Smith had 12 points.

WEST FORK 50, PRAIRIE GROVE 25 Tim Shepherd and Joe Buss scored 13 points each as West Fork defeated Prairie Grove in a 1AAA Conference game. West Fork (12-2, 4-0), which led 17-5 going into halftime, outscored Prairie Grove 21-7 in the third quarter to take a 38-12 lead into the final quarter. Colt Bartholomew led Prairie Grove with seven points.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 34, RIVERVIEW 30 Michael Brewer led the Yellowjackets (9-3, 3-0) with 21 points in a victory over the Raiders (11-13, 0-6). Nathan Claxton had 10 for Riverview.
CAVE CITY 67, YELLVILLE-SUMMIT 41 Jimmy Hodges scored 16 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and made 6 steals as the Cavemen (20-3, 6-0) downed the Panthers (8-6, 4-2) in a 2AAA game. Byron Turner added 11 points, while Matt Snyder and Nathan Walling each had 10 for Cave City. Michael Hullett led Yellville-Summit with 20 points.
BALD KNOB 53, HEBER SPRINGS 52 Roderick Johnson hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Bulldogs (8-2, 4-1) over the Panthers in a 2AAA game. Johnson finished with 20 points and three steals. Justin Moore added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Long had 13 points and five rebounds. Preston Cranford scored 18 for Heber Springs.
CORNING 63, JONESBORO WESTSIDE 54 Phillip Colbert led the Bobcats (4-11, 3-3) with 16 points in a 3AAA-North victory over the Warriors (5-11, 1-7). Randy McMasters and Matt Allen added 13 and Logan Davis 10 for Corning. For Westside, Brock McKeel scored 15.
SUBIACO ACADEMY 61, BOONEVILLE 60 Travis Amerine hit a free throw with four seconds remaining to lift Subiaco Academy (11-4, 5-0 4AAA) to victory over Booneville (1-5, 1-3). LaMarcus Irvin led Subiaco with 29 points, and Elliot Taliaferro had 12. Trey Holloway scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Booneville. Will Swint added 16 points.
OAK GROVE 70, LAMAR 60 Lance Boykins topped all scorers with 19 points as the Hornets (7-5, 5-1) stopped the Warriors (6-8, 3-3) in 5AAA action. Brandon Mooney added 18 for Oak Grove, which led 31-29 at the half. Justin Wiles hit five three-pointers and finished with 16 points for Lamar, while Caleb English added 14 and Victor Fulton 13.
HUGHES 70, LONOKE 46 Chad Wise scored 17 points for Lonoke, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 6AAA loss to Hughes. Lonnie Smith scored 15 for Hughes, followed by Robert Davis and Paul Doolittle with 13 apiece. Skippy Norman added 10 for Lonoke.
BISMARCK 63, MOUNTAIN PINE 43 The Lions (13-2) picked up 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists from Andy Brakebill in a victory over the Red Devils in the Garland County Invitational semifinals. Jamie Weatherford added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Bismarck. Ryan Walker scored 18 and Chris Pierce 17 for Mountain Pine.
HAMBURG 53, DREW CENTRAL 47 C.J. Penn led the Lions (11-3, 8-1) with 15 points in a victory over the Pirates. Brandon Brown added 14 for Hamburg. Matthew Jackson led Drew Central with 18 points.
DERMOTT 57, FORDYCE 56, OT Sam Gammel led the Rams (12-3, 7-1) with 21 points in an 8AAA victory over the Redbugs (6-4, 5-3). Kevin Lewis added 13 and Lamar Powell 10 for Dermott. Kentrell Rogers led Fordyce with 23 points.

Saturday, January 13, 2001

Highland 69, Marmaduke 51

The Rebels ended the first half on a 9-2 run to stagger the Greyhounds, then applied the knockout punch with another to end the third quarter.

Marmaduke (14-12) got a game-high 20 points from Josh Bateman, including six 3-pointers, but no other Greyhounds reached double figures.

Smith, a 6-5 senior, scored 18 points, while junior guard Hansen also added 18 for the Rebels, who led 31-19 at halftime and 46-29 after three quarter.

Pocahontas 63, Weiner 52

The Redskins pounded the ball inside relentlessly, while dodging late 3-point missiles from Weiner to advance to the title game.

Brandon Swann led four Pocahontas players in double figures with 19, including four 3-pointers, while Rusty Farrin and Joe Baltz added 12 each and Robert Counts chipped in 11. David Huffman dished out six assists.

Pocahontas used an 11-2 run near the end of the first half to take a 13-point lead and settled for a 32-23 halftime advantage.

Weiner (11-11) would never go away in the second half thanks to four fourth-quarter 3-pointers, but the Cardinals could never get over the top.

Jason Ford led Weiner with 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Chase Kagen added 11 points. William Tate dished out five assists.

Matt Secrease drained a 3-pointer with 2:44 left in the game to pull Weiner within 52-45.

The Cardinals had a chance to get closer when Kagen drew a charging foul with 2:08 left, but Tate was whistled for a charge on the other end 10 seconds later.

William Moore's trey pulled Weiner within 55-48 at the 1:12 mark, but the Cardinals would get no closer.

Farrin then canned 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to put the game away.

Friday, January 12, 2001

Class AAA Top Ranked Teams

Clarksville’s 6-8 senior Gavin Ludgood has looked like the state’s most dominate center this season, leading the No. 1 Panthers to a 13-2 start. Clarksville remained perfect with a victory over Mansfield. The Panthers have league games with Waldron and Booneville this week.

Hughes guard Lonnie Smith has been instrumental in the Blue Devils’ 16-1 start. Hughes’ lone loss was to Osceola. The No. 2 Blue Devils won the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Class AAA title during the holiday break.

Ozark has the unfortunate distinction of playing in the same conference with Clarksville, but the No. 3 Hillibillies (14-2) have some talent in 6-6 senior Cody Tedford. Ozark won by 30 in a league victory at Paris.

Central Arkansas Christian (11-2) had four players score 10 or more points in its 74-31 victory over Perryville. Zak Hemphill led the No. 4 Mustangs with 14 points. A showdown for first place against Pulaski Academy is set for Friday, Jan. 12.

Traditional South Arkansas powerhouse Hamburg is back in the mix. The No. 5 Lions (9-3) won a 55-52 thriller over Fordyce in their latest game.

Pocahontas posted a slim 15-12 lead at halftime before outscoring Cushman 28-19 in the second half.

The Redskins were led by Brandon Swann's 15 points, 13 in the second half. Joe Baltz added 10.

Piggott 70, Hoxie 39

PIGGOTT -- It was all Piggott from the beginning as the Mohawks whipped Hoxie 70-39 in senior boys' basketball Thursday.

Piggott (8-9, 4-3 3AAA-North) led 16-8 at the end of the first quarter and steadily pulled away from there, leading 35-17 at halftime and 49-26 after three quarters.

Alex Baldwin led Piggott with 12 points while Brian Stahl and Tyler Scott chipped in 11 each. Adam Dobbs led Hoxie with 10.

Thursday, January 11, 2001

Riverview High School in Searcy was selected over Valley View High School in Jonesboro, Drew Central High School in Monticello and Pine Bluff as the site of the Class AAA State Tournament.

Top-seeded teams win at Kell Classic
From Sun Staff Reports

SWIFTON -- The boys' and girls' top-seeded teams cruised to victories in second-round action at the Kell Classic Wednesday at Swifton High School.

In the girls' division, top-seeded Marmaduke built a big second-half lead before topping Weiner 52-41 and improving to 28-0. Fourth-seeded Mt. Pleasant got 10 fourth-quarter points from Katie Caraway to edge Maynard 56-52. On the boys' side, top-seeded Highland built a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter and held off Mt. Pleasant 57-47 and fifth-seeded Marmaduke rolled past fourth-seeded Maynard 70-49.

