By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Searcy Lions made the most of their first-ever AAAAA-East Conference visit to Mustang Arena Friday night.
Needing a win in the worst way, the Lions used a balanced scoring attack, a big second period run and the return of senior Tym Edwards to hand the Forrest City Mustangs a 62-46 setback.
Senior guard Kerry Evans led Forrest City with 15 points while junior Lorenzo Spearmon added 10. Sophomore guard Nick Grady finished with nine.
It was the second straight loss for the Mustangs on their home floor as Forrest City falls to 4-9 overall and 1-2. Both teams are locked in a four-way tie for fourth place in the East with Cabot and Blytheville.
Forrest City will face Blytheville Tuesday at Blytheville and will travel to Mountain Home Friday.
The Lions improve to 12-5 for the year overall and notch their first-ever victory in the AAAAA-East to stand at 1-2.
Searcy will host Mountain Home Tuesday and play at Jonesboro Friday.
Edwards led four Searcy players in double figures with 20 points. Edwards hit seven field goals and cashed in at the foul line, hitting six of his seven free throw chances. Brandon Lynch contributed 15 points, including four, three-pointers while Scotty Johnson added 11 and Brad Lewis finished with 10.
Edwards was playing for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair two dislocated fingers on his left hand.
After falling behind 8-3, the Mustangs tied the game at 14-14 to end the first period.
Forrest City took a four-point lead at 18-14 early in the second period before Searcy battled back to tie the game at 18-all.
The remainder of the frame belonged to the Lions as they put together a 15-to-4 run to lead 33-22 at the half.
Lynch hit all four of his three pointers during the stretch, accounting for 12 of the Lions' 15 points. Three of Lynch's long range bombs were back-to-back-to-back to put the Lions in front 27-19 with two minutes left in the first half.
Forrest City outscored Searcy 17-to-16 in the third but still trailed 49-39 to start the fourth period.
Johnson and Trent Hodges nailed consecutive treys early in the period to stop a Forrest City rally in its tracks.
Lewis took over in the fourth period converting a pair of baseline layups while Lynch turned a conventional three-point play and Edwards canned a pair of jumpers.
Forrest City was held to just seven points in the fourth period, scoring only two points over the final 1:49 of the game as Searcy went into a spread offense to run out the clock.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Searcy Lady Lions kept their composure and waited for their chance in a AAAAA-East Conference matchup Friday at Forrest City.
That chance came in the fourth period.
Locked in a 42-42 tie, the Lady Lions put together a 16-to-10 run to close out the game to claim a 58-52 win over the Lady Mustangs at Mustang Arena.
"Anytime you go on the road, especially coming into a new division, and get a win, it's a plus for a team," said Searcy Coach Todd Carpenter. "We were tied at the half but I thought we gave up too many points in the first half. We knew we had to keep Forrest City off the boards in the second half and we knew that would take a huge effort. Forrest City is so quick and athletic."
The Lady Mustangs, meanwhile, were focusing their defensive efforts on 6-0 senior Kristie Lee and accomplished, for the most part, what they needed to do.
Lee finished with 11 points as did guard Ashlei Dalryple. But it was senior guard Libby Raney who did most of the damage, finishing with 13 points while Autumn Gardner added eight points and Kasey Bartee finished with six.
Absent from the Lady Lions' bench was starting senior guard, Mallory Cramblett, who is averaging close to 11 points a game.
The Lady Mustangs led by as much as six points in the first period, 15-9, before Searcy rallied to close that gap to one point 15-14 to start the second period.
Bartee's shot from the corner gave Searcy it's first lead of the game at 19-17 early in the second period and were up by five 25-20 before Caronica Randle got a putback and a baseline basket and Shay Agnew drilled a three as Forrest City regained the advantage. Sophomore Sequoria Grady had seven of her nine blocked shots in the first half.
Both teams went to the half tied at 27-27.
The third period belonged to the Lady Mustangs as they built a 38-33 lead before Lee scored twice from the field and dropped in a free throw to get the Lady Lions back to 42-38. Forrest City held onto a 42-40 lead to start the final frame.
Randle nailed a three to break the tie and put the Lady Mustangs in front 45-42. But Gardner and Dalryple drained consecutive threes for Searcy and a 48-47 lead with four minutes to play.
