By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The undefeated Ouachita Lions started fast and finished faster Thursday against Forrest City, sending the Mustangs to a 74-50 loss in the first round of the Rumble on the Ridge tournament being played at Mustang Arena.
The Lions brought a 3-0 mark into the tournament while the Mustangs entered at 0-2 and were playing for the first time this season on their home court.
It was also the fifth straight loss for Forrest City in Rumble on the Ridge games, dating back to the 2000 tournament.
The Mustangs won their first two games of the 2000 Rumble defeating Fort Payne, Ala. and Westover, Ga. before losing to Lee, Ala. in the finals.
Last year, the Mustangs went 0-3 in the Rumble losing to William Chrisman, Mo., Carroll, La. and Osceola, Ark.
Ouachita rolled to a 20-8 lead after one period and never looked back being led by three players in double figures -- Jay Jackson with 18, Johnny Hodge with 16 and Kendal Mason with 12.
However, it was Forrest City's junior forward Lorenzo Spearmon who took top scoring honors, finishing with 20 points. Senior guard Kerry Evans added 14 while Deangelo "Buck" Braddock added six.
Ouachita led by as much as 25 points in the second quarter pushing their lead to 36-11 with 3:39 to play in the first half.
The Mustangs chipped away and got the lead back to 20 at the half, trailing 41-21.
The Mustangs shot just 34 percent in the first half from the floor.
"We have a lot of young, raw talent which is going to have be developed as the season is played out," said Forrest City Coach Dwight Lofton. "We had 29 turnovers against Ouachita, 23 of those from our three guards and that's not going to get you too many victories. We've got to find a solid guard combination."
The Lions continued to lead by as much as 20 points and more throughout the second half and but got only as close as 16 points with 1:21 left in the third when Evans drained a jumper.
The Lions led 61-37 to start the fourth quarter and put their offense in cruise control for the fourth.
Ouachita returns to action today at 8 p.m. when they take on Callaway, Miss. a winner over Bartlett, Tenn. in Thursday's late game.
The Mustangs will face Bartlett at 6:30 p.m.
Callaway, Miss. 69, Bartlett, Tenn. 57
Callaway, Miss. outscored Bartlett, Tenn. 20-to-11 in the second quarter, fueled by Michael Hoover and KiKi Christmas, to take a 69-57 win in a first-round Rumble on the Ridge game Thursday night.
Callaway will face Ouachita, La. tonight at 8 p.m. in semifinal action. Bartlett draws Forrest City, Ark. at 6:30 p.m.
Trailing by one, 11-10, after the first quarter, Callaway used consecutive layups by Hoover and Christmas to take a 19-15 lead with 5:55 to play in the first half.
The Chargers pushed their advantage to as much as 10 points, twice in the period, before settling for a 30-22 lead at the half.
Bartlett never recovered to lead again but did manage to get within five points early in the fourth period after trailing by 10 to start the final frame.
Bartlett's Jaycen Herring led all scorers with 26 points and five rebounds while his teammate Brandon Allen finished with 16.
Callaway placed four players in double figures led by 18 points from Christmas, 14 points from Kris Gatlin, 13 from Richard Griffin and 10 points from Hoover.
Little Rock Parkview 60, McComb, Miss. 52
Terrance Akins led three Little Rock Parkview players in double figures Thursday as the defending Class AAAAA Patriots defeated McComb, Miss. 60-52 at the Rumble on the Ridge tournament.
Earnest Sweat added 12 points while Mark Winston finished with 10 for Parkview.
Akins won the "Three-Point Shootout" held Wednesday night at Mustang Arena.
Parkview led 12-9 after one period and 26-23 at the half as McComb refused to go away.
Parkview stretched their lead to nine, 34-25 with 5:59 to play in the third quarter before McComb chipped away and got within two points, 37-35 with 2:14 to play on a layup by D.J. Carr.
Parkview opened the fourth leading 41-37. McComb tied the game at 43-43 with 4:41 to play on a jumper by
Curyleon Thornton and then took a 44-43 lead. The Patriots quickly regained the advantage on a layup by Sweat and held off McComb the rest of the way to get the win.