The Lady Greyhounds turned a 29-18 halftime edge into a 45-22 lead after three quarters in the victory. Shelly Priest scored 16 points while Ashley Hardin tossed in 15.

Brittany Smith led the Lady Cardinals with 19 points.

Mt. Pleasant got 26 points from Caraway, a junior guard, to move into the semifinals. Alawna Wolfe added 11 points while Amy Fulbright had 10 for the Lady Bluebirds, who trailed 22-21 at the half.

Alicia Barber led Maynard with 20 and Ashley Simmons and Rosella Wallace added 11 and 10 respectively.

In boys' action, Highland got 22 points from Tim Hansen and 21 from Zac Smith to advance. The Rebels led 44-24 after three quarters but Mt. Pleasant cut the lead to eight in the fourth quarter before falling.

Coy Bray led the Bluebirds with 18 points while Robbie Webb added 14.

Sophomore Josh Bateman sank four 3-pointers on his way to 27 points as Marmaduke belted Maynard. Brent Richardson scored 15, Josh Lewallen 13 and Adam Oglesby 10 for the Greyhounds, who led 40-20 at halftime.

Adam Dixon led Maynard with 15 points while Braden Watson scored 12.

(Return to sports)

Tuesday, January 9, 2001

Highland 80, Brookland 71

HIGHLAND -- Highland jumped to a 19-4 lead after a quarter and overcame a 38-point performance by Brookland's Zach Coker to hand the Bearcats an 80-71 defeat in senior boys' basketball Monday night.

Tim Hansen pumped in 21 points and dished out 11 assists to lead five Highland players in double-figures scoring. Zach Smith added 17 points, Randy Baldridge 15 points, Kyle Baty 13 points and Chuck Rees 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Rebels (12-4, 4-2 3AAA-North).

Highland led 39-26 at halftime and 60-47 entering the final quarter.

Coker had 24 of his points after halftime. Nathan McDaniel added 16 for the Bearcats.

Pocahontas 73, Corning 38

POCAHONTAS -- Pocahontas outscored Corning 21-11 in the second quarter to take a 35-17 halftime lead on its way to a 73-38 victory in senior boys' basketball Monday.

Pocahontas (10-5, 7-0 3AAA-North) was led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Joe Baltz led the way with 17 points, Brandon Swann added 14 points and Ben Adkins ended with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Randy McMasters scored 13 to lead Corning.

Sunday, January 7, 2001

Kell Classic
at Swifton
First round
Highland 70, Oak Ridge Central 26
Maynard 72, Crowley's Ridge 68
Mount Pleasant 54, Izard County 50
Pocahontas 60, Cord-Charlotte 45
Weiner 63, Evening Shade 53

In other boys' action, Highland routed Oak Ridge Central 70-26 behind a balanced attack, led by Ronnie Coop. The Rebels led 42-10 at the half.

Mt. Pleasant tripped up Izard County Consolidated 54-50 behind 17 points from Chris McCullough and 16 from Coy Bray. Mt. Pleasant led 23-21 at the break and 36-32 entering the final quarter.

Shane Irgens led ICC with 20 points.

Maynard slipped past Crowley's Ridge Academy 72-68 behind 18 points from Aaron Brooks and Jeremy Johnson. Braden Watson scored 16 for the Tigers while Kyle Gardner tossed in 11. Maynard trailed 30-26 at the half before knotting the game 42-42 after three quarters.

Matt Summitt scored 20 points to lead CRA, while Cade Smith had 19 and Chris Prather and Jacob Sandlin added 12 and 11 respectively.

Pocahontas cruised past Cord-Charlotte 60-45 behind 18 points from Brandon Swan. Robert Counts added 13 and Joe Baltz scored 10 for the Redskins.

Tony Huynh led Cord-Charlotte with 20 points while Ken Emerson had 18.

Sunday, December 31, 2000

Nea All-Tournament teams

Here are the all-tournament teams for the Northeast Arkansas Invitational high school basketball tournament that concluded Saturday at the Convocation Center:

AAA Boys

Zach Coker and Michael Walter, Brookland; Tim Hansen and Zac Smith, Highland; Chris Bullard, Hoxie; Hayes Howell, Valley View; Rusty Farrin, Pocahontas; Kevin Barnes, Brandon Love and Aaron Smith, Rivercrest; Robert Davis, Paul Doolittle and Lonnie Smith, Hughes.

Paul Hoffman Sportsmanship Award: Highland.

Saturday, December 30, 2000

Rivercrest, Hughes win close ones

By C.C. SMITH

Both the top-seeded Rivercrest Colts and the second-seeded Hughes Blue Devils managed to earn victories in their semifinal games in the boys' AAA division of the Northeast Arkansas Invitational tournament Friday at the Convocation Center.

However, one would need a little extra time in doing so.

The Colts, who have claimed five NEA titles since the tournament's beginning 54 years ago, combined the streaky shooting of Kevin Barnes and a solid performance from the free-throw line in overtime to outlast upset-minded Highland 76-68. Hughes did not need an overtime win, but survived a late scare by the Brookland Bearcats to claim a hard-fought 57-53 victory.

The two will meet in the championship game tonight at 7:30.

Rivercrest (10-1) led 9-8 after the first quarter despite shooting a dismal 4-of-18 from the field. The Colts played catch-up much of the game until a big third quarter helped it take the lead for the first time since the 7:25 mark of the second quarter. Aaron Smith's layup after the Colts blocked a shot on the other end put Rivercrest ahead 45-44 with a second left in the third quarter.

Barnes, who finished with 19 points, caught fire for the Colts in the third quarter and Smith, along with teammate Brandon Love, went to work on both the offensive and defensive boards.

Smith, who led Rivercrest with 15 rebounds, tied the game at 36-36 with 3:37 left in the quarter after he put back an offensive rebound. Highland's Tim Hansen nailed a 3-pointer 14 seconds later, and added three free throws after being fouled on another 3-point attempt to push the Rebels' lead to 42-36 with 3:07 left in the quarter.

The Colts scored five straight points, four by Love, to move within 42-41. Love's two free throws with 38 seconds left and a coast-to-coast layup by Smith with one second remaining finally gave the top-seeded Colts a 45-44 lead at the quarter's end.

Smith had nine points in the quarter and Love seven as both dominated the boards for the Colts, who shot 8-of-15 in the quarter. Six of those points came off offensive rebounds.

The two teams battled nip-and-tuck throughout the fourth quarter, with the score being tied four different times, the final time at 61 on an offensive rebound and basket by Smith with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. The Rebels, the tournament's fifth seed, did have a chance to close out the game in regulation and complete the upset.

Patterson missed a 19-footer from the top of the key with about three seconds left in regulation. He grabbed the offensive rebound and thrust the shot at the goal as it bounced off the rim and onto the backboard as the horn sounded, forcing overtime.

Barnes, who hit five 3-pointers in the contest, provided much of the offense for the Colts in overtime while Smith and Love continued to dominate the boards.

Hansen, who finished with 17 points for the Rebels, opened the overtime period with a big 3-pointer to give Highland a 64-61 lead. Then the Colts went into a box-in-one defense on Hansen and started a 9-0 run to take a 70-64 lead with 1:37 remaining. Jimmy Caruthers hit a runner in the lane to start the run and Quincy Williams' two free throws ended the scoring spurt, which was aided by a Barnes 3-pointer and a basket in the paint by Love.

