Rabbits, Lady Rabbits win opener of Goldfish Classic

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits and Lady Jackrabbits were both victorious in the first round of the second-annual Goldfish Classic on Saturday at the Gina Cox Center. 

Jackrabbits 60, Hazen 48

The Lonoke Jackrabbits shook off a slow start to beat the Hazen Hornets 60-48 in a first round game.

Hazen led 11-3 after one quarter. Lonoke got some offense going in the second quarter, outscoring the Hornets 24-18 to trail 29-21 at halftime. 

Lonoke outscored Hazen 17-10 in the third quarter and 19-9 in the fourth quarter. The highlight of the game was a posterizing dunk by Justin Meadows in the fourth quarter.

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 17 points. Meadows had 11. Isaac Toney scored 10. Yancy Cooney scored 8. Bryson Jackson had 6. Tyler Spencer added 5. Haven Hunter had 2 while Brenton Bryant added a free throw.

Lonoke will play Stuttgart in the semifinals on Monday at 7:20 p.m.

Lonoke's Tashalla Gomillion rights for a rebound. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

Lady Rabbits 58, Hazen 15

The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits outscored Hazen 14-2 in the first quarter, en route to a 58-15 win.

Lonoke led 33-7 at halftime. 

Eboni Willis led Lonoke with 19 points. Kerasha Johnson and Ashlyn Allen had 9 points each. Jarrelyn McCall scored 8. Riely Rowton had 7. Amanda Sexton scored six. Kimistri Balance had 2.

Lonoke will play Stuttgart in the semifinals Monday at 6 p.m.

Bison, Lady Bison fall in first round of Goldfish Classic

Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo talks to his team during their recent win over Hazen. (Photo by Kym Warren)

LONOKE — The Carlisle Bison and Lady Bison both fell in the first round of the Gold Fish Classic on Saturday at the Gina Cox Center. 

E-Stem 61, Lady Bison 44

The E-Stem Lady Mets held off Carlisle for a 61-44 win. 

Carlisle will play Des Arc in the consolation round Monday at 12:40 p.m.

Carlisle got off to a slow start, trailing 12-6 after one quarter. The Lady Bison kept it close, staying within 6 points until a late run in the quarter by E-Stem, which led 31-18 at halftime. 

Each team scored 12 points in the third quarter. The Lady Mets outscored Carlisle 18-14 in the fourth quarter. 

Kylie Warren led Carlisle with 24 points. Molli Weems and Elex McClain had 6 points each. Nicquira Burnett had 5. Peyton Hitchings added a three-pointer. 

Gia Hayes led E-Stem with 22 points. 

Carlisle's Brynden Weems shoots for 2 against Watson Chapel on Saturday at the Goldfish Classic. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

Watson Chapel 86, Bison 22

The Carlisle Bison ran into a buzz saw in Class 5A Watson Chapel in an 86-22 loss to the Wildcats.

Nick Schafer and Brynden Weems led Carlisle with 6 points each. Cole Sheets added 4. Devon Kendrick, Lewis Bunch and Gray Amaden has 2 points each.

Carlisle will play Bald Knob on Monday at 2 p.m. in the consolation round. 

Lady Rabbits bounce back, beat North Pulaski

Lonoke's Riely Rowton drives to the basket against Southside Batesville. She scored 10 points against North Pulaski on Friday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

LONOKE — The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits bounced back from a tough conference loss to Riverview by beating North Pulaski 65-37 on Friday at the Gina Cox Center.

Lonoke is now 7-4 overall. 

The Lady Jackrabbits got off to a quick start, leading 16-3 after one quarter. Riely Rowton and Kerasha Johnson had 5 points each in the first quarter. Jarrelyn McCall, Amanda Sexton and Eboni Willis had 2 points each.

North Pulaski outscored Lonoke 14-13 in the second quarter but Lonoke outscored the Lady Falcons 36-20 in the second half. 

Willis led Lonoke with 13 points. McCall had 12. Rowton scored 10. Johnson had 9. Kimistri Balance and Sexton had 5 each. Ashlyn Allen had 4. Callie Whitfield added 2. 

Lonoke hosts Goldfish Classic

Lonoke High School is hosting the second-annual Gold Fish Classic, which starts Saturday at the Gina Cox Center. 

The tournament continues Monday and Tuesday.

First-round girls games include: Bald Knob-Stuttgart at 11 a.m.; Carlisle-E-stem at 1:40 p.m.; England-Des Arc at 4:20 p.m.; and Lonoke-Hazen at 7 p.m.

First-round boys games are: Des Arc-Stuttgart at 12:20 p.m.; Carlisle-Watson Chapel at 3 p.m.; England-Bald Knob at 5:40 p.m.; and Lonoke-Hazen at 8:20 p.m.

