By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
What started out looking like just another Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriot lop-sided victory, ended as an edge-of-your-seat nail-biter Tuesday against Arkansas Baptist as the Lady Patriots prevailed 46-45.
The Lady Patriots led 12-6 after one period and 29-15 at the half and pushed their advantage to 21 points -- 36-15 midway through the third period.
The big Lady Patriot lead wasn't really expected -- given the fact the team lost four of it's five starters to graduation, including All-American Erica Smith.
Arkansas Baptist grabbed the momentum to start the fourth period and outscored the Lady Patriots 20-to-4 to set up the cliff-hanger finish.
In the season-opening game for both teams, the Lady Patriots took the win only after Arkansas Baptist center Brittany Greer missed the third of three free throws awarded to her after being fouled near midcourt by P-W senior guard Nikki Bass with 1.9 seconds to play in the game.
The Lady Patriots were nursing a 46-43 lead when Greer stepped to the line. She hit the first two cleanly but clanged the third and potential game-tying free throw off the back iron and into the hands of junior guard Andrea Cooper who held on as time expired.
While Cooper was happy to get the final rebound, no one was happier than P-W Coach Beverly Bass, who did not want to go into overtime.
"They just ate us up in the fourth period," Bass said. "If we had gone into overtime I really felt like they would have taken the win."
P-W led 42-25 to start the final period. Arkansas Baptist sliced the lead to 10 points, 42-32 with 3:40 left and got within eight at 44-36 with 1:46 to play.
P-W scored their final points with 30 seconds left when Jameela Applewhite went the length of the floor to get the layup to make it 46-39 and a seven-point lead. It was Applewhite's only points of the game.
Arkansas Baptist scored the final six points, coming up one point short of forcing the overtime period.
Nikita Love led the Lady Patriots with 18 points while Bass finished with 16. LaRhonda bender added six points while Libby Martin and Edwina Bryant added two points each.
Catherine Estes led Arkansas Baptist with 13 points while Tamara Pilgrim, the team's only returning starter from a year ago, and Greer finished with 10 points each.
"We did some good things at times," Bass said of her very young Lady Patriots, "but we also made a lot of mistakes. But the mistakes are correctable. We just have to work a little harder."
Eagles 76, Patriots 49
The Arkansas Baptist Eagles opened a 24-12 lead after the first period and had no trouble in romping past the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots 76-49 Tuesday in the season-opening game for both teams.
The Eagles, coming off a 24-6 season that saw them reach the first round of the Class AA state tournament, led 40-25 at the half and 59-33 to start the fourth period.
Oliver Smith led P-W with 20 points to lead all scorers while DeVille Pickett finished with 13 and Darran Johnson had 11.
Ross Spigler had 16 points for the Eagles while Chris Houk had 12 and Kyle Holmes finished with eight.
Junior High
The Wheatley Invitational Tournament begins Thursday night at Wheatley Gym.
Brinkley, McCrory and Holly Grove's junior boys and girls' teams will join Palestine-Wheatley in the round-robin style tournament, which will finish Saturday.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
OSCEOLA -- Even though the Forrest City Lady Mustangs came away on the wrong side of a 59-57 score in exhibition play Tuesday night against Osceola, Head Coach Sue Jayroe found plenty to be excited about.
"First and the most promising was our free throw shooting," Jayroe said. "We hit 17-of-18 from the foul line and when you look back at our free throw shooting from a year ago, that is very exciting."
The Lady Mustangs shot just under 40 percent from the line last year during a 6-15 campaign. Tuesday's effort equated to 94 percent.
Caronica Randle led the Lady Mustangs in scoring Tuesday, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. She hit 8-of-9 from the foul line.
Forrest City's lone senior, Deosha Agnew added 16 points, two rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot while Katrina Floyd added seven free throws and Erika Haggans added six points and eight rebounds.
The game was tied at 17 after the first period and the Lady Mustangs led 30-29 at the half.
Osceola outscored Forrest City 16-to-14 in the third period to take a 45-44 lead to start the fourth period.