Randy Baldridge broke free for a basket inside for the Rebels, but Barnes answered with his second 3-pointer of the overtime for a 73-66 Rivercrest lead. The Colts hits 3-of-4 from the free-throw line over the final 1:00 -- Love hitting two and Barnes one -- to push the Colt lead to 76-66 before Baldridge's stickback at :22 set the final score.

Smith finished with 32 points to lead the Colts. Love added 11 and Williams 10. Zac Smith led Highland with 21 points and Baldridge added 16.

Concentrating on Hansen in the second half was a big key to victory said Rivercrest coach Rick Wilson, who also alluded to the Colts' dominance on the offensive and defensive boards.

"We've got a great deal of respect for Hansen,'' said Wilson about Highland's guard. "We wanted somebody else to beat us besides him. We expect him to make big plays. Smith and Love played real well inside. I thought that was the key to the ballgame.''

Highland broke the game open in the second quarter as it hit three 3-pointers in a row, two by Hansen and one by Smith, to take a 19-13 lead with 6:13 left in the half. Highland, shooting 11-of-20 in the second quarter, led 28-17 with 1:47 left in the half after Smith hit a layup while cutting across the lane. Barnes hit a 3-pointer, his first of the game, and Smith, who scored 15 points in the first half, converted an offensive rebound to pull the Colts to within 28-22 with 28 seconds left.

Highland (9-4) led 30-22 at halftime and 34-27 with 6:12 left in the third quarter when the Colts began to rally and eventually force an extra frame.

"I thought the kids did a good job of holding their composure,'' said Wilson. "I was a little bit surprised about their press (in the first half). I wasn't expecting it.''

Highland coach Chad Arnhart added that rebounding hurt his Rebels in their quest to knock off the top-seeded Colts.

"Rebounds are what hurt us,'' Arnhart said. "I thought we had to limit our turnovers and rebound the basketball. I thought we handled the ball pretty well but didn't do a good job on the boards.''

Arnhart added that a gimmick defense by the Colts in the second half came as no surprise to him.

"They played us a triangle-in-two in the regional tournament (last year),'' said Arnhart about the defense on Hansen and at times Smith in the game. "We expected them to run that.''

Hughes 57, Brookland 53

Hughes (14-1) could not pull away from the feisty Brookland Bearcats in their semifinal game Friday, and kept its poise under pressure to eventually earn the win.

Brookland led 12-11 after the first quarter and held a 19-14 lead with 5:01 left in the half after Zach Coker's 3-pointer. Hughes went on a 10-0 run, started by a 3-pointer from Demarcus Burks and ending with a trey by Jermaine Davis with 2:33 left in the half, to take a 24-19 lead.

Hughes led 29-25 at halftime and 44-40 at the end of the third quarter as Lonnie Davis scored inside after an assist from Brooks, and Smith penetrated the lane for a short jumper with one second left on the clock. Then poise would be the story for the Blue Devils in the fourth quarter.

Coker and Smith exchanged 3-point shots before a bank shot by Coker, a free throw by Daniel Russell and Coker's layup gave the Bearcats a 48-47 lead with 6:11 left in the game. Hughes' Robert Davis scored four points in a 5-0 Blue Devil run, two on free throws and one on a layup after a steal and assist by Paul Doolittle, for a 52-48 Hughes lead with 4:26 left. Tim Jones was also 1-for-2 from the line during the run.

Coker's layup in the lane after penetrating Hughes' man-to-man defense, and a 3-pointer by Nathan McDaniel with 2:25 left gave Brookland a 53-52 lead. A pair of free throws by Robert Davis with 1:45 remaining, and a second pair by Jermaine Davis at the :46 mark, following a missed 3-point attempt by the Bearcats, gave the Blue Devils a 56-53 lead.

Coker went to the line with 10 seconds left. He missed the first of two free throw attempts and intentionally missed the second as he grabbed the long rebound. His 3-point attempt to tie the game rimmed out, but the Bearcats' Michael Walter kept the loose ball alive and was fouled with two seconds remaining.

Walters missed the first, and like Coker, missed the second in hopes of the Bearcats getting the rebound and possibly taking another last-effort 3-pointer to tie the game.

Doolittle was fouled on the rebound with :.9 showing on the clock and hit one-of-two free throws to set the final score. Robert Davis finished with 19 points to lead the Blue Devils, who shot just 14-of-25 from the line for the game. Coker finished with 22 points to lead Brookland while McDaniel added nine for the Bearcats, who hit 13-of-22 from the line.

(Return to sports)

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Thursday, December 28, 2000

Highland rips Valley View

Photo by BILL TEMPLETON
BOUND FOR THE BASKET Valley View's Jace Tubbs (30) tries to drive past a couple of Highland Rebels during AAA boys' division action Wednesday night at the Northeast Arkansas Invitational tournament at the Convocation Center. Highland eliminated the Blazers, winning 63-45.

By TONY MANLEY
Highland coach Chad Arnhart could find nothing bad to say about the way his team played against Valley View in their AAA boys' Northeast Arkansas Invitational tournament game Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

Valley View coach Mark McCord couldn't find much of anything good to say about the way his team played, so he said nothing at all.

The fifth-seeded Rebels got a game-high 20 points from junior guard Tim Hansen, 18 more from 6-foot-4 senior forward Zac Smith and outscored Valley View 53-32 over the final three quarters to cruise to a 63-45 win in a quarterfinal contest.

Hansen scored eight of his points in an 18-5 second quarter that put Highland (9-3) in control. The Rebels led 28-18 at halftime and extended their lead to 35-20 early in the third quarter, prompting McCord to send his starters to the bench and remain there for the final 14:48.

"I just thought we handled the basketball better,'' Arnhart said. "We were more under control than we were in the Manila (a first-round NEA win) game. We played good defense and we rebounded well.''

McCord declined comment after his team, which started the season 8-0, dropped to 11-8. The Blazers had no one score in double figures, senior post player Hayes Howell leading the way with nine points.

Valley View scored the final six points of the first quarter, the last four by Matt Lee, to take a 13-10 lead after a quarter and seemingly the momentum. The Blazers were still ahead 15-12 after Howell's 10-foot turnaround 1:10 into the second quarter, but found themselves down nine before they could score again. Hansen had eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in that 12-0 run that ended when the Blazers' Kyle Presley hit a six-footer with 2:23 left in the half.

Highland built its lead to as much as 11 in the second quarter before settling for its 28-18 halftime cushion. Kyle Baty's free throw opened the second-half scoring and put the Rebels back up 11. Howell hit a pair of foul shots to cut it back to nine, 29-20, but Highland reeled off 10 more points in a row from there. Baty put back his own rebound to start the run. Hansen then slapped the ball away from a Blazer into the hands of Smith, who passed it back to Hansen downcourt for an easy layup.

Following a Valley View miss, Hansen fired a no-look pass to Baty for another layup to make it 35-20 with 6:50 to play. McCord called a timeout a couple of seconds later, and removed his starters.

Smith's give-and-go layup off a pass from Rees increased the lead to 17 a minute later and Highland pushed its advantage to 39-20 on a pair of Hansen free throws with 5:26 to play. Valley View's second five got the lead down to 14, 44-30, on back-to-back baskets by Shane Mathes, but Hansen's 3-pointer with :04 left in the quarter made it 47-30 heading into the fourth.

Valley View could get no closer in than 13 the rest of the way, while Highland extended its lead to as much as 20 in the late-going.

Baty finished with nine points for the Rebels. Presley added eight and Mathes seven for Valley View, which went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Highland, which made 11 of its 16 foul shots, takes on top-seeded Rivercrest Friday at 4:30 in a semifinal contest. Arnhart said he feels his team matches up well with the Colts.

