By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
JONESBORO -- Last year, the Hughes Blue Devils won the AAA boys' division at the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament (NEA).
The Blue Devils return this year to the NEA mix and go in as the No. 1 seeded team in the AAA boys' bracket.
It is their reward for winning the division title a year ago. Or is it?
Hughes is scheduled to play their first game on Wednesday, Dec. 26 against either Harrisburg or Corning. A Hughes victory brings the team back on Thursday, Dec. 27 against the Heber Springs-Gosnell winner. A victory there brings Hughes back the next day, Friday (Dec. 28) for a semifinal game. The finals will be played -- that's right -- on Saturday, Dec. 29.
If you've been keeping up, that means if Hughes successfully defends their title, they will have to do it by playing four games in four days -- without a break.
Meaning their stay in the NEA could prove to be more of a test of endurance rather than skill.
Last December, the Blue Devils won the AAA tournament title by playing four games in five days. There was a one-day break between the quarterfinals and the semifinals.
No breaks this time around.
A year ago, Hughes defeated East Poinsett County and Pocahontas in back-to-back games to earn a one-day rest before disposing of Brookland in the semifinals and Rivercrest in the finals.
Off to a 9-3 start under first-year coach Brad Brannen, and riding a seven-game win streak, the Blue Devils are relying on Robert Davis, Jermaine Davis, Jay Doolittle, Johnny Washington and Antonio Cotton for the main bulk of their scoring, especially with senior guard Lonnie Smith on the injury shelf until after the first of the year.
Hughes is not the only team that will have to advance through the bracket without a break. The Cave City-Hoxie first-round winner will have face the same schedule.
It's also that same way for the Highland Lady Rebels, the top-ranked girls' team in the AAA bracket -- four games in four days.
Seventeen teams make up the AAA boys' and girls' bracket.
The Hughes Lady Blue Devils, for the second straight year, will have to win the "play-in game" to get into the bracket.
A year ago, the Lady Blue Devils suffered a 53-12 loss to Manila in the "play-in game."
The Lady Blue Devils play Jonesboro Westside, Saturday, Dec. 22 at 4:30 p.m.
The competition at the NEA is just as tough in the other classifications, including the the A-AA boys' and girls' brackets.
The tournament opens Thursday (Dec. 20) afternoon at 4:30 with Piggott taking on Trumann in a AAA girls' division contest at the Convocation Center on the campus of Arkansas State University.
There will be four games on Thursday, followed by seven games on Friday starting at noon and eight on Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m.
All games in the girls' tournament will be played on the North court until the semifinal games begin.
All semifinals and finals will be played on the main court.
The top-seeded and defending champion Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds are 18-1 as they begin their NEA title defense.
Marmaduke defeated Riverside 65-52 in last year's A-AA girls' final.
Sloan-Hendrix (15-3) is seeded second, followed by Turrell third and Delaplaine fourth.
The Lady Greyhounds, who earned Dean his first NEA crown a year ago, already have wins over Sloan-Hendrix and Delaplaine this season.
Highland's Lady Rebels (11-1) definitely stand out among a crowd of talented teams in the AAA division.
Highland starts a front line that stands 6-foot-2, 6-1, 5-11, along with a pair of sophomore guards in the 5-9 to 5-10 range.
Arkansas Tech signee Ginger Murphy, a 6-1 swing player, averages 15 points per game to lead the team, while 6-2 Myranda Evans is next at 13 points per game. Kristen Bylar and Andrea Sublett also average over 10 points per game.
Rivercrest (10-2) is seeded second, Piggott (8-2) is third and Cave City fourth.
The two-time defending champion Valley View Lady Blazers are seeded sixth into the NEA.
The Blytheville Lady Chickasaws are the defending champions and top seed, but second-seeded Osceola already has two wins this season over its Mississippi County rivals.
Led by 6-3 University of Arkansas signee Ruby Vaden, the Lady Seminoles are 7-3 on the year. Osceola's losses this season have come to Class AAAAA West Memphis (twice) and two-time defending Class AAA state champion Ozark.
Vaden is averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots per game for the Lady Seminoles, but she's getting some help. Sophomore Jasmine Merritt is averaging 11 points.
Both Blytheville and Osceola received first-round byes and won't play until Thursday, Dec. 27, in the six-team AAAA-AAAAA division.
The two-first-round games will have third-seeded Greene County Tech (3-6) facing Newport on Wednesday, Dec. 26, at 1:30 and fourth-seeded Nettleton taking on Stuttgart at 4:30 on Wednesday.
The Forrest City Mustangs and Lady Mustangs return to the court Friday when they travel to Wynne for a three-game nonconference set with the Yellowjackets.
It is the final game for the Mustangs before the holiday break.
The Lady Mustangs will play in the Mount St. Mary's "Heavenly Hoopfest" tournament, beginning Dec. 27, in Little Rock.
Friday's slate tips at 5 p.m. with a JV boys game.
Last Friday, The Lady Mustangs defeated the Lady Jackets at Mustang Arena while the Mustangs lost to the Yellowjackets.
In games played Tuesday, Bryant defeated Jacksonville 63-61; LR Catholic slowed down Benton 37-29 and LR Mills beat LR Hall 58-36.
In senior girls' play Tuesday, Valley View defeated Bay 53-41
* PREP BASKETBALL
High School Basketball Tournaments
Fairview Holiday Classic At Camden
Boys
Wednesday, December 26
Gurdon vs. Kingsland, 11:30 a.m.
White Hall vs. Stephens, 2:30 p.m.
Nevada vs. LR Fair, 5:30 p.m.
Fairview vs. Fordyce, 8:30 p.m.
Girls
Wednesday, December 26
LR Parkview vs. Magnolia, 1 p.m.
Stephens vs. White Hall, 4 p.m.
Malvern vs. Camden Fairview, 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 27
Kingsland at Nevada, 1 pm.
Landers Ford/Red Devil Classic At Jacksonville
Boys
Thursday, December 27
Conway vs. Oak Grove, 11:30 a.m.
Searcy vs. Pulaski Robinson, 2:30 p.m.
NLR vs. Mills, 5:30 p.m.
Jacksonville vs. Arkadelphia, 8:30 p.m.
Girls
Thursday, December 27
LR McClellan vs. Wynne, 10 a.m.
Conway vs. Batesville, 1 p.m.
NLR vs. Searcy, 4 p.m.
Jacksonville vs. Arkadelphia, 7 p.m.
Harmony Grove Classic At Camden
Boys
Thursday, December 27
Bearden vs. Emerson, 3:15 p.m.
Hampton vs. Smackover, 5:45 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Huttig,
8:15 p.m.
Friday, December 28
Huttig vs. Hampton, 3:15 p.m.
Smackover vs. Bearden, 5:45 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Emerson, 8:15 p.m.
Saturday, December 29
Bearden vs. Huttig, 3:15 p.m.
Emerson vs. Hampton, 5:45 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Smackover, 8:15 p.m.
Girls
Thursday, December 27
Parkers Chapel vs. Emerson, 2 p.m.
Hampton vs. Smackover, 4:30 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Huttig, 7 p.m.
Friday, December 28
Huttig vs. Hampton, 2 p.m.
Smackover vs. Parkers Chapel, 4:30 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Emerson, 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 29
Parkers Chapel vs. Huttig, 2 p.m.
Emerson vs. Hampton, 4:30 p.m.
Camden Harmony Grove vs. Smackover, 7 p.m.
First Security Bank/Badger Classic At Beebe
Girls
Thursday, December 27
LR Hall vs. England, 3 p.m.
Beebe vs. Cathedral, 6 p.m.