By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
SEARCY -- Ruby Vaden scored 20 points and swatted away several Palestine-Wheatley shots Tuesday night to help lead the Osceola Lady Seminoles to a 51-44 win over the Lady Patriots at the White County Medical Center Tournament in Searcy.
"It could have been worse," said P-W Coach Beverly Bass. "They (Osceola) took it easy on us."
Vaden, Osceola's 6-3 center and University of Arkansas signee, used her wing span to send several P-W shots into the stands.
Osceola may have gotten the win, but it was Palestine-Wheatley senior guard Nikki Bass who took high-scoring honors with 22 points.
Forrest City will play Pine Bluff Dollarway Friday, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. while Osceola takes on Jonesboro Friday at 7 p.m.
The Lady Seminoles led 13-11 after one period. Vaden was held to just two points in the opening frame.
By the half, Osceola led 27-18 and by the end of the third period the Lady Seminoles led 40-24.
That's when Osceola went to their bench which allowed the Lady Patriots a chance to close the gap by outscoring the Lady Seminoles 20-to-11 in the fourth period.
Libby Martin added nine points for Palestine-Wheatley, who fall to 2-4 for the year, while LaQuanza Reeder and Brittney Flenory scoring four points each.
"We handled the press better than we have been," Bass said. "We just have trouble scoring against teams that play us man-to-man. I wasn't disappointed. We played much better."
Because Wynne is playing in the Class AAAA state football championship game Saturday at noon in Little Rock, the Patriots and Lady Patriots will not play Saturday in the final tournament games -- which would involve the Wynne teams.
"The Wynne people are going to the football game and I can't blame them," said Searcy Coach Roger Franks.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
SEARCY -- The Beebe Badgers had little trouble against the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots Tuesday night at the White County Medical Center Tournament played at Searcy.
The Badgers won by 30 points, 58-28.
Palestine-Wheatley's Oliver Smith and DeVille Pickett combined to score 24 of the Patriots' 28 points with Smith getting 14 and Pickett adding 10.
Beebe advances to play Searcy Friday, at 8:30 p.m.
Searcy destroyed Mountain View 84-38 Tuesday.
The Patriots, who fall to 1-4 for the year, will go against Mountain View Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The tournament will resume Thursday with Wynne and Clinton taking the floor at 4 p.m. and Pine Bluff Dollarway and Batesville going head-to-head at 7 p.m., in boys' action.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
TURRELL -- Forrest City Coach Karen Carrier's impromptu talk with the Blytheville Coach on Saturday was a good thing.
After defeating C.V. White in the first round of the Turrell Invitational Tournament, Carrier found herself deep in conversation with Louise Davis.
The discussion, for the most part, centered around Blytheville's junior girls team, Carrier's next opponent.
Davis, however, appeared to be unaware, until later, who she had been talking to.
Tuesday, Carrier's White Junior Lady Mustangs rolled past Davis' Blytheville team and into the tournament semifinals using a 46-33 win to get there.
Sequoria Grady led Forrest City with 13 points and Shari Rogers added 12 points to key the Junior Lady Mustangs. Viveca Kimble chipped in eight.
Forrest City led all the way, rolling to a 22-16 lead at the half and a 36-28 lead going into the fourth period.
Ebony Tyler led Blytheville with 15 points.
Forrest City will play Parkin tonight at 5:15 p.m.
A win vaults the Junior Lady Mustangs, 3-1 for the season, into Saturday's final at 6 p.m. against the Hughes-Turrell semifinal winner.
Hughes and Turrell play Thursday at 4 p.m. Turrell defeated West Memphis East 35-32 Tuesday.
In other games Tuesday, the Earle Junior Bulldogs defeated Blytheville 36-33.
Tonight, Turrell's senior boys take on Crawfordsville at 7:45 p.m. and the Forrest City White Junior Mustangs will tip against Turrell's junior boys at 6:30 p.m.
Hughes' senior girls will play Brinkley, Thursday at 6:30 p.m.