By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
WHEATLEY -- Talk about balanced scoring.
Rashun Barnes, Alvin Smith and Curtis Allen each scored in double figures Saturday night to lead the Junior Patriots past Brinkley 62-51 in the boys' championship game of the Wheatley Invitational Tournament.
Barnes finished with 12 points while Allen added 11 and Smith 10. Tony Huntley finished with nine and Elisha Duncan added eight while Osas Oyara had seven.
The P-W Junior Lady Patriots picked up the tournament's third place trophy with a 34-15 win over Brinkley's junior girls.
Bernice Sparkman led the way with 12 points while Tonisha Wynne added 11.
The Junior Lady Patriots (1-1) led 16-6 after one period and 22-8 at the half.
With head coach Terry Clardy still absent due to a death in the family, Junior Lady Patriot coach Lanny Allen called the shots for a second consecutive game. Allen was assisted by former Wheatley standout football player Carl Miller, Barnes' stepfather.
Brinkley led 8-4 early in the first but period before the Junior Patriots (2-0) used a 9-to-4 to take a 13-12 lead to start the second period.
Brinkley led briefly at 15-14 with 4:36 to play in the second until Fred Leak sank two free throws to put P-W back in front and the Junior Patriots never trailed again, as they went into halftime at 30-17 and ended the third period leading 49-33.
If there was a downside to the Junior Patriots big win, it came at the free throw line where the team hit just 26-of-51 free throws. Eleven of P-W's 17 second period points came from the foul line.
In other games Saturday, the McCrory Junior Lady Jaguars won the girls' title by downing Holly Grove 41-21 in the championship game.
Jordan Long, a 6-4 freshman center, led McCrory by scoring 30 of the team's 41 points. Long has 10 points in the third period and added nine in the fourth.
Lindsey Wampler added five points while Jennifer Smith had four and Victoria Lucas added two.
The Lady Jaguars led 8-7 after one period but were tied at 14 at the half before outscoring Holly Grove 14-to-2 in the third period to lead 28-16.
Janeesa Moore led Holly Grove with 11 points.
The McCrory Junior Jaguars took home third place by defeating Holly Grove 40-37.
Palestine-Wheatley's Lady Patriots will make the trip to Valley View tonight to take on the Lady Blazers.
The Lady Patriots are coming off a one-point win over Arkansas Baptist.
The Junior Lady Patriots will play Valley View at 6 p.m.
The Patriots will travel to Pocahontas tonight to play the
redskins in a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
LITTLE ROCK -- Pulaski Academy quarterback Thomas Thrash set a national touchdown pass completion record Friday night in the Bruin's 63-29 victory over Hughes in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
Thrash broke the record by completing his 67th touchdown pass of the season.
He went on to increase his record to 70 by the end of the game. Thrash toppled a record of 66 set by former Shiloh Christian quarterback Josh Floyd in 1998.
''This feels great,'' Thrash said. ''I'm glad it's over, but if feels great. It hasn't really hit me yet, every week we've had something else to worry about. It will at the end of the year, I'm sure.''
Thrash's record-setting scoring pass came on an 36-yard completion midway through the second quarter. Thrash went on to finish with six touchdown passes for the night and 70 for the season.
The Bruins will face Dardanelle in Friday's second-round game.
Thrash has thrown for more than 4,500 yards this season.
In other first-round Class AAA games Friday, Ozark beat Prairie Grove 13-8, Dumas beat Pulaski Oak Grove 45-21, Yellville-Summit defeated Harrisburg 33-28, Nashville defeated Hamburg 35-21, Rivercrest beat Bald Knob 28-21, Beebe defeated Brinkley 36-33, Booneville blanked Huntsville 28-0, Fordyce defeated DeQueen 20-12, Dardanelle defeated Gravette 25-10, Pine Bluff Dollarway beat Atkins 28-0, Gosnelle defeated Hoxie 42-19, Star city beat Ashdown 38-21, Trumann defeated Pocahontas 21-7, Warren beat mean 46-14 and Clarksville defeated Farmington 39-8.
On Friday, Ozark plays Dumas, Yellville-Summit plays Nashville, Rivercrest takes on Beebe, Booneville faces Fordyce, Pine Bluff Dollarway faces Gosnell, Star City faces Trumann and Clarksville takes on Warren.
The Blue Devils end their season at 5-5.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Hughes will open its junior high basketball season tonight when the Junior Blue Devils and Junior Lady Blue Devils host West Memphis East.
On Thursday, the senior high Hughes' teams will open the season.
Tonight's junior high games are set to tip at 5:30 p.m.
Steve Maynard is back to guide the junior girls while Brad Brannon, formerly of Wynne, takes over the junior boys' program from former coach Wes Swift, who is now at Lonoke.
In other junior high games tonight, the Forrest City White Junior Mustangs and White Junior Lady Mustangs will host Wynne tonight at Mustang Arena in two varsity games only, beginning at 6 p.m.
Karen Carrier returns to coach the girls' white team while first-year coach Sonny Shields has the white junior boys.
Also on Thursday, the Forrest City Blue Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will tip off their season when they travel to Wynne.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
RUSTON -- The sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters overcame a sluggish start to down Athletes in Action 96-68 in exhibition action at the Thomas Assembly Center Saturday afternoon.
Former Palestine-Wheatley standout Erica Smith, a true freshman for the Lady Techsters, scored eight points in the win.
Tech's inside game proved too strong for AIA as Lady Techster junior center Cheryl Ford led six Tech players in double figures with a game-high 17 points, while center Takeisha Lewis added 16 points and forward Ayana Walker chipped in with 14.
Tech ended the first half on a 30-18 lead to enter the halftime locker room with a 46-33 advantage as the Lady Techsters starters scored 25 of the points in the run.
Brooke Lassiter, who ended the game with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, nailed a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half to give Tech some momentum. Kenya Bibbs and Catrina Frierson each added 10 points.
The Lady Techsters outrebounded AIA 52-30, including a game-high seven boards by both Bibbs and Frierson.
WNBA star Sophia Witherspoon led AIA with 14 points.
Tech opens regular season action against No. 17 Michigan Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.