There's a big difference in the sound of a 5-3 winning record and a 4-4 record.
At least, that's what Forrest City Coach Rich Trail is telling his Blue Junior Mustang players headed into tonight's season-ending game at West Memphis East.
The Blue Junior Mustangs are 4-3 but have dropped their last two games to West Memphis West and Jonesboro MacArthur.
"It's been a while since we've had a good game," Trail said. "So I think we're due tonight. And East has been struggling this year, so I think we can get a win to close out the year and end at 5-3. East has some athletes, but have had some off-field problems as I understand it."
The Blue Junior Mustangs and East will kickoff at 7 p.m., at Friendship Field on the West Memphis West campus.
In other junior high action scheduled for tonight, the Hughes Blue Devils will close out their regular season tonight on the road at DeWitt.
The Junior Blue Devils are coming off a big win over England last week and stand at 5-1 for the year and 4-1 in the 6AAA Conference.
Lonoke, the only team Hughes has lost to this year, is undefeated in the league.
Tonight's game kicks off at 7 p.m.
The undefeated Palestine-Wheatley Junior Patriots will host Parkin tonight at Wheatley.
Game time for the 6-0 Junior Patriots is 7 p.m. Palestine-Wheatley has one regular season game left to play, a home game against Salem on Oct.25.
The Forrest City White Junior Mustangs have an open date tonight.
The White Mustangs, 0-5-1 for the year, will close out the year against Blytheville next week at Sam Smith Stadium.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs will open the 2001 Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving basketball tournament against the William Chrisman Bears from Independence, Mo.
The Mustangs will take the floor on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) at 6:30 p.m.
In four appearances at the Rumble, Forrest City has two fourth place finishes, one fifth-place finish and were the runners-up last year to tournament champions Lee, Alabama.
William Chrisman is coming off a 16-10 season a year ago and returns a solid core group of players which includes seven juniors with plenty of varsity experience.
The Bears are led by Matt Habermehl, John Davenport and B.J. Surry.
A win over William Chrisman would bring the Mustangs back on Friday, Nov. 23, for an 8 p.m. game against the Marietta (Ga.)-Carroll (La.) winner.
Other first-round pairings have Hughes (Ark.) against Columbus (Miss.) at 3:30 p.m.; Osceola (Ark.) taking on Woodlawn (La.) at 5 p.m. and Marietta going against Carroll at 8 p.m.
A slam-dunk contest and a three-point shootout, featuring players from all eight teams, have been added to this year's pre-tournament festivities and will be held Wednesday night, Nov. 21, at Mustang Arena following the traditional Rumble banquet for all eight teams.
Both contests will be open to the public and admission will be free.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Louisiana Tech University women's basketball coach Leon Barmore needed only one word to describe Palestine-Wheatley's Erica Smith.
That word is "outstanding."
The Lady Techsters opened basketball practice last weekend as they prepare for the first exhibition game on Nov. 4.
Barmore recruited and signed Smith last November.
Smith led the Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots to the Class AA girls' state basketball title in March and graduated in May.
"Erica is fitting in very well so far, but that doesn't surprise me at all," Barmore said. "Sometimes, it takes incoming freshmen a little more time to get adjusted to life away from home as well as playing basketball at this level, but Erica is the exception to that statement. She has not disappointed, and she appears to be even better than I thought she would be. Trust me, she hasn't backed away from anyone or from any of the drills, and I like that in a player."
Louisiana Tech, 31-5 a year ago, reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Barmore's Lady Techsters return nine letter players this season and will be making the switch from the Sun Belt Conference to the Western Athletic Conference, which they are favored to win.
"The conference will be a feeling out process, because I haven't had time to look at a the other teams as much as I need to just yet," Barmore said. "I know it will be a tough league."
Barmore said although he has some returning strength, he needed help in the backcourt, a role he is certain Smith can fill for the Lady Techsters.
"I am looking at using Erica along the perimeter," Barmore said. "But with her skills, whatever she does on the floor will be a plus and will help us. The things she can do are things you can't teach. It's just natural ability. So far, everything I have seen her do far outweighs anything I may have expected."
The Lady Techsters home contests include 13 regular season and three exhibition games, including contests against nationally ranked Michigan, former Sun Belt Conference rival Western Kentucky and WAC foes Hawaii, SMU and Rice.
For more information or to purchase season tickets, call Flo Miskelley at the Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.
* PREP FOOTBALL
Junior High School
Thursday, October 18
Hughes at DeWitt
Forrest City Blue at WMemphis East
Parkin at Palestine-Wheatley
Forrest City White - Open
High School
Friday, October 19
AAAAA-East
Cabot at Blytheville
Forrest City at Jacksonville
LR Mills at Jonesboro
West Memphis at Sylvan Hills
6AAA Conference
Lonoke at Brinkley
DeWitt at Hughes
PB Dollarway at Dumas
Nonconference
CAC at England
3AA Conference
Cross County at Parkin
Earle at Palestine-Wheatley (HC)
Marked Tree at Walnut Ridge
Rector at Salem