By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
For the first time in the five-year history of the Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving Classic, the Forrest City Mustangs failed to win a game in the three-day tournament and finished last in the eight-team field.
In fact, it was rather a bumpy ride for all three of the Arkansas teams -- Hughes and Osecola included.
Combined, the three Arkansas teams finished 2-7 with both victories coming against other Arkansas teams.
Hughes defeated Osceola on Friday and Osceola defeated Forrest City on Saturday to take home the seventh-place trophy.
Forrest City becomes the second Arkansas team to go 0-3 at the tournament. Wynne failed to win a game in the 1998 Rumble.
The Mustangs, in four previous Rumble tournaments, have finished fifth once, fourth twice and reached the championship game a year ago, only to lose to Lee, Ala.
"Life goes on," said Forrest City Coach Dwight Lofton, "We're trying to rebuild and we're hurting in several areas on the floor because we don't have enough experience on the floor. I knew going into the Rumble we would have our work ahead of us. We took some lumps and now we have to try to find ways to get better."
There was some consolation for the Mustangs when they were awarded the tournament's Sportsmanship Trophy. The Mustangs failed to place anyone on either of the Rumble All-Tournament lists, the first time that has happened since the tournament started in 1997.
Forrest City lost to William Chrisman (Mo.) in Thursday opener, 57-53 and lost to Carroll, La. 59-48 on Friday. Saturday, Osceola handed the Mustangs an 82-51 setback.
Against Carroll, Vince Millen led the Mustangs with 16 points while Derrick Smith and John Foreman added 11 points each.
In the loss to Osceola, Millen was the only Mustang to reach double figures, finishing with 13. Nate Britt added nine, while Deangelo Braddock finished with eight and Smith chipped in seven.
Forrest City falls to 0-4 for the season.
Meanwhile, for Hughes the story might have been much different had the Blue Devils gone into the tournament with senior guard Lonnie Smith. Smith is out until early February with a broken leg.
Hughes, the defending Class AAA state champs, opened Thursday with a 56-51 loss to Columbus, Miss., after rolling out to a 14-point lead.
Friday, Hughes regrouped to hang a 61-51 loss on defending Class AAAA champs Osceola, the same team that had handed Hughes their only loss a year ago.
Against Carroll, La. on Saturday, in the fifth place game, Hughes watched its lead and potential victory fade when the long-distance three-pointers failed.
Hughes took 25 three-point attempts and hit just nine in a 70-52 loss to Carroll.
With Smith on the floor, the Blue Devils might have been playing for the tournament championship.
"I thought we played as hard as we could against Osceola," said Hughes Coach Brad Brannen. "That was a nice win for us. It took some pressure off us to get a win."
In the win over Osceola, Hughes senior Robert Davis set a Rumble record for free throws taken and made by an individual player, when he hit 11-of-16 chances from the foul line, but lost the record on Saturday to Marietta, Ga. guard Jazz Ross, who hit 12-of-17 attempts from the free throw line.
Davis, who is trying to pick up the slack left by the injured Smith, finished with 23 points while Jay Doolittle added 20 points on 10 two-point field goals.
In Saturday's game against Carroll, the Blue Devils gave up 25 points in the fourth period and were unable to make up the lost ground in the 70-52 loss.
Jermaine Davis led Hughes with 18 points while Robert Davis added 14 and Johnnie Washington finished with nine points.
Hughes slips to 2-3 for the year. Hughes and Forrest City will meet at Hughes on Dec. 4.
Osceola Coach Frankie Gathen said he was very surprised that his Osceola team lost their first two games in the Rumble.
"We got our kids back from football so we came in with the people we wanted to have," Gathen said before Saturday's game. "We didn't start very well against Woodlawn (La.) on Thursday or against Hughes on Friday. And we're not used to that. We are a team who has to come out and take control of the game from the opening tip."
While Osceola fought back in both games, they just couldn't get over the final hump losing to Woodlawn 72-65 and to Hughes 61-51.
Against Forrest City, it was a different beginning.
Osceola took advantage of four early turnovers by the Mustangs to take a 10-0 lead before the Mustangs had even crossed midcourt.
Osceola led 27-9 after the first period and 47-19 at the half, cruising to the easy win in the second half.
Osceola put four players in double figures against the Mustangs -- Daniel Hughes with 17, Octavious Bailey with 14, Jerry Long with 13 and Greg Hooks with 11.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Marietta, Ga. got 29 points from tournament MVP Jazz Ross Saturday to hold off Woodlawn, La. 76-69 and claim the Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge Classic championship.
