By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It's ladies night on the road for the Forrest City Lady Mustangs tonight as the team makes a preseason trip to Osceola for a scrimmage game.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots and Lady Patriots will open the 2001-02 regular season play tonight when they host Arkansas Baptist for a three-game set at Patriot Gym beginning at 5 p.m.
Forrest City Coach Sue Jayroe said her Lady Mustangs are seeing real action for the first time since attending summer camps.
"Tonight will be a good test for us," Jayroe said recently. "I think we have the talent and players to be a very good team this year. Osceola has a big 6-2 girl that will pose a challenge for us and we will need to contain her."
The Lady Mustangs will operate this season with just one senior on the floor, Deosha Agnew. With a talented junior class and some promising sophomores, Jayroe believes this season will be a coming out for her Lady Mustangs.
"The girls believe they can win and that's a big first step," Jayroe said. "I really feel this group has a chance to finish in the top four of the conference and get to state. I think Deosha will be one of the best players in our conference. I don't think Jacksonville, Jonesboro, West Memphis or any of the other league teams have a player the caliber of Deosha."
The Class AA defending champion Lady Patriots return only one starter from last year's 35-1 team -- senior guard Nikki Bass.
""No doubt about it, we are young and very inexperienced," said P-W Coach Beverly Bass. "We have improved since attending summer camps but we are going to have trouble scoring points this year. Instead of having five on the floor who can score at any time, we will have to get the ball into the right hands this year to put up points."
Behind Bass are some talented players who Beverly Bass says will have to step up and contribute.
Those players include LaRhonda Bender, Nikita Love, Libby Martin and Beth Varvil as well as some newcomers to the program, Tameka Leak, a senior who has never played before and Jenny Loewer, also playing organized basketball for the first time.
A JV boys game will precede the Lady Patriots game and the varsity Patriots will take the floor after the girls' game.
* PREP BASKETBALL
High School
Tuesday, November 6
Arkansas Baptist at Palestine-Wheatley
Forrest City at Osceola (Sr. Girls)
Saturday, November 10
Forrest City at Pine Bluff Jamboree (Sr Boys)
Monday, November 12
Wynne at Forrest City White (Jr. Girls, Boys)
WMemphis East at Hughes (Jr. Girls, Boys)
Thursday, November 15
Forrest City Blue at Wynne (Jr. Girls, Boys)
Earle at Hughes (Jr. Boys, Sr. Girls, Boys)
Friday, November 16
West Helena at Forrest City (Sr Girls, 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.