By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The West Memphis Blue Devils opened a big lead over Forrest City Friday night and held on to take a 27-12 win at Sam Smith Stadium.
The win not only secured the Cotton Bale trophy for the the Blue Devils for the fourth straight year, it also gave West Memphis third place in the AAAAA-East Conference and the third seed into the Class AAAAA state playoffs.
West Memphis will play at Little Rock Central Friday in the first round.
A year ago, the Mustangs finished fourth and faced Central in the first round.
Cabot finished first in the league and will host LR McClellan while a surprising LR Mills team defeated Sylvan Hills Friday night to earn the second place seed into the playoffs and will host Fort Smith Southside. Jacksonville finished fourth and will play at Russellville.
Scoring three times in the first half against Forrest City, West Memphis (5-5 overall and 4-3) built a 20-0 lead by the half.
The Blue Devils struck first with 6:28 to play in the opening period when Mario Berry returned Dustin Gore's fourth down punt 64 yards for a touchdown. Tony Jones blocked the kick but West Memphis led 6-0.
Taurus Gilliam pushed the Blue Devils lead to 14-0 when he scored on a five-yard run with 8:11 showing in the second quarter.
Kyle Paine's three-yard run with 2:12 left in the first half put the Blue devils on top 20-0 after the two-point conversion failed.
Paine's touchdown run was set up after a fourth and inches play went 17 yards to the Forrest City seven.
The Mustangs got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Jesse Ballard hauled in an Austin Easley pass that went for 72 yards and the touchdown with 3:01 showing. The kick failed leaving West Memphis with a 20-6 advantage.
West Memphis tacked on their final score after Tim Wilson recovered a Forrest City fumble with 8:43 to play in the game.
Mark Goss' 17-yard touchdown pass with 8:37 to play and the extra point kick put the Blue Devils up 27-6.
Montrell Ashcraft's 98-yard fumble recovery and return for a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game gave Forrest City its final points of the game.
The fumble was set up on a hit by Edgar Williams.
The Mustangs finish 4-6 for the year and 2-5 in the league. The Mustangs won just one of their final six games after a quick 3-1 season start.
For the second straight game, the Mustangs were held to just 25 total yards in the first half, finishing with 169 yards -- but only 60 of that total on the ground.
Ashcraft carried 11 times but finished with just 11 yards when seven of his carries resulted in minus yardage.
Gillium led West Memphis with 67 yards rushing and one touchdown.
West Memphis finished with 239 total yards, with 200 of that coming on the ground.
DUMAS -- The Dumas Bobcats watched the Hughes Blue Devils score 21 points in the first period, then ripped off 34 consecutive points for a 41-27 win at Dumas Friday in a 6AAA Conference showdown for seeding in the Class AAA playoffs.
The Bobcats (3-6, 3-3) and Blue Devils (5-4, 3-3) tied for third behind champion Dollarway and runner-up Brinkley, but Dumas got the third seed by virtue of its win, which avenged a 74-42 loss at Hughes last year that kept the Bobcats out of the playoffs.
Dumas will travel to runner-up Pulaski Oak Grove of 5AAA, while Hughes takes the fourth seed and will visit top-ranked 5AAA champ Pulaski Academy in Little Rock Friday.
The loss was more costly for the Blue Devils than just losing the third-place seed into the playoffs.
Hughes senior running back and star basketball player, Lonnie Smith suffered a broken leg early in the second period.
Smith was taken to Baptist Hospital in Little Rock where he underwent emergency surgery as doctor's inserted a titanium rod into the leg.
Smith, who is considered to be one of the top guards in the state on the basketball court, started rehab on Sunday and may be able to return to athletics after the first of the year.
"That's what we hope," said Hughes Athletic Director Charles Patrick. "The break was as nasty an injury as I've ever seen. There were multiple breaks. The doctors say that by inserting the rod, the healing process will be quicker and his leg will be stronger."
Smith was instrumental in leading Hughes to the the school's first-ever Class AAA state basketball championship in March.
Hughes' Jermaine Davis returned the opening kickoff 40 yards and Hughes took a 6-0 lead when Davis scored from the 17 with 9:38 left. Brian Hillis was buried for a loss after a bad snap on the PAT try.