Boys Bracket

Girls Bracket

Carlisle splits 2 games with Hazen

Carlisle's Kylie Warren drives to the basket against Hazen. (Photo by Kym Warren)

Lady Bison rout Lady Hornets

HAZEN — The Carlisle Lady Bison improved to 7-3 overall and 6-0 in the 2A-6 conference with a 54-33 win over Hazen on Friday night.

Carlisle led 15-6 after one quarter. Kylie Warren scored 9 first-quarter points. Molli Weems had 4 while Elex McClain had 2.

Carlisle then outscored the Lady Hornets 18-4 in the second quarter to lead 33-10 at halftime. Warren added 10 points. McClain had 6 while Nikita Harper had 2.

Hazen outscored Carlisle 23-21 in the second half but it wasn't enough to dig out of the hole. 

Warren led Carlisle with 27 points. McClain had 13. Scoring 4 each were Harper and Weems. Peyton Hitchings, Nicquira Burnett and Ashby Terry had 2 points each.

Carlisle will play E-Stem in the first round of the Goldfish Classic at the Gina Cox Center in Lonoke on Saturday at 1:40 p.m. 

Carlisle's Devon Kendrick attempts a layup against Des Arc. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

Bison play hard but come up short

HAZEN — The Carlisle Bison gave the Hazen Hornets all they wanted but came up short in a  59-53 loss. 

Hazen lead 16-14 after one quarter. Carlisle's Devon Kendrick scored 5 points in the first quarter. Nick Schafer had 3. Dominic Castleberry, Zach Caviness and Drake Adams has 2 points reach. 

The Bison rallied to tie the game at 29-29 at halftime. 

Each team scored 11 points in the third quarter; Hazen outscored the Bison 19-13 in the fourth quarter to get the win. 

Schafer led the Bison with 21 points. Kendrick has 10. Cole Sheets had 6. Castleberry and Adams had 5 points each. Brynden Weems had 4. Caviness had 2. 

The Bison will play Watson Chapel in the first round of the Goldfish Classic at the Gina Cox Center in Lonoke on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Lady Bison stay perfect in 2A-6 play

Carlisle's Elex McClain shoots for 2 of her 17 points against Des Arc on Monday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Lady Bison stayed perfect in 2A-6 play with a hard-fought 50-40 win over the Des Arc Lady Eagles on Monday night at Bison Arena.

Carlisle is now 5-0 in 2A-6 play and 6-3 overall. 

The game did not get off to a good start as Des Arc 6-2 and 23-15 with 3:42 left in the first half. 

The Lady Bison then scored the final 11 points of the half to lead 26-23 at halftime. Elex McClain started the run with a field goal. Kylie Warren then scored five in a row before McClain hit another field goal. Warren scored two more points during the run. 

The run continued in the second half with McClain scoring early to give the Lady Bison a 28-23 lead.

Carlisle outscored Des Arc 10-8 in the third quarter to lead 36-31 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Des Arc made a run and pulled to within two at 40-38 with 3:48 left in the game. Carlisle responded with a 7-0 run to lead 47-38 with 35.9 seconds left. Peyton Hitchings hit three free throws. McClain and Warren each scored two points during the run. 

Warren led all scorers with 24 points. McClain had 17. Hitchings had 5. Molli Weems and Nicquira Burnett had 2 points each.

Jade Bell and Natalie Reidher had 9 points each to lead the Lady Eagles.

Carlisle's Ashby Terry drives to the baseline against Des Arc. 

Bison end drought with win over Des Arc

Carlisle's Nick Schafer (13) shoots for 2 against Des Arc. Also pictured for Carlisle is Gray Amaden. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

CARLISLE — For the first time since the 2012-13 season, the Carlisle Bison basketball team was victorious on the court.

Carlisle never trailed in beating the Des Arc Eagles 48-37 on Monday night at Bison Arena. 

The win was Carlisle's first since beating Palestine-Wheatley 86-60 in the quarterfinal round of the 2A-6 District Tournament at Hughes on Feb. 11, 2013. The Bison received a forfeit win over Brinkley last season. 

Carlisle scored the game's first six points, including four by Brynden Weems. The Eagles cut the deficit to 6-3 before the Bison scored the next seven points, including a 3-pointer by Devon Kendrick at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Bison a 13-3 lead.

Carlisle pushed its lead to 17-3 on four free throws by Nick Schafer early in the second quarter. Des Arc made a late run and trailed 22-13 at halftime and 22-15 early in the second half following a basket by Jacob Adams.

The Bison responded with a 7-0 run to lead 29-16 with 4:24 left in the third quarter. Schafer and Cole Sheets each scored two points while Kendrick hit a 3-pointer.

Carlisle's largest lead was 18 points at 39-21 and 41-23. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run to pull to within 11 at 41-30 with 3:50 left. The closest that Des Arc would get is 10 points at 47-37 with 25 seconds left. Kendrick set the final margin by hitting 1 of 2 foul shots with 21.3 seconds left.

