By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge Thanksgiving Holiday Classic returns for its sixth year, featuring eight teams from four states taking part in what has evolved into one of the most prestigious high school boys' basketball tournaments -- not only in Arkansas -- but across the nation.
All of this year's teams, except the host team Forrest City, are first-timers to the Rumble.
This year's field includes Arkansas' Class AAAAA defending state champs, Little Rock Parkview; Barbe and Ouachita High Schools from Louisiana; Prentiss, McComb and Callaway High Schools from Mississippi and Bartlett, Tenn.
The tournament begins Thursday, Nov. 28, and continues Friday and and Saturday with four games scheduled each day, beginning at 3:30 p.m. The trophy games are Saturday with the championship game set for 8 p.m. Past Rumble winners include Minor, Grissom and Lee, all from Alabama, Raleigh-Egypt from Tenn. and Marietta, Ga.
Admission to the tournament is $7 per person per day or $15 for a three-day pass.
A pre-Rumble banquet will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m., at the Forrest City Civic Center, and tickets for the banquet are $10 per person. Arkansas State University Head Basketball Coach Dickey Nutt will be the featured speaker.
Following the banquet, the pre-tournament activities will move to Mustang Arena where players from each team will participate in a "Three-Point Shootout" and "Slam-Dunk Contest." Admission to the shootout and slam-dunk contests is a $1 per person donation which will benefit the Forrest City High School Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
All of the teams will be at tonight's banquet with the exception of Bartlett, which has opted not to make the trip to Forrest City until Thursday.
Barbe and Prentiss will open the Rumble on Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Parkview and McComb will follow at 5 p.m., and Forrest City will play Ouachita at 6:30 p.m. Bartlett and Callaway will play at 8:30 p.m.
* PREP BASKETBALL
Tuesday's Scores
Senior Boys
Bay 91, Maynard 84
Black Rock 57, Evening Shade 51
Blytheville 62, Sikeston, Mo. 40
Buffalo Island Cent. 68, Riverside 52
CRA 76, Walnut Ridge 64
Harrisburg 58, Cross County 47
Highland 64, Westside 43
Hoxie 58, Delaplaine 57
Izard Co. Consol. 54, Mammoth Spring 39
Melbourne 66, Salem 36
Manila 66, Brookland 63
Marmaduke 65, Paragould 55
Oak Ridge Cent. 65, Williford 43
River Valley 67, Biggers-Reyno 57
Swifton 60, Lynn 56
Turrell 53, Holly Grove 46
Weiner 68, Trumann 52
Valley View 54, Nettleton 48
Senior Girls
Black Rock 32, Evening Shade 28
Greene Co. Tech 72, Valley View 51
Harrisburg 51, Cross County 14
Hoxie 72, Delaplaine 52
Izard Co. Consol. 61, Mammoth Spring 51
Jonesboro 38, Wynne 28
Lynn 52, Swifton 41
Manila 47, Walnut Ridge 28
Paragould 50, Sloan-Hendrix
Salem 52, Melbourne 41
Turrell 48, Holly Grove 32
Westside 55, Weiner 41
Williford 53, ORC 46
* RUMBLE ON THE RIDGE
Tournament First-Round Schedule
Thursday, November 28
at Mustang Arena, Forrest City
Barbe, La. vs Prentiss, Miss., 3:30 p.m.
LR Parkview, Ark. vs McComb, Miss., 5 p.m.
Forrest City, Ark. vs Ouachita, La., 6:30 p.m.
Bartlett, Tenn. vs Callaway, Miss., 8 p.m.