That was the first time in the game that the Lady Mustangs trailed.
"It was a good game and our girls wanted it," Jayroe said. "They played hard and made it fun and exciting to watch. They were focused and they were ready."
Jayroe praised the efforts of Haggans, who she said "played tough in the lane and did a good job of blocking out."
"We had her on Osceola's big girl most of the game and she played her well," Jayroe said. "Floyd helped her on the weak side."
Jayroe said Agnew did what was expected and was the leader on the floor.
The Lady Mustangs will open the season on Nov. 16, when they host West Helena.
"We have seven practices left to work out some of the bugs," Jayroe said. "We'll be ready."
The Forrest City White Junior Mustangs and Lady Mustangs will host Wynne on Monday, Nov. 12, at Mustang Arena as junior high basketball gets underway.
Sonny Shields takes over the White junior boys' team, replacing departed coach John Fortenberry while Karen Carrier returns as head coach of the White junior girls.
The Blue Junior High teams will open the season on Thursday, Nov. 15.
The Hughes Junior boys and girls' teams will open the season on Monday (Nov. 12) when they host West Memphis East.
The Hughes Blue Devils last made the football playoffs in 1998, when they faced and lost to McGehee on the road.
Friday, the Blue Devils will face Pulaski Academy in Little Rock and the hot hand of Bruins' quarterback Thomas Thrash, who has thrown 64 touchdown passes this season, in the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs.
Hughes finished fourth in the 6AAA Conference while P.A. are the 5AAA champions.
Hughes will be without senior split end and defensive back Lonnie Smith, who suffred a broken leg in Friday's game at Dumas. Senior tailback Robert Davis remains questionable for Friday's game as well.
* PREP FOOTBALL
2001 STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
First Round Games - Friday, Nov. 9
CLASS AAAAA
Springdale at Texarkana
West Memphis at LR Central
LR McClellan at Cabot
Pine Bluff at Bentonville
Jacksonville at Russellville
Mountain Home at El Dorado
Bryant at Conway
FS Southside at Little Rock Mills
Class AAAA
Newport at Alma
Pulaski Robinson at Stuttgart
Siloam Springs at Osceola
Watson Chapel at Arkadelphia
West Helena Central at Hope
Greenwood at Wynne
Magnolia at Monticello
Batesville at Searcy
Class AAA
Ozark at Prairie Grove
Dumas at Pulaski Oak Grove
Harrisburg at Yellville-Summit
Hamburg at Nashville
Bald Knob at Rivercrest
Beebe at Brinkley
Huntsville at Booneville
De Queen at Fordyce
Hughes at Pulaski Academy
Dardanelle at Gravette
Atkins at Dollarway
Hoxie at Gosnell
Star City at Ashdown
Trumann at Pocahontas
Mena at Warren
Farmington at Clarksville
Class AA
Westside JC at Shiloh Christian
Palestine-Wheatley at Hazen
Mountain Pine at Harding Academy
Murfreesboro at Harmony Grove
Clarendon at Marked Tree
Carlisle at Jessieville
Elkins at Charleston
Junction City at Foreman
Mayflower at Bauxite
Des Arc at Salem
Rector at Barton
Hector at Greenland
Gurdon at Hampton
Mountainburg at Danville
Rison at Mineral Springs
Mount Id at Augusta
* PREP BASKETBALL
High School
Tuesday's Scores
Palestine-Wheatley 46, Ark. Baptist 45 (Sr. G)
Ark. Baptist 76, Palestine-Wheatley 49 (Sr. B)
Osceola 59, Forrest City 57 (Sr. G exhibition)
Thursday, November 8
Wheatley Invitational Tournament
Brinkley vs McCrory, 5 p.m. (Jr. Girls)
Brinkley vs McCrory, 6:15 p.m. (Jr. Boys)
P-W vs Holly Grove, 7:30 p.m. (Jr. Girls)
P-W vs Holly Grove, 8:45 p.m. (Jr. Boys)
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.