By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Little Rock Parkview Patriots showed why they are the defending state champions and why they well may repeat that effort this season.
The Patriots became only the second Arkansas team to reach the finals of the six-year-old Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving tournament Saturday and then became the first Arkansas team to win the tournament title.
Parkview, who won the AAAAA championship in March, defeated Ouachita High School, from Monroe, La. 61-51 Saturday night at Mustang Arena.
The tournament features eight of the best boys' teams from across the south.
Forrest City, the host team for the tournament each year, reached the finals in 2000, losing to Lee, Ala.
Parkview rolled through the Rumble field with an opening round victory over McComb, Miss. and then knocked off Barbe, La. in Friday's semifinal game to get to the championship.
Ouachita defeated Forrest City in the first game and then held off Callaway, Miss. in Friday's semifinal to get to the finals to face Parkview.
Parkview senior guard Terrance Akins finished with 13 points in the final and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging 17 points per game, four rebounds and four assists.
Akins was joined on the All-Tournament First Team by Barbe point guard Dwight Boatner, Ouachita forward Johnny Hodge, Callaway guard KiKi Chrstmas and
Parkview's Rod Earls, who was the high scorer in the finals with 18 points. Mark Winston finished with 12 for the Patriots.
Hodge, who won the pre-tournament "slam-dunk" contest on Wednesday, led Ouachita with 12 points while Kendal Mason and Marlon Jackson added 10 points each.
In what appeared to be an early blowout, Parkview raced to a 16-6 lead after the first period and led 37-18 at the half.
Parkview pushed their lead to 17 points early in the third period before Ouachita began to chip away, scoring seven unanswered points to cut Parkview's lead to 373-27 with 3:48 to play. The Patriots pushed the lead back to 13, but Ouachita responded with 12 straight points to get within one at 40-39, with 6:50 left in the final frame, but never got the lead as Parkview held on to take the win.
Ouachita's Jay Jackson was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.
Barbe. La. 70, Callaway, Miss. 62
Barbe, La. got 31 points from senior guard Dwight Boatner Saturday on their way to a 70-62 win over Callaway, Miss. in the third-place game at the Rumble on the Ridge.
Boatner was named to the All-Tournament First Team after averaging 23.3 points per game, three rebounds and three assists. Boatner was 13-of-16 from the free throw line against Callaway. Teammate David Spencer added 11 points for Barbe.
KiKi Christmas and Michael Hoover both finished with 17 points for Callaway. Christmas was named to the
All-Tournament First Team while Hoover was named to the Second Team.
Barbe led 23-15 after the first period and 41-30 at the half before Callaway used a 23-to-10 third period to take a 53-51 lead to start the fourth period.
Barbe tied the game at 60-60 on a three-pointer by James Thibodeaux with 3:56 to play and regained the lead on a Boatner three. Boatner hit five straight free throws over the final minute to seal the victory.
Bartlett, Tenn. 47, McComb, Miss. 43
Bartlett, Tenn. used a deliberate game-plan to take a 47-43 win over McComb, Miss Saturday and took home the Rumble on the Ridge fifth-place trophy.
Bartlett lost to Callaway, Miss. on the first day of the tournament but returned to take a 59-51 win over Forrest City and the win over McComb.
Jaycen Herring, who was named to the All-Tournament Second Team, finished with 11 points for Bartlett while Chase Hardin led the team with a game-high 15 points.
Jackie Butler, McComb's 6-11 senior center, had 14 against Bartlett to lead his team and earned a spot alongside Herring on the All-Tournament Second Team.
Butler also grabbed 15 rebounds to record a "double-double."
McComb led 12-11 after the first period but trailed 27-20 at the half.
McComb led only twice in the second half, 32-31 late in the third and 43-42 late in the fourth but was unable to hold on to either lead.
McComb lost to Little Rock Parkview on the first day of the tournament and then defeated Prentiss, Miss. which featured a first-time matchup between Butler and Prentiss' 6-9 junior center Al Jefferson.
Prentiss, Miss. 77, Forrest City 67
Forrest City entered Saturday's seventh-place game with hopes of snapping a six-game Rumble on the Ridge losing streak dating back to the finals of the 2000 tournament.