Hughes recovered an onside kick at the Dumas 20, but lost the ball on downs at the 24, then recovered a fumble at the Dumas 33 and later scored one a one-yard run by Davis to go ahead 12-0 with 3:30 left in the first period. Davis added the conversion on a similar play to make it 14-0.
Dumas cut into the Hughes' lead 14-7 but the Blue Devils answered and went up 20-7 on a 40-yard touchdown run by Andre Walker.
Dumas answered with 11:48 to play in the second quarter to cut the Hughes lead to 21-14. It was on the point after kick that Smith was injured.
The Blue Devils moved to the Dumas 10, but a turnover allowed the Bobcats to score with 4:29 to play tying the game at 21-21.
Dumas started the second half by returning an attempted on-side kick by Hughes 65 yards for the score and a 27-21 lead.
The Bobcats added a 45-yard touchdown carry with 4:17 left in the third to make it 35-21 and tacked on another 45-yard scoring run to make it 41-21 with 8:06 left in the game.
The Blue Devils scored on a two-yard run with 2:06 left to pull within 41-27.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
SALEM -- The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots reached the Class AA state playoffs, but not the way they should have.
Playing uninspired football, the Patriots fell to Salem 35-8 Friday night at Salem and finished third in the 3AA Conference.
The Patriots will travel to Hazen Friday for the first-round playoff game.
Salem stays at home and will host Des Arc.
Marked Tree, the 3AA conference champs, will host Clarendon Friday while Rector, the fourth-place team will travel to play Barton.
Ray Gardner scored with 1:12 to play in the first quarter and Clyde Kennedy's two-point conversion run put the Patriots in front 8-0.
From there, it was all Salem.
The Greyhounds tied the game at 8-8 in the second period and led 15-8 at the half. Salem added three, fourth-quarter touchdowns -- two in the final 1:03.
The Patriots end the regular season at 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the league. Gardner led the Pats with 115 yards on 18 carries and the only touchdown.
Gardner now has more than 1,400 rushing yards for the season.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
RUSTON -- Sophomore guard Amber Obaze scored 15 points to lead four Louisiana Tech players in double figures as the Lady Techsters defeated the Basketball Travelers 86-53 in exhibition action at the Thomas Assembly Center Sunday afternoon.
Tech freshman guard and former Palestine-Wheatley standout Erica Smith teamed with senior Brooke Lassiter to form a solid backcourt and added 13 points. Lassiter finished with 14.
"I saw some good things against a team that led (the University of) Texas by 10 with three minutes to go (before losing) and beat (Louisiana-Monroe)," said Lady Techster Coach Leon Barmore.
Barmore said when preseason practices began, that he was looking to Smith to help in the backcourt.
"I was so nervous," Smith said. "As soon as I stepped on the court I had butterflies. As soon as I made my first pass, they left. High school and college are totally two different levels. I am learning so much in practice. Coach Barmore has taught me and is working hard with me everyday."
The Lady Techsters dominated from the perimeter, hitting on eight of 14 three-pointers, including four by Lassiter and three from Smith. Barmore said he was quite impressed with Smith, who also added five rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.
"I love the play of Erica Smith," Barmore said. "I feel she is going to be a great player, and she is only going to get better and better. She is the best offensive rebounder from the perimeter that we have had here since Angela Turner."
Tech started slow, trailing 26-25 with 7:45 remaining in the first half but led 43-30 going into the locker room after finishing the half on an 18-4 run, which included six points from sophomore Catrina Frierson.
Inside the Tech post players helped control the boards as the Lady Techsters outrebounded the Basketball Travelers 55-33, including a game-high nine from Obaze and Ayana Walker. Junior center Cheryl Ford chipped in with 12 points, while Takeisha Lewis added nine points and Walker eight points.
Frierson, who saw her first live game action since the 1999-2000 season after missing all of last year after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, finished the game with eight points and four rebounds in only 11 minutes.
Tech returns to exhibition action Nov. 10 against Athletes in Action at 2 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center before opening the regular season at home against Michigan Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots and Lady Patriots will open the 2001-02 high school basketball season Tuesday, Nov. 6, when they host Arkansas Baptist.
The JV Patriots will tip at 5 p.m., followed by he Lady Patriots at approximately 6 p.m. and the varsity Patriots.