Marietta becomes the first Georgia team to reach the Rumble championship game while Woodlawn becomes the first Louisiana team to make it to the finals.
Marietta finished its run at 3-0, defeating Carroll, La. 71-61 in Thursday's first round and then shutting down William Chrisman (Mo.) 71-48 in Friday's semifinal game.
Woodlawn got to the finals of the Rumble by beating Osceola (Ark.) 72-65 on Thursday and holding off Columbus, Miss. 47-45 in Friday's semifinal that went down to the final seconds before being decided.
Ross, a 6-4 junior guard averaged just over 23 points a game in the three Rumble games and became the tournament's new all-time leader for free throw attempts and free throws made by an individual in one game.
Ross took 17 attempts against Woodlawn, breaking the one-day old record of 16 set by Hughes' Robert Davis on Friday and made 12 of those attempts, once again breaking Davis' one-day old record of hitting 11 from the foul line.
Until Davis set the new mark on Friday, Forrest City's Mike Rogers had held the attempts record with 13 in 1999 and Scooter McFagdon had held the made free throw record with 10, also set in 1999.
Chris Ellis, also of Marietta was named to the Rumble All-Tournament first team while Keyon Boyd was named to the All Tournament's second team. Ross added three rebounds and two assists against Woodlawn.
Woodlawn placed three on the All-Tournament teams --Darnell Lazare, James Collins and Kentrell Gransberry.
Marietta led 20-13 after one period and led by 11 at the half 35-24.
Woodlawn cut Marietta's lead to five three times within the final minute of the game but no closer as Marietta pushed the lead out to the final 76-69.
Collins led Wodlawn with 21 points while Gransberry added 14 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Columbus, Miss. 62, William Chrisman, Mo. 50
Columbus, Miss. got 16 points from Joseph Collins and 13 points from Andrew Adkinson to put away William Chrisman, Mo. 62-50 in the third-place game at the Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving Classic.
Chrisman got 18 points from B.J. Surry and 15 points from John Davenport.
Columbus led 16-13 after one period and 37-26 at the half.
Chrisman hit four, three-pointers in the second half, but could get no closer than eight points.
Collins was named to the All-Tournament second team along with Surry.
Nothing like following up a Rumble with a Holiday -- hoops, that is, of the prep variety.
Once again this year the state of Arkansas is the host to two regional high school basketball tournaments -- Forrest City's Rumble on the Ridge and Fayetteville's Holiday Hoops -- featuring a wealth of products that will be stars on the collegiate level in the near future.
The Rumble on the Ridge, a three-day Thanksgiving weekend event, finished up Saturday night with Marietta (Ga.) High holding off Woodlawn from Baton Rouge (La.) 76-69.
The Rumble has certainly become more than an adequate replacement for Pine Bluff's defunct King Cotton Classic, which once upon a time featured a matchup between future NBA players Corliss Williamson and Jason Kidd as well as many other memories.
"Our attendance Thursday was the biggest one-day gate we have ever had," Rumble director Bill Baxter said. "We have found there are not very many national tournaments during the Thanksgiving Holidays so we feel like that is one reason we have been able to get some great teams and great players. We don't have any trouble getting good teams and we're already on some great ones for next year."
Baxter indicated that Little Rock Parkview wants to be a part of next year's Rumble as well as Bartlett, Tenn.
The Rumble, which got started back in 1997, has already seen one NBA player showcased in its event in current Indiana Pacers star Jonathan Bender, who went straight from high school to the NBA after bypassing college choice Mississippi State.
Other Rumble alumni include Kentucky's Marvin Stone, Arkansas' T.J. Cleveland, Virginia's Chris Williams, Texas' Brandon Mouton, Auburn's Mac McGadney, Alabama's Maurice "Mo" Williams and Memphis' Scooter McFagdon and Duane Erwin just to name a few that are now playing collegiately.
Georgia Tech signee Theodis Tarver, a thin 6-9 forward who Arkansas looked at this summer, played in this year's event for Monroe (La.) Carroll as did Marietta's 6-7 Chris Ellis, who inked with Wake Forest.
The top junior on hand was probably Woodlawn's 6-7 junior post Darnell Lazare. Arkansas Razorback Assistant Coach Brad Dunn, at Saturday's Rumble, stayed and watched Lazare in the championship game.
Last year's Rumble MVP -- Cincinnati point guard signee Chadd Moore -- will be a name that you will see making an impact on the next level during the 2002-2003 season.