The Mustangs were denied as Prentiss' 6-9 junior center, Al Jefferson saved his best game of the tournament for last.
Jefferson set a new tournament scoring record for a player in one game with 44 points, shattering the old mark of 39 set by Fort Payne, Alabama's Nathan Watson in 2000.
Jefferson also set a new tournament mark for most free throws attempted in one game with 19, breaking the record of 17 set by Jazz Ross of Marietta, Ga. at last year's Rumble. Jefferson hit 12 of his 19 attempts, which tied Ross' record, also set last year.
If that wasn't enough, Jefferson set what is believed to be a new tournament mark for rebounds in a single game, with 25.
Rebounding records were not kept during the first two Rumble tournaments held in 1997 and 1998.
From the field, Jefferson was 16-of-21 from two-point range. Antwan Pittman was the only other Prentiss player in double figures with 23.
Unofficially, the Mustangs set a new tournament mark for most two-point field goals attempted in one game, taking 71 shots.
Forrest City senior guard Kerry Evans, who took 20 of the 71 shots, finished with 22 points while Lorenzo Spearmon added 14 and Nick Grady added 13.
The Mustangs didn't place anyone on the All-Tournament Team but were awarded the Tournament's Sportsmanship Trophy for the second consecutive year.
The Mustangs led 16-12 after the opening period and 30-28 at the half.
They led 55-45 to start the fourth period before Prentiss took a 66-65 lead with 2:20 to play and held off the Mustangs over the final two minutes.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
TURRELL -- The Forrest City Blue Mustangs advanced to the semifinals of the Turrell Invitational Tournament by defeating Hillcrest, Tenn. 56-49 Saturday.
The Blue Mustangs will play Turrell, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Stephon Weaver and Michael Alston each scored 16 points to lead the Blue Mustangs who also got nine points from Larry Bean and six points from Marcus Britt.
Forrest City led 19-10 after one period but found themselves in a 30-30 tie at the half after Hillcrest used a 20-to-11 scoring run in the second period.
The Blue Mustangs rebounded to take a 42-39 lead to start the fourth period and outscored Hillcrest 14-to-10.
In other junior boys action from Saturday, the Forrest City White Mustangs lost by eight to Blytheville and were eliminated from the tournament.
The White Mustang teams will host Wynne tonight at Mustang Arena, beginning at 5 p.m.
In junior girls play at Turrell on Saturday, the Forrest City White Lady Mustangs defeated Hillcrest 34-30 in overtime to advance to Tuesday's semifinal game at 7:45 p.m.
LaShunda Rogers scored five points in overtime to help the White Lady Mustangs snap a 26-26 tie at the end of regulation.
Whitney Lowe added three overtime points for Forrest City and finished with eight points for the White Lady Mustangs. Jasmina Morton finished with seven points while Layne McGuirt and Jasmine Phillips each added four points.
The Forrest City Blue Lady Mustangs will play their first game at the Turrell Tournament Tuesday at 5 p.m., when they take on Crawfordsville.
* PREP FOOTBALL
2002 STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Class AAAAA Semifinal Round
Springdale 28, Russellville 21
FS Southside 37, Cabot 20
Championship Game
Saturday, December 7 At War Memorial Stadium, LR
Springdale vs. FS Southside, 12:00 noon
Class AAAA
Semifinal Round
Stuttgart 33, Pulaski Robinson 8
Sylvan Hills 40, Alma 21
Championship Game
Saturday, December 7 At War Memorial Stadium, LR
Stuttgart vs. Sylvan Hills, 6:30 p.m.
Class AAA Quarterfinal Round
Rivercrest 28, Star City 14
Nashville 21, Newport 0
Warren 43, Gosnell 28
Prescott 33, Ozark 17
Semifinal Round Friday, December 6
Rivercrest at Nashville
Prescott at Warren
Class AA Quarterfinal Round
Harding Academy 28, Charleston 21
Junction City 56, Hughes 0
Mount Ida 41, Rison 8
Danville 21, Mineral Springs 12
Semifinal Round Friday, December 6
Junction City at Harding Academy
Mount Ida at Danville