By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
It was a game of scoring runs Tuesday night as Blytheville played at Forrest City.
Both teams made several during the game, but ultimately it can down to the team who made the final scoring run of the game.
That honor belonged to the Mustangs.
Despite a fourth period rally that got Blytheville within one point with 4:40 to play in the game, Forrest City held on to take a 67-60 win in AAAAA-East Conference play.
The victory moves Forrest City to 8-12 overall and 5-5 in the league and in sole possession of fourth place. Blytheville slips to 9-12 and 4-6 in the conference.
The Forrest City win avenges Blytheville's 70-44 win in the first meeting between the two teams in early January.
The Forrest City Lady Mustangs snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Blytheville in the senior girls' game.
Forrest City senior guard Kerry Evans led all scorers with 27 points, his second straight 27-point outing. Evans scored 13 of his total in the fourth period -- when Forrest City needed it the most -- and was the only Mustang player to score in the final period until Lorenzo Spearmon tipped in a miss by senior guard Omar Davis with 1:18 to play.
Spearmon finished with 15 points and sophomore guard Nick Grady added 12 points.
John Fowler led Blytheville with 21 points while David Williams and Daniel Smith each finished with 13 points.
Forrest City stormed to a 10-3 lead with 3:40 left in the first before Blytheville answered to cut the Mustang lead to 18-13 to start the second period.
Again, the Mustangs started with a run, this time a 7-to-3 trip over the first four minutes to lead 25-16 and finally pushed their advantage to 32-21 at the half.
Blytheville stayed close in the third period, cutting Forrest City's lead to nine points twice before the Mustangs closed out the period with an 8-to-6 run to lead 48-35 to start the final frame.
That's when the Chickasaws made their move.
"We knew it was coming," said Forrest City Coach Dwight Lofton. "And it shows a lot of character for our guys to absorb that run and then answer with one of their own. Some of the guys grew up on the floor tonight."
Trailing 51-37 after an Evans three pointer, Williams drained a pair of long threes wrapped around a conventional two-point field goal and Fowler broke loose for a slam to cut the Forrest City lead to 51-47. Williams nailed his third trey of the period getting Blytheville within one point at 51-50 to cap the 13-0 Chickasaw run.
Forrest City, riding the hot hand of Evans, refused to roll over and answered with an 8-to-2 run, pushing their advantage back to 59-52 with 1:44 to play.
Blytheville would get within five at 59-54 on a pair of free throws by Fowler but Evans' layup and Spearmon's tip pushed the Mustang lead back to 63-54 with less than minute to play.
Two Forrest City free throws made it 65-54 before DeMarcus Luster hit three free throws and Fowler drained a long three with 5.6 seconds to play cutting the Mustang lead to 65-60.
Caronica Randle really likes playing against Blytheville.
In the first meeting of the year between the two conference foes, in January, Randle, Forrest City's senior forward and leader on the floor, set a season and career high with 34 points in Forrest City's 82-46 win over the Lady Chicks.
Tuesday night, at Mustang Arena, Randle bettered that mark by scoring 37 points to help the Lady Mustangs to a 79-62 win in AAAAA-East Conference play.
Randle also had 13 rebound and 10 assists to go along with her new career-high 37 points to finish with a "triple double."
She is one of just eight girls statewide to produce such an effort this year.
Randle also has six "double-doubles" this season.
The 37 points puts Randle in second place on the game-high scoring leader's board, behind Ozark's Krista Sanchez who scored 42 recently against Springdale.
Randle wasn't the only Lady Mustang showing her mettle on the floor Tuesday night.
Senior foward Katrina Floyd and sophomore forward Sequoria Grady each posted "double-doubles" in the game as well. Floyd finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Grady added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the second such effort for Floyd and Grady this season.
Blytheville junior Kenya Moore equalled her point total from the first meeting between the two league foes, finishing with 22 points. Ebony Tyler had 15 and Lia Ervin added 12.
Both teams played to a 10-10 tie after one period before the Lady Mustangs opened a 28-22 lead at the half and pushed that to 50-39 to start the fourth period.
It was never close the rest of the way as Forrest City led 62-44 with 3:56 to play.
The Lady Mustangs improve to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in the league. Blytheville falls to 8-13 and 2-8 in the league standings.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Marcus Washington scored 30 points Tuesday night as the Hughes Junior Blue Devils downed Cross County 57-33 in first-round action at the 3AA-South junior high boys district tournament played at Earle.
Freshman point guard Juenni Gee added 10 points in the win.
The Junior Blue Devils, the No. 2 seed going into the tournament, returns on Thursday to play third-seeded Crafordsville at 5:15 p.m. in a semifinal game.
Crawfordsville downed No. 6 seeded Parkin 59-54 Tuesday night while fifth-seeded Earle downed fourth-seeded Marked Tree 45-43. Earle will face top-seeded Turrell Thursday at 7:45 p.m. in semifinal action.
FCity White 40, Jonesboro MacArthur 35
The Forrest City White Mustangs won for the third time in four games Tuesday night, taking down Jonesboro MacArthur 40-35 in a make-up game played at Jonesboro.
The White Mustangs improve to 4-12 for the year and 4-9 in the conference.
Forrest City closes out regular season play Thursday when they return to MacArthur in the conference finale.
FCity Blue 40, Blytheville 33
Marcus Britt scored 19 points Monday to lead the Forrest City Blue Mustangs past Blytheville in AAAAA-East Conference play at Mustang Arena.
Michael Alston added 14 points and Cordero Allen chipped in 10 points.
The Blue Mustangs led 18-7 after one period and 22-9 at the half.
Forrest City improves to 12-6 overall and 7-6 in the league.
Forrest City Blue will close out regular season play Thursday when they host Jonesboro Annie Camp.
Blytheville 46, Annie Camp 27
Blytheville put Annie Camp away early in a 46-27 victory over the Whirlwinds Tuesday at Blytheville.
Junior Girls
Hughes 43, Crawfordsville 21
In junior girls play, the Hughes Junior Lady Blue Devils got 11 points from Joyce Tucker in a 43-21 win over Crawfordsville.
Hughes, the No. 2 seed into the district tournament, will face Cross County Thursday at 4 p.m. in semifinal action.
Hughes defeated Cross County by one point in regular season.
Tuesday, Cross County held off Marked Tree, 47-15 to advance and Earle downed Parkin 23-16 and will return Thursday to face top-seeded Turrell at 6:30 p.m.
FCity Blue 34, Blytheville 18
Astrain Allen scored 14 points and Matisha Dobbins added 12 as the Blue Lady Mustangs romped past Blytheville 34-18 Monday night.
MacArthur 50, FC White 19
Jordin Coleman scored 16 points as MacArthur defeated Forrest City White 50-19 in junior girls' basketball Tuesday at MacArthur Gym.
In one other junior girls' game, league champion Annie Camp pounded Blytheville 41-6 Tuesday.