By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It all came down to the final two minutes for the Forrest City White Junior Mustangs.
Forrest City was leading West Memphis, until the visitors slapped on the press and escaped with a 45-38 win Monday night at Mustang Arena.
After scoring just 22 points total in the first three periods, West Memphis erupted for 23 points in the fourth period alone. Half of that total came from the free throw line where West canned 12-of-15.
Keland Mills was 6-of-6 from the foul line for West and finished with 19 points to lead all scorers.
Demario Jordan led Forrest City with 15 points, including three from behind the three-point arc. Cameron Henderson added 14 points. and Ben Horton finished with four points.
Both teams ended the first period locked in a 9-9 tie but West edged to an 18-15 lead at the half.
Forrest City, 0-2, used a 16-to-4 run in the third period to lead 31-22 to start the fourth period.
The White Junior Mustangs will open play in the Turrell Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 24.
Senior Boys
Memphis East 93, Hughes 59
The Hughes Blue Devils wilted under the Memphis East press Monday at the Marion Patriot Classic, losing 93-59.
"We let the pressure get to us and that is the story," said Hughes Coach Brad Brannen.
Robert Davis led Hughes with 26 points while Jermaine Davis added 19 in the losing effort.
Antonio Cotton was in double figures in rebounding for the second straight game for the Blue Devils.
Hughes slips to 1-1 for the year, after opening last week with a 71-51 win over Earle.
The Class AAA defending champion Blue Devils will open play Thursday (Nov. 22) against Columbus, Miss., in the Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge tournament at Mustang Arena. The game will tip at 3:30 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley 68, Gillett 64
DeVille Pickett poured in 30 points Monday night to help lead the Patriots over Gillett 68-64 in a 6AA Conference game.
It was the first win of the season for the Patriots who improve to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Oliver MIller was the only other Palestine-Wheatley player to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 19 points.
P-W led by as many as 10 points late in the fourth period before Gillett cut the P-W lead to two points.
The Patriots got an easy basket off an inbounds play to set the final margin at four points.
P-W will host Earle tonight at Patriot Gym.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
GILLETT -- The Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots opened 6AA Conference play Monday night with a 51-32 win over Gillett.
Senior guard Nikki Bass led all scorers with 23 points while Nikita Love added 13 points. LaRhonda Bender scored four points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Brittney Flenory finished with five points and 10 boards. Libby Martin added six points.
"My juniors stepped up tonight and played much better," said P-W Coach Beverly Bass.
The victory evened the Lady Patriots' record at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
The Lady Patriots will face Earle tonight in nonconference action at Patriot Gym.
Turrell 51, Hughes 42
MARION -- The Turrell Lady Rockets put together a run in the final two minutes Monday against the Hughes Lady Blue Devils to take a 51-42 win in the Marion Patriot Classic.
Hughes had led almost the entire game holding an 11-9 advantage after one period and staying front 22-17 at the half. Hughes led 34-30 to start the final period.
Turrell improves to 7-2 for the year while the Lady Blue Devils fall to 0-2.
Hughes was led in scoring by three sophomores -- Victoria Doolittle with 12, Shemicko Porter with 11 and Valreneeka Brown with 10 points.
"We competed well and played well last night," said Hughes Coach Steve Maynard. "We just let it go at the end."
Earle 35, Hughes 33
The Earle Lady Bulldogs defeated Hughes 35-33 last week.
Hughes led 7-3 after one period but Earle regained the halftime lead at 14-11.
Brown led Hughes with 13 points.
The Hughes Junior Lady Blue Devils will open the year tonight when they play West Memphis West on the road.
Junior Girls
West Memphis 45, Forrest City White 36
Kelly Darby scored 15 points and Monica Angeletti added 10 points to help lead West Memphis West past the White Junior Lady Mustangs 45-36 Monday.
Forrest City falls to 1-1 for the year.
Sequoria Grady led Forrest City with 11 points while Viveca Kimble added 10 points.
Palestine-Wheatley 34, Gillett 29
The Palestine-Wheatley Junior lady Patriots improved to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the 6AA Conference Monday with a 34-29 win over Gillett.