Jackie Butler, McComb's 6-11 senior center, led the Tigers with 20 points while Carr, a 6-2 senior guard, finished with nine and John Thompson added eight points.
Parkview will face Barbe, La. today at 3:30 p.m. in the winner's semifinal while McComb will play Prentiss, Miss. at 5 p.m. which features a head-to-head matchup between big men Al Jefferson and Jackie Butler.
Barbe, La. 53, Prentiss, Miss. 49 OT
In the first overtime game in the six-year history of the Rumble on the Ridge tournament, an extremely disciplined Barbe, La. team used 24 points from senior guard Dwight Boatner, including two free throws with four seconds left in overtime, to clinch a 53-49 win over Prentiss, Miss. in Thursday's first-round play at Mustang Arena.
Barbe's David Spencer tied the game at 49-49 with seven seconds to play in regulation when he nailed a 15-foot jumper from the corner.
A last-second desperation shot by Prentiss was way off the mark forcing overtime.
Matt Mize gave Barbe a 51-49 lead with 2:19 to play in overtime when he nailed a jumper from almost the same spot as Spencer did in regulation.
Barbe held the ball for the last 1:20 as Prentiss was forced to foul four times before putting Barbe in the bonus and on the free throw line.
Both teams played to a 19-19 tie after one period and Barbe led 30-29 at the half.
Prentiss opened the third quarter with six unanswered points to lead 35-30 and pushed that advantage to 42-39 to start the final period.
Prentiss' 6-9 junior center, Al Jefferson finished with 16 points to lead three Prentiss players in double figures. Antwan Pittman had 16 and Bruce Harris added 10.
For Barbe, Spencer was the only other player to reach double figures finishing with 12.
Barbe plays the Little Rock Parkview-McComb, Miss. winner Friday at 3:30 p.m., in the winner's semifinal game.
NOTES: Johnny Hodge of Ouachita, La. won the slam-dunk competition Wednesday held at Mustang Arena. Hodge scored a perfect score of 60 on his final attempt in the finals to defeat McComb's D.J. Carr, who scored 55 points.
In the three-point shootout, Parkview's Terrance Akins defeated McComb's Chris Daniels by hitting 22 attempts in the finals.
In three rounds, Akins hit 65 three-pointers.
PREP FOOTBALL
James Wright, 28-22 as coach of the Hughes Blue Devils, has his team sitting on their best season since 1994.
Hughes finished the 3AA conference as runner-up and sitting at 10-2.
Junction City coach David Carpenter (60-21) brings his Dragons into the game with an 11-1 record. Junction City has won or shared four of the last five 7AA-East Conference championships.
After being favored last week against Jessieville, Hughes once again finds themselves the under dogs in tonight's quarterfinal playoff game at Junction City. This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Hughes is 10-10 in the playoffs with all of its previous journeys coming at the Class AAA level.
The Blue Devils won their first playoff game since 1994 with a first-round win over Des Arc. Junction City is 10-5 in postseason play and is in the playoffs for the fifth straight year.
When 3AA champ Marked Tree fell off the playoff trail, Hughes has picked up the scent so that all eight league are represented in the Class AA Playoffs. The Blue Devils ended regular season as the state's highest scoring football team.
Hughes has made do in its first two playoff games after losing a heart-breaker in the regular-season finale.
Though not dominant, Hughes has not been unimpressive with wins over a solid Des Arc club and 5AA champ Jessieville.
Junction City is dominant. Since the first week of the season when the Dragons were knocked off by a Louisiana school, Junction City has been on a rampage.
Last week's 14-6 win over Hector was the Dragons' poorest offensive showing of the year, but it came on the heels of a 76-point blasting of Hermitage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Defense has been crucial to Junction City's success since the season-opening loss. The Dragons have allowed just 81 points in their last 11 games and 33 points over their last six.