"I know they're athletic, they do a good job on the boards,'' Arnhart said of Rivercrest. "I think we'll match up well with them. We have a little more size, I think.''

(Return to sports)

NEA boys' roundup
By PAUL BOYD

and TONY MANLEY

Pocahontas was looking at elimination from the 54th annual Northeast Arkansas Invitational tournament Wednesday until Rusty Farrin and Brandon Swann took things into their own hands.

Swann's 3-pointer from the top of the key with two seconds left capped a 14-0 Pocahontas run over the final 2:07 and lifted the Redskins to a 49-46 victory over Piggott in the AAA division at the Convocation Center.

In another AAA game, second-seeded Hughes rolled over East Poinsett County 80-49. In A-AA boys' action, top-seeded Rector cruised past Tuckerman 62-36, third-seeded Marked Tree whipped Delaplaine 84-25 and sixth-seeded Maynard outlasted Armorel 82-80 in overtime.

Piggott, which lost 45-43 to Pocahontas two weeks ago, looked to have the game well in hand -- leading 46-35 after Tyler Crittenden's 3-pointer with 2:07 to play.

However, the Mohawks (4-7) went 0-for-4 from the free throw line, missed a layup and committed a turnover during that final two minutes to leave the door open for the Redskins (7-4).

Farrin, who finished with a game-high 19 points and four 3-pointers, hit one-of-two free throws. Then, after Piggott missed the front end of a one-and-one, he converted a three-point play to bring Pocahontas within 46-39 with 1:31 to play.

The Mohawks broke Pocahontas' full-court pressure and had a layup, but missed and the Redskins cleared the rebound.

After a missed 3-point attempt, Pocahontas executed an inbounds play perfectly as Joe Baltz found Farrin wide open for a layup off a screen to make the score 46-41 with 54 seconds left.

Swann, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, then took over as he canned a 3-pointer from the right wing with 33 seconds left to bring Pocahontas within two and was fouled attempting a trey with 18.7 seconds left. The 5-10 junior hit two of three free throws to tie the game.

Baltz, a 6-3 senior, then came up with a huge defensive play by intercepting a pass just past midcourt with 10.4 seconds left. Following a time out, the Redskins got Swann open off a screen and the junior drained the game-winner for Pocahontas' only lead of the second half.

Piggott got a time out with 1.3 seconds left, but a baseball pass was intercepted by Ben Adkins as time ran out.

Pocahontas coach Rick Hagood said it was just a little bit of everything that got his team a victory in the NEA.

"I didn't think we shot it very well throughout the game, but we hit some late," said Hagood, whose team has now won six of its last seven. "We finally made a free throw or two and got a little defensive intensity."

"We didn't get much inside at all today," Hagood added. "The last time we played them our two inside guys led us, but we didn't get anything out of them today."

Piggott coach Steve Wilson said his team just could not hold on.

"We just didn't hold our composure," Wilson said. "There was a lot of things we didn't do. We just didn't finish it. We didn't finish the plays, didn't finish the game."

"We've just got to handle the ball better," Wilson added.

Alex Baldwin led Piggott with 17 points, while Crittenden added 14.

Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, particularly in the fourth quarter.

Piggott finished 7-of-14, including 4-of-8 in the fourth quarter. However, Pocahontas won despite hitting only 10-of-21 for the game and 3-of-10 in the fourth quarter.

The Mohawks closed the first half with a 9-0 run to turn an 18-14 deficit into a 23-18 halftime lead, sparked by seven points from Baldwin. Piggott led 36-31 entering the fourth quarter.

Pocahontas, which hit eight 3-pointers, got off to an early lead as four of its first six field goals were 3-pointers. The Redskins led 10-8 after a quarter and 18-14 after Wil Person's trey with 4:05 left in the first half.

NEA Tournament - AAA boys

Photo by BILL TEMPLETON
Trumann's Matt Hartley (right) goes over the back of Valley View's Jace Tubbs (left) as the Blazers' Jay Yarbrough (23) and Matt Lee (10) look on during senior boys' AAA basketball action of the NEA Tournament Saturday at the Convocation Center. (AP)

By DAVID McGOUGH

and SETH HOLMUN
Valley View just needed a little time to settle in.

On the Convocation Center's main floor for their first action in the NEA Tournament, the Blazers overcame a lackluster first half with a solid all-around performance after the break to eliminate Trumann 53-42 Saturday in the AAA boys' division.

Fourth-seeded Valley View scored the first nine points of the second half to erase Trumann's three-point halftime edge and take the lead for good. The Wildcats made matters worse on themselves by connecting on just 1-of-9 third-quarter shots, and the Blazers' cushion never shrunk below double digits in the final quarter as they earned a quarterfinal matchup with fifth-seeded Highland Wednesday night at 7:30.

"We just came out lethargic," Valley View coach Mark McCord said. "In the NEA, you expect to come out and maybe not shoot the basketball as well the first half, it's a tough place to shoot and get used to the atmosphere and depth perception. But there's no excuse for coming out and playing sluggish defense like we did. We were slow-footed and weren't in position, just kind of standing around basically. We're not athletic enough to get away with that stuff."

In other division action Saturday, top-seeded Rivercrest rebounded from a slow start to bounce upstart Corning 76-67, and No. 9 Hoxie eliminated eighth-seeded Gosnell 51-47.

The Blazers and Wildcats both struggled at the start. The game was tied at 5 after four minutes of action before Valley View (11-7) closed out the period with a 6-2 spurt for a 11-7 edge.

Trumann (3-7) hit on all cylinders in the second frame, knocking down 12-of-17 shots to take the momentum into the locker room at halftime. Alex Henry netted nine of his team-high 14 points in the period, including two big 3-pointers, and Matt Hartley scored inside on consecutive possessions as the Wildcats pulled ahead.

Henry's last '3' gave the Wildcats their biggest lead at 24-19, but Jay Yarbrough canned a baseline jumper with 1:01 left in the half to get the Blazers within three at the break.

The second half was a totally different story, though.

"Second half has been our problem the whole year," Trumann coach Gary McClung said. "We come out the third quarter like 40-year-old men, just kind of standing around. I think we get stove up in the dressing room. We're probably averaging about eight points in the third quarter this year. We just stood around and didn't run our offense and took some shots we shouldn't have taken."

Valley View couldn't find a shot it didn't like in the second half. The Blazers hit their first five shots of the third quarter to grab a 32-25 lead and deflate the Wildcats. Matt Lee's 18-foot wing jumper opened the scoring spree, and Hayes Howell followed with a three-point play and another post basket to make it 28-24.

Yarbrough swished a pullup jumper from the wing, and Howell scored again down low after Henry sank 1-of-2 free throws to hand the Blazers a seven-point cushion. Lee's three-point play with 2:33 remaining in the period made it a 10-point game, and Craig Duncan drained a 15-foot jumper with two seconds left to leave the Wildcats staring at a double-digit deficit entering the final frame.

Howell scored four straight points to start the last quarter, giving his team a 43-29 lead. Trumann could get only as close as 10 points on Henry's layup with 2:16 to play as the Blazers sank 7-of-8 free throws in the final three minutes.

Howell finished with a game-high 25 points, while Lee pitched in 13 for Valley View. Josh Payne was the only other double-digit scorer for Trumann, tossing in 10.

"Hopefully we learned a lesson here," McCord said. "We have to come out and we have to play for four quarters. Things are only going to get tougher from here on out."

Rivercrest 76, Corning 67

Still riding the high from its first NEA victory in 15 years a day earlier, Corning nearly pulled off quite possibly the biggest upset in NEA Tournament history.

Top-seeded Rivercrest just wouldn't allow it.