Bernice Sparkman led P-W with 19 points while Fallon Parker added seven points.
Five Junior Lady Patriot players were saddled with three personal fouls each by half time.
by FRED CONLEY
By late Wednesday, seven of the eight teams making up this year's Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge tournament field should be in town.
All except the Columbus, Mississippi Falcons, who will arrive early Thursday, will be on hand for the pre-tournament dinner, which will be held Wednesday evening at the high school cafeteria.
This year, the dinner will be just that -- a dinner. No featured speaker, no presentations. Just a time to for the teams to meet and eat.
Why, you ask? To ensure that there will be plenty on time for the first Synergy Three-Point Shoot Out and Slam-Dunk Contest, which will be held at Mustang Arena immediately following the dinner at approximately 7:15 p.m.
The contests will involve players from all of the incoming teams and admission is free. Those coming to watch the Wednesday night competition are being asked and encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item (canned goods, etc) which will be collected and given to the St. Francis County Food Pantry.
It's a good cause.
The Rumble tournament tips Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) at 3:30 p.m., when Hughes and Columbus open the three-day competition.
Hughes brings a 1-1 record into the Rumble -- a win over Earle last week and a loss to Memphis East on Monday.
Tickets are $6 each day of the tournament, period. No special package prices and no passes. Period.
The Forrest City Mustangs will play their first-round Rumble game at 6:30 p.m., Thursday against the William Chrisman Bears from Independence, Mo.
Williams Chrisman is the first team from Missouri to take part in the Rumble on the Ridge.
Forrest City has won its first-round Rumble game in three of the first four tournaments. The Mustangs are 6-6 overall through four Rumble tournaments with one fifth-place finish, two fourth-place finishes and one second-place.
Through four Rumbles, the four Arkansas teams -- Forrest City, Wynne, West Memphis and Clarksville -- are a combined 12-12, second only to the eight Alabama teams that have taken part in the Rumble which have a combined 18-9 record.
Three of the first four Rumble championships have gone to teams from Alabama -- Lee, Minor and Grissom.
The caliber of competition at the Rumble to date, has been just that -- competitive.
Through 48 total games, only 10 have been decided by a margin of 20 points or more while 20 of the games have been decided by a margin of 10 points or less.
There have been three, one-point games.
The 1997 championship game was a seven-point victory for Minor while the 1998 title game was a 19 point win by Grissom.
Raleigh-Egypt (Tenn.) won the Rumble title by an 18-point spread over Mendenhall (Miss.) in 1999 and Lee (Ala.) took a seven-point win over Forrest City a year ago.
The Rumble on the Ridge official tournament program and special section can be found inside Wednesday's edition of the Times-Herald.
For those who may not be able to obtain a copy of Wednesday's newspaper, the programs will be available free at the Rumble.
* PREP BASKETBALLFriday's Scores
Monday's Scores
Senior Boys
Memphis East 93, Hughes 59
Palestine-Wheatley at Gillett
Senior Girls
Palestine-Wheatley 51, Gillett 32
Turrell 51, Hughes 42
Junior Girls
West Memphis West 45, FCity White 36
Palestine-Wheatley at Gillett
Junior Boys
West Memphis West 45, FCity White 38
Tuesday, November 20
Marion Patriot Classic
Marion vs Marianna, 5 p.m. (JV Boys)
Marion vs Immaculate Conception, 6 p.m. (Sr. Girls)
Marion vs Marianna, 7:30 p.m. (Sr. Boys)
Hughes at WMemphis West
(Jr. Girls, Jr. Boys)
Earle at Palestine-Wheatley, 5 p.m.
(Jr. Boys, Sr. Girls, Sr. Boys)
November 22,23,24
Rumble on the Ridge
at Mustang Arena
First-Round Games, Thursday, Nov. 22
Hughes vs Columbus, Miss. 3:30 p.m.
Osceola vs Woodlawn, La., 5 p.m.
Forrest City vs William Chrisman, Mo. 6:30 p.m.
Marietta, Ga. vs Carroll, La., 8 p.m.