"Chad and Mo (Williams) were really something to watch," Baxter said. "They are going to be stars in college."
Fayetteville will take its turn Dec. 13-15 when the Holiday Hoops returns for another go-around at Bud Walton Arena with four games beginning at 3:30 p.m. each day Thursday through Saturday.
The biggest name in this season's event is 6-11 Beaumont Ozen junior center Kendrick Perkins, considered one of the top two juniors in the country and also a player ranked as one of the country's Top 25 players overall nationally regardless of class by USA Today.
Other top names involved will be 6-6 Oklahoma signee Kelenna Azubuike of Tulsa Victory Christian, 6-5 junior Ronnie Brewer of Fayetteville and 6-1 Little Rock Central senior guard Dedric Poole, a two-sport star coveted by the football Razorbacks.
First round matchups on Thursday, Dec. 13 include will have Beaumont (Texas) Ozen vs. Rogers at 3:30 p.m.; Natchez (Miss.) vs. Springdale at 5 p.m.; Memphis Ridgeway vs. Fayetteville, at 6:30 p.m. and Tulsa Victory vs. Little Rock Central at 8 p.m.
One of the more highly recruited players at the Rumble on the Ridge is actually not even starting for his basketball team.
Osceola's 6-2, 180-pound senior guard Chris Baker has made his impact on the gridiron and is one of the Razorback football team's top priorities for it's current recruiting class.
Although he has taken several unofficial visits to Arkansas, he will make his official trip next weekend beginning Thursday and lasting through Saturday.
"The Razorbacks are clearly at the top of my list," Baker said.
Baker, a standout receiver, said Saturday he is also considering taking visits to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Iowa and San Jose State.
"I am going to have to work around my basketball schedule for those other visits," Baker said.
Baker admits he has been pleased not only with the Razorbacks rebound from 1-3 to 7-4, but also their not being bashful about playing true freshman, including eight on Friday at LSU.
"They really stepped it up," Baker said. "All that makes me want to go there more. They have turned the program around and you know that if you can play, you will play right away."
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
SEARCY -- The fourth annual Lion White County Medical Center Tournament begins today at Searcy High School.
Each of the boys' and girls' basketball teams are guaranteed three games in four days.
The boys' lineup includes Palestine-Wheatley, Wynne, Pine Bluff Dollarway, Batesville, Clinton, Beebe, Searcy and Mountain View.
The girls bracket includes defending Class AA champions Palestine-Wheatley, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff Dollarway, Searcy, Batesville, Osceola, Ozark and Wynne.
Searcy, 3-0, has won the last two tournaments, and are 8-1 in the event's first three years.
Searcy opens with Mountain View at 8:30 Tuesday night.
The event begins at today at 4 p.m. when the Wynne Yellowjackets take on Dollarway.
The girls' side includes Osceola's 6-4 Ruby Vaden and Ozark's 6-1 Sarah Phifer have both signed to play with Arkansas next year.
Searcy's girls have never won the tournament, falling by one point in overtime to Palestine-Wheatley in the 1999 finals.
Palestine-Wheatley, off to a rocky start this year, will open play Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 4 p.m., against Osceola.
The P-W Patriots will take on Beebe Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Both P-W teams are coming off home losses to Earle last Tuesday.
Earle's 49-40 win over the Lady Patriots was the first win over P-W in nine years.
Earle led 6-5 after one period and 21-17 at the half.
The Lady Bulldogs hit 19 of their 49 points from the foul line, a place they found themselves 39 times during the game while the Lady Patriots went to the line 16 times, hitting 10.
Nikita Love led P-W with 11 points while Nikki Bass scored seven before fouling out. Libby Martin had nine while LaRhonda Bender and Brittany Flenory had six points each.
In other tournaments over the weekend, the Forrest City White Junior Lady Mustangs defeated C.V. White 40-22 Saturday at the Turrell Invitational Tournament.
Sequoria Grady led Forrest City with 21 points while Viveca Kimble added 10 points.
Forrest City will play Blytheville Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 6:30 p.m. Blytheville defeated Brinkley 48-20 Saturday.
The Forrest City White Junior Mustangs received a bye and will play the Turrell-Brinkley winner Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m.
The Hughes Junior Lady Blue Devils advanced when Augusta forfeited and will play Thursday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m. against the Turrell-West Memphis East winner.
The Hughes Lady Blue Devils play Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 7:45 p.m., against Parkin.