The Colts rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit with a strong second half, fighting off the pesky Bobcats in the final three minutes.

Corning (3-8) beat Rivercrest at its own game in the first half, frustrating the Colts with a fullcourt pressure defense and converting easy baskets in transition. Randy McMasters had 13 points and three 3-pointers in the opening half, and Phillip Colbert drilled a pair of '3's for the Bobcats.

Lindell Lucy's fast-break layup with 5:11 left in the half put the Bobcats up 29-16 before Rivercrest picked up the pace and pulled within 35-30 at the half.

Rivercrest forced three straight Corning turnovers to start the third quarter, scoring each time to grab a 37-35 lead. Logan Davis' running jumper knotted the score up at 37, but the Colts took the lead for good on Quincy Williams' 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 5:04 mark of the third frame.

An 8-2 spurt put the Colts up 50-41, but Lucy's penetration along the baseline for a layup with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter pulled the Bobcats within 53-47 heading into the last period.

Brandon Love's layup on a nice bounce pass from D.L. Riley extended the Colts' lead to 61-50 with 6:32 to play, but the Bobcats simply wouldn't go away. Wes Benton's 3-pointer and four straight points from Lucy cut the deficit to 64-61 with 3:38 to go, but the Bobcats connected on only 3-of-15 field-goal attempts in the final 3:38 to lose their upset bid.

Kevin Barnes paced five Rivercrest players in double figures with 18 points. Williams chipped in 15, Love had 14, Jimmy Caruthers netted 12 and Aaron Smith scored 10 for the Colts. Rivercrest finished 21-of-36 from the foul line, including an 11-for-18 effort in the fourth quarter.

McMasters pumped in a game-high 26 points for Corning, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Lucy finished with 22 for the Bobcats, who led 17-14 after one quarter.

Hoxie 51, Gosnell 47

Hoxie kept trying to slam the door on the Pirates, extending its lead after each quarter, but the Mustangs started playing not to lose and almost got caught with their fingers in the crack.

Using a strong inside game paced by Chris Bullard, Hoxie built a 40-29 lead after three quarters and held off a late Gosnell charge for the victory.

Hoxie (7-5) will now play Rivercrest Wednesday at 3 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup.

Bullard, who led the Mustangs with 20 points, scored 15 in the first half and coupled with Adam Dobbs to give Hoxie a formidable punch inside. The Mustangs outrebounded Gosnell 36-26 in the game.

Gosnell (4-6) took a 3-0 lead early but it evaporated quickly. Hoxie got a basket from Bullard and three straight three-point plays inside, one from Bullard and two from Dobbs, to take an 11-5 lead that they extended to 15-9 after one quarter.

The Mustangs then went on a 10-3 run, led by five points from Bullard, for a 25-12 edge with 4:39 left and the Mustangs went on to lead 30-21 at the half.

Gosnell opened the quarter with a quick basket by sophomore Pete Peterson off a penetration and pass from Andre Mitchell. Hoxie, however, reeled off the next eight points for a 38-23 lead.

Bullard grabbed his own rebound and dropped in a soft jumper for a 32-23 lead before Michael Wilkett sank an open jumper and Bullard and Bobby Sullivan scored inside on transition after Gosnell misses.

Hoxie, which shot 48 percent (20-of-42), led 40-29 after three quarters and 42-33 with 4:08 to play after a Sullivan pullup jumper.

Gosnell answered with a long 3-pointer from Stephen Vaughn from the left wing to cut the lead to 42-36. Wilkett scored inside off a quick pass from Bullard to extend the lead to 44-36 with 3:28 before the Pirates made one last run.

Peterson looked around before knocking down a 3-pointer from 23 feet and Mitchell stole a pass at midcourt and nailed a hanging jumper to cut the lead to 44-41 with 2:55 to play.

Sophomore guard Robert Riedel hit one free throw after a Gosnell turnover, then blew past the Pirate defense for a quick layin for a 47-41 edge with 1:40 to play.

Six-four Roy Weatherspoon tipped in a Peterson miss for Gosnell and Bullard sank one free throw after a quick foul for a 48-43 Hoxie lead with 42 seconds left.

Mitchell sandwiched two leaning jumpers around a pair of Sullivan free throws to pull the Pirates within 50-47 with 22 seconds to play.

Bullard missed two free throws a second later but Mitchell missed a jumper and the Pirates got the offensive rebound but Peterson missed a 3-pointer from the left wing that would have tied. Sullivan hit the second of two free throws to ice the game with 3.6 seconds left.

Gosnell struggled offensively, shooting 17-of-58 (29 percent) in the contest, including 5-of-16 (31 percent) from beyond the arc.

(Return to sports)

Thursday, Dec 7, 2000
High School Basketball Roundup

Lyon College Tourney

BATESVILLE -- Highland reeled off a 19-point victory over Batesville-Southside 72-53 in the first round of the Lyon College High School tournament in senior boys' basketball Wednesday.

Viola defeated Norfork 72-50 in the second game, and Midland downed Salem 76-61 n the final game of the night.

Highland was led by a trio of double digit scorers as Zac Smith fired up23 points, Tim Hansen closed with 20 points and Kyle Batsy knocked down 14points.

Southside was led by Jeff Davis who ended with 16 points.

Salem's Josh Nelson scored a game-high 32 points and teammate Justin Branscum added 10 but it wasn't enough for the Greyhounds as four Midland playersalso reached double figures.

For Midland, Rusty Manor led with 25 points followed by Daniel Haigwood with 17, Nate Tharp with 13 and Brad Wattlington with 12.

The senior girls' first-round bracket closed out with Newark posting a 55-48 win over Batesville-Southside and Cave City scoring a 62-50 victory overSulphur Rock.

Bank of Osceola Classic

OSCEOLA -- Rivercrest and Osceola both advanced to the finals of the Bank of Osceola Classic after winning semifinal contests Wednesday evening insenior boys' basketball.

Osceola (4-1) handily defeated previously unbeaten Hughes 72-56 after leading 37-16 at the half.

Osceola was led by five players in double digits, including Donnell Haynes with 18 points, Chris Baker with 14 points, Octavious Bailey with 12 points and Cornelius Manning and Dan Newson both with 11 points.

Hughes' Lonnie Smith and Paul Doolittle both scored 18 points and Robert Davis added 14.

Rivercrest improved its record to 6-0 by coming back from a seven-point deficit at the half to defeat West-Helena Central 79-74 after having trailed nearly the entire game.

Aaron Smith and Kevin Barns led the way for Rivercrest with each scoring19 points. They were followed by Brandon Love with 16 points and eight rebounds and Jimmy Caruthers with 14 points.

West Helena's leading scorers were Tony Washington, who ended with 28 points, Donnie Fields with 15 and Jerry Thomas added 10.

Earle 36, C.V. White 26

EARLE -- Tamecha Brown scored 14 points as Earle defeated C.V. White 36-26 in senior girls' basketball Tuesday.

Porsche Doyle tossed in 10 for the Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 5-4 on the year.

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Tuesday, December 5, 2000

Prep basketball roundup

Pocahontas 49, Highland 41

POCAHONTAS -- Pocahontas led Highland 31-15 at the end of the third quarter before going on to win 49-41 in senior boys' basketball Monday.

Pocahontas (3-3, 2-0 3AAA-North) was led by Brandon Swann with 20 points, Rusty Farrin with 12 points, Robert Counts with 10 points and Joe Baltz with nine rebounds and six assists.

Highland (4-1, 1-1 3AAA-North) was paced by Tim Hansen's 11 points.

Piggott 59, Corning 41

PIGGOTT -- Alex Baldwin netted a game-high 26 points and Piggott pulled away from Corning after halftime to post a 59-41 victory in senior boys' basketball Monday night.

