The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots have made a habit of reaching the Class AA state football playoffs for the past several seasons and the team extended that streak this year.
The Patriots, ranked No. 6 in Class AA and holders of a No. 1 seed into this year's playoffs, will host Cross County Friday at Patriot Field in a first-round game. A win will give the Patriots a second-round home game on the 19th. Then, hopefully, a third-round road game.
Because the football team made the playoffs, word began to surface in recent days that Palestine-Wheatley Superintendent John Manning was suspending the basketball season, particularly the girls schedule, until further notice.
The cries of "foul" rang out.
The fires' flames were fanned further Monday when the scheduled home season-opener for the senior boys and senior girls against Humphrey was cancelled.
The game was cancelled, according to Manning, "so the school and the district could support the football team.
"We had a lot of preparation to tend to for Friday's football game," Manning said. "We just felt like we needed the extra time. We will do everything we can to reschedule the Humphrey game, even if we have to play it on a Saturday."
There was speculation that Manning had cancelled the girls basketball season until the football team was out of the playoffs.
Manning insisted this morning, that statement "was simply not true."
"That is not what I said," Manning said. "I only talked about the Humphrey game. All of the basketball games will be played as scheduled, whether we are still in the football playoffs or not. I want to assure everyone that this administration is an avid supporter of every sport."
That's good, because this has never been a problem before -- the girls going ahead and starting the basketball season.
Last year, the junior and senior girls opened the basketball season on Tuesday before the Patriots hosted Hazen on Friday.
Heck, even Patriot basketball coach Terry Clardy's team opened on the same night and Clardy always picks up football players once their season ends.
Manning said the Wheatley Junior High Invitational tournament, scheduled to be played this Thursday and Saturday, will be played as will the scheduled home game next Tuesday against Cross County.
This year, as in past years, none of the Wheatley tournament games will not be scheduled for Friday.
"If Cross County is still in the football playoffs and they choose to cancel that game, then that will be up to them," Manning said. "We will deal with that situation if and when we need too."
After Tuesday, the basketball schedule lists the next five playing dates -- Nov. 22 through Dec. 7 -- as away games.
"Those games will be played," Manning assured the Times-Herald today.
The decision to keep the basketball schedules intact is not only a good one, it is the right one.
I can understand cancelling a home basketball game scheduled on the same Friday night as one of the football playoff games, or maybe shuffling the start times so the crowd can enjoy both sports, but when all of the games during the football playoff season are scheduled to be played either Monday or Tuesday, there should never be any problems unless it becomes a matter of not having the personnel to support each activity.
Hughes has been in that particular situation in the past since both basketball coaches also are involved in the football program. The district has cancelled some basketball games in past seasons when the Blue Devils reached postseason, but never to the extent of wiping out everything.
Each situation begs for a different solution and it appears that Manning has made the right solution for a problem that, apparently never existed.
Now, it's up to the Palestine-Wheatley faithful not only to offer an organized show of support for the football team -- which has an outstanding chance at getting to the AA state finals -- but also to stand in support of its basketball program -- particularly the girls.
To me, everything is either black or white, right or wrong. Gray areas are not an option.
Any decision by any school having a football team involved in postseason, to cancel girls' basketball is definitely the wrong decision. It makes no sense for any school to penalize one program based on the success of another.
Lanier's Monta Ellis gave Forrest City Mustang basketball coach Dwight Lofton something to look forward to Monday night.
Ellis scored a game-high 30 points to lead the top-ranked Bulldogs past No. 3 Murrah 71-56 in Monday clash of ranked Jackson Public Schools rivals.
Lanier is one of the eight teams headed for the eighth annual Forrest City Grocery/Rumble on the Ridge tournament, scheduled for No.v 25-27 at Mustang Arena.
Lofton's Mustangs will open the tournament against Lanier, on Thursday, Nov. 25, at 6:30 p.m.
"30 points Monday and in Lanier's first game, he (Ellis) had 54," Lofton said. "We will have our hands full."
Ellis admits he had a bit of an off night Monday even with the 30 points.
The Lanier senior made his only outside shot of the game (a three-pointer as time expired) to cap off the win.
Ellis, who plans to sign with Mississippi State this week, got plenty of help from his supporting cast as three teammates reached double figures.
Murrah employed a double-team against Ellis, but Lanier coach Thomas Billups wasn't worried.
"They were double-teaming (Monta) and playing match-up zone, but I knew after halftime he would adjust to it and get going," said Billups, whose team improved to 2-0. "We weren't worrying about how many points he was scoring. We were just wanting him to make sure he took care of the ball and led his team."
Ellis didn't score any field goals in the second or third quarters, but had 12 points in the fourth (seven from the free-throw line) as the Bulldogs were able to pull away after clinging to a 44-42 lead after three quarters.
"My jumper wasn't falling, so I had to go to the hole and try to get to the foul line," said Ellis, who was 13 of 16 from the free-throw line. "We came out a little shaky and Murrah came at us hard."
Ellis was coming off a career-high 54-point performance in the season opener against Terry.
Murrah senior Jeremy Wise, who was coming off Saturday's career-high 51 points against South Pike, finished with 18. Wise scored 12 of those in the first half when he helped his team take a 34-28 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldogs, however, outscored the Mustangs 16-8 in the third quarter and took the lead for good on Al Graham's layup at the end of the period.
Sam Walton scored 13 points and R.L. Horton and Jeremy Green added 10 each for Lanier. Murrah's Jeremy Caldwell (13 points), Mike Johnson (11) and Kenny Williams (10) also reached double figures.
The game was the only regularly scheduled meeting between the two schools, but Murrah is already eyeing a possible rematch in the JPS/Pepsi Holiday Tournament next month.