Randle and Grady each got putback baskets and Kanetra Pendleton's turn-around jumper put Forrest City in front 51-50 with three minutes on the clock.
The Lady Lions out-scored Forrest City 8-to-1 over the final 2:20 to nail down the win, getting free throws from Laura Giezeman and Dalryple and two baseline layups from Lee.
Randle led the Lady Mustangs with 19 points and seven rebounds while Agnew enjoyed her best game ever for the Lady Mustangs, scoring a career high 16 points, which included four, three pointers and four free throws.
Pendleton finished with seven points and Katrina Floyd had six points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Mustangs fall to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
HUGHES -- The Hughes Blue Devils got back on the winning track Friday with a 60-56 win over Marked Tree in a key 3AA South conference game played at Blue Devil gym.
Jermaine Davis led Hughes with 15 points while Ayodele Ogunsakin added 10. David Dowden and Courtley London each finished with nine points.
Hughes improves to 8-5 and 6-1 in the league.
Dowden dropped in two free throws with less than 10 seconds left in the game to secure the win.
Hughes will host Crawfordsville Tuesday.
The Hughes Junior Blue Devils won their game Friday over Marked Tree.
*The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots fell to 12-4 and 3-2 in the 6AA Conference Friday, losing to Altheimer 77-61 at Patriot Gym. Vince Jones finished with 20 points for P-W while DeVille Pickett added 18 in the loss. Palestine-Wheatley will play at Elaine Tuesday night.
*David Williams scored a game-high 21 points and Blytheville exploded for 32 fourth-quarter points to hand Jacksonville a 77-62 loss Friday. It was the first AAAAA-East conference loss for the Red Devils this season.
Blytheville improves to 6-8 and 1-2, and will host Forrest City Tuesday night.
Blytheville outscored the Red Devils 32-17 in the fourth.
*Turrell improved to 9-9 for the year and 4-2 in the 3AA South Friday with a 55-35 win over Parkin.
Joe Gibson led all scorers with 20 points and Adidus Cooper added 18.
Hughes used a 24-10 run to overcome and beat Marked Tree 40-32 in senior girls' basketball Friday.
Victoria Doolittle notched a game-high 12 points for Hughes (4-5, 4-3). Tisha James added nine.
*Blytheville overcame a 31-22 halftime deficit to defeat AAAAA-East foe Jacksonville 63-52 Friday in senior girls' basketball.
Blytheville moves to 8-6 and 2-1). The Lady Devils are 0-4 in the league and 1-12 overall.
* PREP BASKETBALL
Friday's Scores
Senior Boys
Altheimer 77, Palestine-Wheatley 61
Armorel 63, Ridgefield Christian 54
Beebe 50, Nettleton 23
BIC 77, Walnut Ridge 47
Blytheville 77, Jacksonville 62
EPC 66, Osceola 62
Gosnell 74, Rivercrest 62
Hoxie 74, Piggott 63
Hughes 60, Marked Tree 56
Jonesboro 70, Cabot 48
Manila 70, Harrisburg 68
Riverside 54, Rector 38
River Valley 69, Black Rock 64, OT
Searcy 62, Forrest City 46
Tuckerman 73, Bradford 49
Turrell 55, Parkin 35
Vilonia 46, Paragould 32
Wynne 58, Greene Co. Tech 43
West Memphis 48, Mountain Home 28
Senior Girls
Armorel 67, Ridgefield Christian 22
Blytheville 63, Jacksonville 52
Cabot 66, Jonesboro 41
Greene Co. Tech 38, Wynne 28
Hoxie 60, Piggott 43
Hughes 40, Marked Tree 32
Nettleton 60, Beebe 30
Paragould 49, Vilonia 37
River Valley 47, Black Rock 31
Searcy 58, Forrest City 52
Turrell 58, Parkin 26
West Memphis 34, Mountain Home 33
Junior Boys
BIC 68, Walnut 39
Harrisburg 57, Manila 37
Piggott 40, Hoxie 20
Ridgefield Christian 57, Armorel 33
Rivercrest 39, Gosnell
River Valley 60, Black Rock 28
Tuckerman 62, Bradford 51
Turrell 38, Parkin 36