Brian Stahl chipped in 15 points and Phil Pollard added 10 for the Mohawks (3-3, 1-1 3AAA-North), who trailed 18-16 after one quarter but took leads of 31-26 and 41-31 at the end of the next two periods.

Randy McMasters paced the Bobcats with 18 points.

Lyon College Tourney

BATESVILLE -- Myranda Evans poured in a game-high 29 points as Highland rolled past Viola 74-57 in a senior girls' first-round game at the Lyon College tournament Monday.

In other senior girls' action, Batesville Southside topped Salem 57-29 and Cave City overpowered Norfork 66-32.

In the senior boys' bracket, Mount Pleasant clipped Newark 66-62 and Viola cruised past Greers Ferry.

Kristin Byler chipped in 17 points and Amber Wilson 15 to help the Lady Rebels. Carmen Martin led Viola with 12.

Angie Tackett topped a balanced-scoring effort by Southside with 10 points. Andrea Bales paced Salem with nine points.

Lyon College Tourney

at Batesville

Senior Boys

Mount Pleasant 66, Newark 62

Viola 75, Greers Ferry 57

Senior Girls

Cave City 66, Norfork 32

Highland 74, Viola 47

Southside 57, Salem 29

(Return to sports)

Sunday, December 03, 2000

Prep basketball scores

Sun Staff

ORC 42, Cord-Charlotte 41

RAVENDEN SPRINGS -- Oak Ridge Central picked up a victory insenior girls' basketball Friday night under unusual circumstances.

Playing with just three players over the final seven minutes, ORC held off Cord-Charlotte 42-41.

The Lady Roadrunners were down to just four players with aminute left in the third quarter and managed to force a 26-26 tie entering thefourth quarter.

Jessica Short, who led ORC with 23 points, went 11-for-13 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Kristy King added 13 for ORC,which trailed 11-6 after the opening quarter before rallying in the second quarter to tie the game at 16.

Corning 69, Westside 59

CORNING -- Randy McMasters scored 25 points to lead Corningpast Westside 69-59 in senior boys' basketball Friday.

Phillip Colbert tossed in 19 and Lindell Lucy 16 for theBobcats (1-5, 1-0 3AAA-North).

Jonathan Pattee led the Warriors with 18 points followed byJohn David Mitchell with 12.

Corning led 19-12 after the first quarter and 28-25 athalftime.

Paragould 45, Piggott 43

PARAGOULD -- Paragould squeezed by Piggott 45-43 in seniorboys' basketball Friday night.

Josh Sisk led the Rams (5-0) with 15 points and 12 rebounds as teammate Drew Hunt followed with 11 points.

Brian Stahl fired up 18 points to power Piggott (2-3), andAlex Baldwin added 12 points.

Gosnell 61, Manila 48

GOSNELL -- After leading by three at the half, Gosnell pulled away from Manila with a 20-9 third-quarter scoring advantage to secure a61-48 victory in senior boys' basketball Friday.

Gosnell (3-4) had a pair of players in double figures. Steven Baughn racked up 20 points and Pete Peterson fired in 17 points.

Josh McCullough's 15 points made him the only Manila playerin double digits.

Salem 71, Mammoth Spring 70

SALEM -- Jamie Sisk's free throw with 1.9 seconds left inthe second overtime lifted Salem past Mammoth Spring 71-70 Friday night insenior boys' basketball.

The Bears led by four with about a minute left in the secondovertime, aided by two big 3-pointers from Derek Todd, before Salem rallied forthe win.

Josh Nelson led the Greyhounds, who picked up their firstwin of the year, with 20 points, all in the second half. Sisk added 15 pointsand Justin Branscum 10 for Salem (1-3, 1-1 2AA-North).

Brian Myers led Mammoth Spring with 28 points. SethWooldridge added 17, and Todd added 13.

Salem led after three quarters, holding a 39-37 advantage entering the final period before the Bears tied the game at the end ofregulation 57-57. The score was tied at 59 heading into the second overtime.

(Return to sports)

Sun Friday, December 01, 2000

BROOKLAND -- Pocahontas hit a layup with four seconds remainingin the fourth quarter to provide the victory as the Redskins edged Brookland62-60 in senior boys' basketball Thursday.

Pocahontas (2-3) was led by Brandon Swann with 22 points. Swann hit seven 3-pointers including three each in the third and fourth quarters.

Robert Counts contributed 13 points and Joe Baltz added 10 points for the Redskins, who scored the winning bucket after coming up with a lose ball andhastily driving the length of the court.

For Brookland (9-3), Nathaniel McDaniel tallied 21 points and Zach Coker added16 points.

Brookland missed an opportunity to take the lead after missing the front end ofa one-and-one with 10 seconds left before the scramble that resulted in thePocahontas score.

In the senior boys' division, Viola had four players scorein double figures to hold off Riverside. Viola's Justin Batterton scored agame-high 15 to lead a balanced attack. Viola's Kelsey Pickering added 14 whileIsaac Middlebrooks and Jake Oliver each chipped in 12.

Riverside's Matt Baker led the Rebels, who trailed 34-27 at halftime, with 13points and Phillip Gray scored 12.

Highland Rebels surge by, hold off Cavemen
Boys& girls

HIGHLAND — The Highland Rebels started fast, then held on for a 70-61 non-conference high school basketball victory against the Cave City Cavemen here Monday night.

The Rebels jumped out to a 14-2 lead. They led 36-27 at halftime and 56-43 after three quarters.

“It was a game of spurts for them,” Cave City Coach Mark Smith said. “We didn’tplay very well, and they had a lot to do with that. We did stay after them,though. We were down by 20 at one time and cut it back to five.”

The Rebels are 4-0. The Cavemen fell to 11-2.

For Highland, Tim Hansen scored 21 points, and Zac Smith added 20.

For Cave City, Nathan Walling scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds,Brandon Treat and Jimmy Hodges scored 13 points apiece, Byron Turner added 11points, and Brandon Curtis dished out four assists. Hodges also made fivesteals.

The Junior Cavemen improved to 4-5 with a 58-35 victory. David Snyder scored 22points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the winners. Jon Hodges added 11 points.

Zack Leija scored 12 points for Highland.

Highland won the senior boys’ B game 44-41.

Wednesday November 29, 2000

Walters powers Brookland to win

HEATHER HANKINS
WRESTLING FOR THE BALL Westside's Rocky Key (34) snags a rebound away from Brookland's Eric Stoneciper (44) as the Warriors' Chris Nelson (far left) and another Brookland player look on Tuesday night. Brookland pulled away in the second half for an 87-78 victory.

By PAUL BOYD
Westside rained in 11 3-pointers Tuesday night, but Brookland's inside-outside combination of Zach Coker and Michael Walter proved to be too much.

Coker tossed in a game-high 29 points, while the 6-foot-6 Walter added 26 points and was dominant in the pivotal third quarter as the Bearcats pulled away to an 87-78 victory in the 3AAA-North conference game at Warrior Gym.

Walter, a foreign exchange student from Poland, keyed a 21-7 third-quarter run that turned the tight game into a blowout for the Bearcats (9-2, 1-0).

After Brock McKeel's 3-pointer from the wing pulled Westside within 38-35 early in the third periodr, Walter took over to score 12 points in the quarter alone and 20 in the second half.

The senior post player fed Eric Stonecipher with a nice bounce pass down low for a layup, then scored off an offensive rebound for a 42-35 Brookland lead.

Jackson Ishmael hit two free throws to pull the Warriors within 42-37, but Walter had two baskets inside and a tip-in along with a long trey from Coker as Brookland took control 51-37 with just over three minutes left in the quarter and led 61-44 entering the final frame.