The P-W Junior Lady Patriots will play Newport tonight at 7:30 p.m. and the Junior Patriots play Marion at 6:15 p.m. at the McCrory Junior Jaguar Classic Tournament at McCrory.
STUTTGART -- Brad Taylor of Forrest City placed second in the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial duck calling contest Saturday at the Wings Over the Prairie Festival in Stuttgart.
The contest is held for high school seniors.
Keith Tucek won the contest and earned a $1,500 scholarship.
Jason Howard of Weiner won the state duck calling title, his second consecutive win in the competition.
In the Women's World Championships, Hannah Dierks of Stuttgart took top honors.
The Forrest City Blue Junior High basketball teams will host Hughes tonight at Mustang Arena tonight beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Forrest City Blue hasn't played since their opener at Wynne on Nov. 15.
Both the boys and girls' teams are 0-1.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs open play tonight at the Panther Invitational Tournament in Cabot.
The Lady Mustangs play Cabot at 8:30 p.m. Win or lose tonight, the Lady Mustangs will return to the tourney on Thursday to play either Rogers or Harding Academy, who play today at 7 p.m.
Other first-round games today has West Memphis vs Sheridan at 5:30 p.m. and Mount St. Mary's vs Conway at 4 p.m.
* PREP FOOTBALL
2001 STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAAA
Friday's Semifinal Round
Bentonville 20, Texarkana 14
El Dorado 13, FS Southside 10
Class AAAAA Final
Saturday, December 1
War Memorial Stadium
Bentonville vs. El Dorado, 6:30 p.m.
Class AAAA
Friday's Semifinal Round
Stuttgart 38, Watson Chapel 28
Wynne 47, Monticello 26
Class AAAA Final
Saturday, December 1
War Memorial Stadium, 12 noon
Stuttgart vs. Wynne
Class AAA
Friday's Quarterfinal Scores
Nashville 54, Dumas 27
Booneville 21, Rivercrest 13
Dollarway 14, Pulaski Academy 7
Warren 49, Star City 0
Semifinal Round
Friday, November 30
Nashville at Booneville
Warren at Dollarway
Class AA
Friday's Quarterfinal Scores
Shiloh Christian 51, Harmony Grove 21
Junction City 35, Carlisle 21
Barton 22, Des Arc 7
Augusta 18, Hampton 8
Semifinal Round
Friday, November 30
Junction City at Shiloh Christian
Augusta at Barton
* PREP BASKETBALL
Monday, November 26
McCrory Junior Jaguar Classic
Junior High Girls
Harding Academy vs Marion, 5 p.m.
Palestine-Wheatley vs Newport, 7:30 p.m.
Junior High Boys
Marion vs Palestine-Wheatley, 6:15 p.m.
Newark vs Harding Academy, 8:45 p.m.
November 26-December 1
Lion White County Medical Center Classic at Searcy High School
Monday, November 26
Senior Boys
Wynne vs PB Dollarway, 4 p.m.
Batesville vs Clinton, 7 p.m.
Senior Girls
Jonesboro vs PB Dollarway, 5:30 p.m.
Searcy vs Batesville, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 27
Senior Girls
Palestine-Wheatley vs Osceola, 4 p.m.
Ozark vs Wynne, 7 p.m.
Senior Boys
Beebe vs Palestine-Wheatley, 5:15 p.m.
Searcy vs Mountain View, 8:30 p.m.
Junior High
Monday, November 26
Hughes at Forrest City Blue, 5:30 p.m.
Turrell Invitational Tournament
Monday, November 26
Senior Girls
Turrell vs C.V. White, 6:30 p.m.
Brinkley vs Crawfordsville, 4 p.m.
Senior Boys
Turrell vs C.V. White, 8:45 p.m.
Marvell vs Brinkley, 5:15 p.m.
Junior Girls
Saturday's Scores
Turrell 56, Crawfordsville 26
WMemphis East defeated Earle
Hughes forfeit win over Augusta
Blytheville 48, Brinkley 20
Forrest City White 40, C.V. White 20
Tuesday, November 27
Turrell vs WMemphis East, 4 p.m.
Blytheville vs Forrest City White, 6:30 p.m.
Junior Boys
Saturday Scores
Turrell 54, Crawfordsville 27
Brinkley 62, C.V. White 42
Blytheville 42. Parkin 41
Earle 57, WMemphis East 52
Monday, November 26
Turrell vs Brinkley, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, November 27
Blytheville vs Earle, 5:15 p.m.