Hughes padded its scoring total against Parkin, Turrell, Rector and Walnut Ridge and will have trouble scoring enough to slay the 7AA-East champs -- Junction City 27, Hughes 21.
Coach Shane Storey (106-26-1) takes the Tigers to Searcy with a 12-0 record that includes a 1AA Conference title, their fourth league crown in a row.
Tommy Shoemaker (66-11) has the Harding Academy Wildcats at 12-0 as well. The Wildcats won the 6AA Conference with a perfect 9-0 record.
Charleston is 21-19 in the postseason. This is the 16th consecutive year the Tigers have made it to the playoffs. Harding Academy is 35-17 in the second season and is back for the eighth consecutive year.
Harding Academy won the only other postseason meeting, a 21-8 decision in the first round of the 1992 playoffs.
It's Harding Academy 35, Charleston 19.
Coach Frank Stapleton (26-16) brings in an 11-1 Mount Ida club. The Lions went 7-1 in the 5AA Conference and finished second to league champion Jessieville. Coach Clay Totty (47-13-1) has won a state title with the Wildcats and led this year's club to 12 consecutive wins. Rison won the 8AA Conference with a 7-0 record.
Mount Ida is 7-11 in the postseason and has reached the third round for the first time since 1988. Rison owns a 44-19 playoff record. The Wildcats have won six state titles, won in each decade since the 1970s.
This is the first meeting ever between the two schools.
Rison 23, Mount Ida 14
Coach Kenny Bell's Danville Little Johns are 12-0 after running the table in the state's weakest conference, the 4AA. Bell is 51-38 at the helm of the Little Johns.
Rick Hickenbottom (65-17-1) leads an 11-0 Mineral Springs team into the quarterfinals. The Hornets won the 7AA-West Conference with a 7-0 record.
Danville is 24-21 in postseason action, but has not won a game after Thanksgiving since 1980. Mineral Springs is 17-20 in the playoffs and is making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance and 14th appearance in the last 15 years.
In one previous playoff meeting, Danville defeated Mineral Springs, 8-7, in the first round of the Class B State Playoffs in 1974.
Rivercrest coach Mike Smith (63-19) led the Colts to a 6-1 record and a 3AAA Conference runner-up finish to Gosnell. Rivercrest comes into tonight's game with an 11-1 record. Buck James (25-10) brings the Bulldogs into the quarterfinals with a 10-2 record. Star City tied for second in the 8AAA Conference with a 5-2 record.
Rivercrest owns a 27-21 playoff record and is making its 21st consecutive playoff showing in 2002. Star City has gone 10-8 in postseason play and makes its third consecutive quarterfinal appearance.
This is the first meeting of the two teams.
Star City 25, Rivercrest 14.
Mark Whatley (15-8) led Newport to its 10th win of the year last week, 38-18, over Booneville. The Greyhounds, runaway winners of the 2AAA Conference, are 10-2. Nashville coach Billy Laird (123-27-1) has the Scrappers also sitting at 10-2 on the year. Nashville went 6-1 in the 7AAA Conference and shared the league title with Prescott and Ashdown.
Newport is 32-22 in the playoffs with all but the last two victories coming in what is now Class AAAA. The Greyhounds are in the second season for the 16th consecutive year. Nashville is 45-19 in postseason play and has not lost a first- or second-round game since 1992.
Nashville 32, Newport 26.
Freddy Bowen has led the Gosnell Pirates to a 12-0 record in his first year at the helm. Gosnell is the 3AAA Conference champion. Defending state champion Warren is 11-1 and a healthy 34-5 under third-year mentor Bo Hembree.
Gosnell is 8-10 in postseason play. Warren is 13-7 in playoff games and is making only its third appearance in the third round.
This is the first meeting of the two teams.
Warren 33, Gosnell 21.
Greg Smith has Prescott at 10-2 and was one of three teams to claim a piece of the 7AAA Conference title.
Ozark coach Mark Ford (71-23-1) has the Hillbillies at 11-1 overall. Ozark won the 4AAA Conference championship.
Ozark 27, Prescott 14.