The Bearcats also dominated the boards in the second half, outrebounding Westside 21-9 in the final two quarters and 12-4 in the key third quarter.

Westside (2-3, 0-2) would cut the margin back to single digits only with the final score.

Brookland coach Mark Whitmire said Walter is getting more and more confident after sitting out of preseason workouts six weeks with a broken foot. Walter's progress gives the Bearcats more offensive weapons than just Coker.

"I kept stressing to our guys in practice that if we start working on him playing with more confidence, we will only be a better team," Whitmire said. "He was out for six weeks when we started practice. He's getting better and better every day and getting more and more confident."

Westside coach Chad Soden said Walter's size gave his team problems.

"That's what a big guy can do in there, cause trouble," Soden said.

Brookland also got 12 points from Daniel Russell and 11 from Stonecipher as four Bearcats reached double figures.

Whitmire was very pleased with the Bearcats' teamwork on the night.

"I'm just so pleased with how hard these kids are working and playing team basketball," he said. "Zach got his tonight, but we've got other weapons also."

Ishmael led Westside with 22, while Jonathan Pattee added 19 and Rocky Key chipped in 15 off the bench, including four 3-pointers.

Soden said his team is still getting used to a more up-tempo style, but was pleased with the Warriors' composure.

"These guys hung in there tonight even though they got down," Soden said. "They aren't used to playing this style of ball, but I think by the end of the year we'll be tough to beat."

Coker, a 6-3 senior who hit five 3-pointers on the night, scored 18 of his 29 in the first half to help Brookland take a 38-30 halftime lead.

The Bearcats hit five of their first six shots from the field to take a quick 15-3 lead, but Westside clawed back to lead by as many as three midway through the second quarter.

Pattee's '3' gave the Warriors a 24-21 lead with 5:03 left before halftime, but Coker's three-point play triggered a 13-3 run that gave Brookland a 34-27 lead with 2:17 left in the second quarter.

In the junior boys' game, Brance Reeves scored 14 points to lead Brookland to a 46-40 victory.

The junior Bearcats are now 8-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Nathan Ogden led Westside (2-3) with a game-high 15 points.

(Return to sports)

High School Boys Basketball Roundup

Hoxie 45, Piggott 43

HOXIE -- After leading by eight going into the fourth quarter, Hoxie staved off Piggott's late charge to take the win 45-43 in senior boys' basketball Monday.

Bobby Sullivan led Hoxie (4-1) with 14 points and was followed by teammates Chris Bullard with 12 points and Adam Dobbs with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Graddy made his presence known as well by leading his team in assists with six.

Piggott had a pair of players to score in double figures. Brian Stahl led with 17 and Tyler Crittenden put up 12 points.

Bay 71, Weiner 60

BAY -- Bay's Byron Forehand posted 28 points as Bay outscored Weiner 27-19 in the fourth quarter to take the victory 71-60 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Bay's Cameron Campbell followed closely behind Forehand with 20 points and Ryan Prince also ended in double figures with 14 points.

Weiner was led by William Moore, who had 17 points. Jason Ford ended with 15 points and William Tate added 10.

Rector 54, Pocahontas 40

POCAHONTAS -- Rector powered out to a 45-17 lead at the half over Pocahontas and never looked back to post a 54-40 win in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Rector (6-0) was led in scoring by Matt Mills, who had 19 points and six assists, while Rodney Thrasher ended with 14 points.

Pocahontas (1-3) had two in double figures as well with David Huffman and Ben Atkins both scoring 10 points.

Riverside 58, EPC 55

CARAWAY -- Tied at the end of the third quarter, Riverside squeaked past East Poinsett County 58-55 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

A trio of players reached double digits for Riverside, which was tied 44-44 with EPC to start the final quarter. Jacob Couch had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Matt Baker finished with 14 points and Derek Blancett added 11 points, all of which came in the second half.

EPC's Courtney Brown led all scorers with 25 points and was followed by Christian Saliba who posted 13 points.

Gosnell 70, Corning 42

GOSNELL -- Pete Peterson poured in a game-high 28 points as Gosnell used a big second half to defeat Corning 70-42 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

The Pirates (2-4) trailed 14-8 after one quarter before grabbing a 27-24 lead at the half. They extended that lead to 46-35 through three periods and outscored the Bobcats 24-7 in the final period.

Phillip Colbert led Corning with 17 points.

Paragould 58, Marmaduke 40

PARAGOULD -- Paragould placed four players in double figures as the Rams remained unbeaten on the young season with a 58-40 victory over Marmaduke Tuesday night in senior boys' basketball.

Caleb Williams led the way for the Rams (4-0) with 14 points. Evan Elmore chipped in 13, Josh Sisk had 11 and Drew Hunt added 10 for Paragould, which led 27-14 at the half.

The Greyhounds (6-5) were paced by Shane Jordan's 10 points.

Rivercrest 66, Trumann 42

TRUMANN -- Rivercrest led for all four quarters as it raced past Trumann 66-42 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

The Colts led 21-10 after the first quarter and 33-21 at halftime.

Brandon Love led the Colts (2-0) with 20 points followed by Kevin Barnes with 15 and Jimmy Caruthers with 10. Caruthers also grabbed eight rebounds and Quincy Williams had eight assists for Rivercrest.

Trumann (2-3) was paced by Matt Hartley with 14 points.

Tuckerman 72, Williford 46

WILLIFORD -- Four players scored in double figures as Tuckerman cruised past Williford 72-46 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Brandon Foster led the Bulldogs (7-7) with 19 points. Blake Whitby added 14 while Aaron Hendrix and Courtney Ward tossed in 10 each. Derek Watson also had a team-high 14 rebounds for Tuckerman and dished out six assists.

Tim Jones led Williford (1-13) with 14 points.

Tuckerman led just 20-18 after the first quarter and 35-30 at halftime when it outscored Williford 19-8 in the third quarter to take a 54-38 advantage.

Melbourne 63, Salem 46

SALEM -- A big first-quarter lead helped Melbourne escape with a 63-46 victory over Salem Tuesday in senior boys' basketball.

Melbourne led 22-8 after the first quarter, but the Greyhounds (0-3 overall, 0-2 in 2AA-North conference play) cut the Melbourne lead to 34-24 at halftime.

Melbourne, which led 50-35 after the third quarter, was led by Matt Adams with 16 points. Josh Nelson paced Salem with 19.

(Return to sports)

Local Basketball Score List

Local Basketball

TUESDAY'S LOCAL BASKETBALL

Senior Boys

Bay 71, Weiner 60

Brookland 87, Westside 78

Gosnell 70, Corning 42

Harrisburg 65, Sloan-Hendrix 44

Hoxie 45, Piggott 43

Mammoth Spring 62, ICC 58, OT

Maynard 70, Oak Ridge Cent. 40

Melbourne 63, Salem 46

Nettleton 56, Manila 52

Paragould 58, Marmaduke 40

Rector 54, Pocahontas 40

Rivercrest 66, Trumann 42

Riverside 58, E. Poinsett Co. 55

Tuckerman 72, Williford 46

(Return to sports)

Sports Archive - Wednesday November 22, 2000

Boys High School Basketball Roundup

HIGHLAND -- Zach Smith poured in a game-high 44 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds as Highland held off Westside 80-68 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

Tim Hansen added 17 points and 11 assists for the Rebels (3-0, 1-0 3AAA-North), who led 26-16 after one quarter and 47-30 at halftime. Randy Baldridge chipped in 11 points for Highland.

Brock McKeel netted a team-leading 21 points for the Warriors. Jackson Ishmael contributed 15, Jonathan Pattee pitched in 14 and John David Mitchell added 10.

