By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
MARKED TREE -- Palestine-Wheatley's Curtis Allen didn't get much playing time Monday against Marked Tree, but the few minutes he was on the floor were major for the Patriots.
Saddled with four fouls before the half, Allen spent most of the game on the bench beside head coach Terry Clardy.
Trailing by 10 to start the fourth period, Clardy knew his Patriots needed a spark.
Allen provided that spark.
Tied at 60-60, Allen forced a turnover, drove the length of the floor and hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer to lift the Patriots to a 62-60 win.
P-W improves to 2-0 for the year and will travel to Brinkley tonight.
With most of the Patriot roster still involved in the football playoffs, Clardy dressed only eight player Monday.
"We had to play cautious most of the game because of the early foul situation we were in," Clardy said. "But in the fourth we just had to get after it and make something happen. It was nailbiter, but we needed it."
Allen finished with 12 points. Sophomore Phil Hicks led the P-W scoring with 23 points while Jesse Adams had 18.
"Phil had a big second half for us," Clardy said. "All of the kids played hard."
Palestine-Wheatley trailed 34-28 at halftime, but outscored Marked Tree 16-8 in the third quarter on the way to a 62-60 win Monday in senior boys' basketball.
For Marked Tree (0-1), Robert Tyree had 25 points, Dunaway Barnes had 14 points and Ray Jones had 11 points.
*The senior girls also improved to 2-0 for the year, getting 21 points and 15 rebounds from Kesha Stovall in a 48-23 win over the Lady Indians.
"We played more as a team Monday night than we did in the opener last week against Cross County," said P-W Lady Patriot Coach Lanny Allen. "I was proud of the way they came together for the win."
P-W led 17-11 after one period and 23-15 at the half after a slow second second period for both teams.
The Lady Patriots outscored Marked Tree 13-to-2 in the third to push their lead to 36-17 to start the fourth period.
Cara Lansford finished with nine points and hit a 30-footer at the end of the first period. Fallon Parker had eight and shot well from the floor while Tonisha Wynne added three and Bernice Sparkman, still recovering from a knee injury, had two points in limited playing time.
"I am easing Sparkman back into the mix," Allen said. "We are watching her carefully."
The senior girls will travel to Brinkley tonight. *The P-W Junior Lady Patriots fell to 1-2 for the year, losing to Marked Tree Monday 42-29.
Deidra Ingram led P-W with 14 points while Brittney Wilson had 10.
The junior girls play tonight at Brinkley.
*The Forrest City seventh-grade boys and girls basketball teams hosted West Memphis West Saturday at Mustang Arena.
The seventh-grade Colts won 37-34 getting 10 points from Barett Astin and eight points from Tevin Hughes. Willie Bean, Laterian Johnson and Jim Bailey each finished with four points.
Forrest City rallied in the second half after trailing by nine at halftime.
The seventh-grade girls lost to West 37-27 in their game.
West used six girls while FC Coach Sue Jayroe played all 19 roster players.
T.T. Lucas led with eight points, Semiko Grady had six, Shenika Robinson five and Bianca Hawkins had four.
The teams play again on Dec. 6.
The Forrest City junior high basketball teams will travel to Marianna tonight.
The junior boys fell to Earle last week in their opener but played hard in the effort, according to head coach Chris Houser.
The junior high girls, coached by Chris McManners, won their opener against the Earle junior girls.
Tonight's three-game set begins at 6 p.m.
The junior boys will open play at the Turrell Tournament on Saturday.
The first home game of the season for the junor high teams will be played Monday, Dec. 6, when the teams host Marianna in the return game of the "home-and-home" series.