Westside won the junior boys' game 54-48.

BIC 61, Riverside 51

CARAWAY -- Justin Blankenship and Aaron Cobb combined to score 46 points as Buffalo Island Central rallied in the second half to defeat Riverside 61-51 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

Blankenship tallied a game-high 25 points for the Mustangs (7-5, 2-1 3AA-North), who trailed 19-13 after one quarter and 26-23 at the half before rallying for a 45-38 lead through three periods. Cobb added 21 points for BIC.

Phillip Gray had 13 points to lead the Rebels (2-9, 1-2), and Derek Blanchett chipped in 12.

Weiner 50, Trumann 45

WEINER -- Weiner rallied in the fourth quarter for a 50-45 victory over Trumann in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Chase Kagen and William Tate each hit a big 3-pointer in the final stanza to help lift Weiner (7-4) over the Wildcats (1-2).

Tate finished with 18 points to lead all scorers as the Cardinals erased deficits of six points at halftime and five points at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Adam Anderson led Trumann with 12 points.

Brookland 72, CRA 68

PARAGOULD -- Brookland hit 11 3-pointers to pull out a 72-68 victory over Crowley's Ridge Academy in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Brookland led 18-12 after the first quarter. CRA (2-4) rallied to tie the game 31-31 and Brookland led 49-45 after three quarters.

The Bearcats were led by Zach Coker's 33 points and six 3-pointers. Eric Stonecipher chipped in 12 points.

CRA was led by Cade Smith's 21 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Prather added 17 points and Matt Summitt added 16.

Hoxie 70, Walnut Ridge 47

HOXIE -- Four players scored in double figures as Hoxie whipped rival Walnut Ridge 70-47 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Chris Bullard led Hoxie with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Graddy added 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, Matt Light 11 points and Bobby Sullivan 10 points.

Hoxie led 17-12 after the first quarter, 35-25 at halftime and 51-34 after three quarters.

Bay 67, Tuckerman 64

BAY -- Bay led by 14 at halftime and held on to defeat Tuckerman 67-64 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

Byron Forehand led Bay (5-6) and all scorers with 21 points. Jeremy Thomas added 19 for the Yellowjackets and Ryan Prince scored 11 points.

David Gates paced Tuckerman with 18 points and Blake Whitby added 13 points.

Mammoth Spring 70, Couch 53

MAMMOTH SPRING -- Mammoth Spring's Brian Myers scored 33 points and the Bears outscored Couch, Mo., 26-11 in the final period to pull out a 70-53 victory Tuesday night in senior boys' basketball.

Matt Newman recorded all 13 of his points in the fourth period for Mammoth Spring (6-7), which turned a 44-42 edge after three quarters into a comfortable 17-point victory. Seth Wooldridge added 11 points for the Bears, who led 28-23 at halftime.

Maynard 76, Salem 73

MAYNARD -- Maynard hit 16-of-18 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to edge Salem 76-73 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday.

The teams were tied at 51 after three quarters. Kyle Gardner led Maynard (9-3, 1-0 2AA-North) with 26 points and seven rebounds. Jeremy Johnson added 23 points while Aaron Brooks chipped in nine points, dished out five assists and collected four steals.

Justin Branscum led Salem with 21 points. Josh Nelson added 16 and Jamie Sisk 13.

Williford 58, ORC 53

WILLIFORD -- Williford picked up its first senior boys' basketball victory of the season by knocking off Oak Ridge Central 58-53 Tuesday.

Tim Jones led Williford (1-12) with 23 points. Teammates Josh Robbins and Zac Lester chipped in 17 and 10 points, respectively.

Blake James led ORC with 15 points and Chris Tucker added 11 points. The Roadrunners could not hold on to a six-point halftime lead.

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Sports Archive - Friday November 17, 2000

Local basketball roundup

Highland 71, Southside 45

HIGHLAND -- Highland took control with a 20-6 third quarter and rolled past Batesville Southside 71-45 in senior boys' basketball Thursday night.

Tim Hansen poured in a game-high 19 points for the Rebels (2-0), who led 40-31 at halftime and pulled ahead 60-37 after three periods. Zach Smith contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, Kyle Baty also chipped in 13 points and Chuck Rees added 10 for Highland.

Osceola 86, BIC 67

LEACHVILLE -- Osceola dominated the second quarter to open up a big lead against Buffalo Island Central, and the Seminoles went on to capture their season-opener 86-67 Thursday night in senior boys' basketball.

The Mustangs (6-5) took a 17-16 lead into the second quarter, but Osceola (1-0) outscored BIC 35-14 in the second frame to open up a 51-31 advantage at the break.

Donnell Haynes netted a team-leading 19 points for Osceola. Cornelius Manning chipped in 17, Dan Newson had 15 and Octavius Bailey added 12.

Justin Blankenship pumped in a game-high 23 points for the Mustangs. Aaron Cobb contributed 21 and Eric Lyerly pitched in 12 for BIC.

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Thursday,November 09, 2000
MELBOURNE 77, CAVE CITY 71 Patrick Davidson led the Bearkatz(5-1) with 20 points in a victory over the Cavemen. Matt Adams added 15 andJeremy Lawrence 13 for Melbourne. For Cave City, Jimmy Hodges scored 18 points.

VIOLA 75, MAMMOTH SPRING 59 Kelsey Pickering led theLonghorns with 33 points in a victory over the Bears. Isaac Middlebrooks added12 for Viola. For Mammoth Spring, Matt Newman hit 19 and Brian Myers 12.

Wednesday,November 08, 2000

HIGHLAND 73, MAMMOTH SPRING 41
Tim Hansen scored 16 points as the Rebels opened their season with a nonconference victory over the Bears (5-3). Zach Smith and JoeyCooper added 14 and Kyle Baty 10 for Highland. For Mammoth Spring, Seth Wooldridge hit 13 and Derek Todd 10.

Sun Wednesday November 03, 1999

LAKE CITY -- Matt Baker nailed two free throws with sixseconds left to lift Riverside over Brookland 84-82 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

All five Rebel starters hit double figures as Baker led with 25 points,including five 3-pointers.

Ken Stallings added 16 points, while Curtis Brewer and Wes Ward had 15 each. Joe Wilkinson chipped in 10 for Riverside (4-1).

The Bearcats (2-2) were led by Zach Coker's game-high 34 points, 19 of which came in the fourth quarter. Adam Harmon had 18 points, while Mikie Slater andRoss Hawkins added 14 and 11, respectively.

Brookland was 21-for-23 from the free throw line.

River Valley 55, Swifton 52

SWIFTON -- Adam Huskey and Zack Witt combined for 40 points as River Valley edged Swifton 55-52 in senior boys' basketball Tuesday night.

Huskey scored 22 points and Witt added 18 for River Valley.

Cody Wood scored 20 points, Dustin Church added 11 and Charles Fears had 10 forSwifton, which led 14-8 after a quarter and 22-20 at halftime. The score wastied 38-38 entering the final period.

Sports Archive - Wednesday November 01, 2000

Prep basketball roundup

BROOKLAND -- Zach Coker poured in 29 points, including 9-of-11 from thefree-throw line, to lead Brookland to a 78-68 victory over Riverside in seniorboys' basketball Tuesday night.

The Bearcats (3-1) led only 39-36 at halftime and extended the lead to 63-54 entering the fourth quarter.

Nathan McDaniel added 16 points, including 6-of-6 from the field. DanielRussell also chipped in 14, including three 3-pointers. Michael Walter alsograbbed a team-high nine rebounds for Brookland.

Matt Baker led Riverside with 27 points, including 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Phillip Gray also added 15.