First-year Carlisle coach Chris Houser was proud of his team for the win. 

"We weren't used to playing with a lead in the fourth quarter at all," he said. "They started to press us and we had to handle that. It was a hard-fought win, for sure."

Schafer led the Bison with 14 points. Kendrick had 11. Weems scored 8. Sheets had 7. Lewis Bunch and Drake Adams had 3 points each. Gray Amaden added 2 points. 

Colt Covington led Des Arc with 14 points. 

Carlisle's Brynden Weems looks to pass against Des Arc. 

Lady Bison stay perfect in league play

Carlisle's Molli Weems drives to the basket during the season opener against Woodlawn. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

The Carlisle Lady Bison improved to 4-0 in 2A-6 play with road wins at Augusta and Clarendon last week.

Carlisle beat Augusta 39-28 on Dec. 9.

The Lady Bison led 7-6 after one quarter and 15-8 at halftime. The Lady Bison pushed its lead to 26-17 after three quarters then the Lady Bison outscored the Lady Red Devils 13-11 in the fourth quarter to get the double-digit victory.

Kylie Warren led Carlisle with 16 points, 20 rebounds and 4 steals. Elex McClain had 12 points and 14 boards. Molli Weems had 5 points. Kayla Golleher had 4 points and 9 rebounds. Nikita Harper had 2 points.

The Lady Bison then beat Clarendon 56-34 on Friday. 

Carlisle trailed 7-0 before scoring three late points. The Lady Bison then rallied in the second quarter to lead 22-14 at halftime and 42-26 heading into the final 8 minutes.

Warren led Carlisle with 19 points. Weems had 8. Peyton Hitchins, Golleher and Nicquira Burnett had 6 points each. Harper had 5. Elex McClain scored 4 while Kim Lott added 2.

Rabbits drop 2 conference games

Lonoke's Byron Fair shoots for 2 against Carlisle earlier this season. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

The Lonoke Jackrabbits dropped two conference games last week to Helena-West Helena Central and Stuttgart. The Jackrabbits are now 2-2 in 4A-2 Conference play.

Lonoke fell to West Helena 57-35 on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the Gina Cox Center. 

Lonoke trailed 15-6 after one quarter. Jawaun Bryant scored 4 points while Brenton Bryant added a field goal. The Jackrabbits then trailed 28-16 at halftime. 

Lonoke made run  in the third quarter, trailing 39-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Jackrabbits made only one field goal in the final eight minutes. Jawaun Bryant hit a 3-pointer. 

"We payed well to fight back to down 4 and then we only hit 1 shot after that," Lonoke coach Dean Campbell said. "I'm proud of the fact that we were 6 for 6 from the free throw line. We are getting better. It's a process. I love how hard we play and they try to do what we ask."

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 10 points. Isaac Toney had 9. Scoring 4 each were Nick Bates, Justin Meadows and Brenton Bryant. Yancy Cooney and Tyler Spencer had 2 points each. 

Lonoke lost at Stuttgart 44-36 on Friday.

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 15 points. Toney had 8. Byron Fair scored 6. Cooney, Spencer and Brenton Bryant had 2 points each. Bryson Jackson added a free throw. 

Lonoke girls rout West Helena

Lonoke's Amanda Sexton looks to score against Carlisle earlier this season. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits routed the Helena-West Helena Central Lady Cougars 70-41 on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Gina Cox Center. 

Lonoke led 20-14 after one quarter and 32-25 at halftime. 

The second half was a different story. Lonoke outscored West Helena 13-6 in the third quarter to lead 45-31. 

Lonoke put the game away with a 25-point fourth quarter. Eboni Willis scored 8 in the final eight minutes. Amanda Sexton had 7. Jarrelyn McCall scored six while Jasalyn Truelove and Kerasha Johnson had 2 points each in the final quarter.

McCall led Lonoke with 18 points as the Lady Jackrabbits had four in double figures. Willis scored 16. Sexton added 14. Johnson had 11. Riely Rowton scored 5. Ashlyn Allen had 4. Truelove added 2.

Lady Bison, Bison open 2A-6 play

Carlisle's Kylie Warren drives to the basket past the screen of teammate Peyton Hitchings against Brinkley. (Photos by Kym Warren)

The Carlisle Lady Bison and Bison opened 2A-6 conference play last week with games against Palestine-Wheatley and Brinkley. 

Lady Bison sweep 

The Carlisle Lady Bison opened conference action with two wins to improve to 3-1 on the season. 

Carlisle beat Palestine-Wheatley 64-36 on Dec. 2.

The Lady Bison led 20-8 after one quarter. Peyton Hitchings and Kayla Golleher each scored 5 points in the first quarter. 

The Lady Bison pushed their lead to 33-18 at halftime and 49-30 after three quarters. 

Kylie Warren led Carlisle with 21 points. Elex McClain has 12. Golleher scored 7. Nicquira Burnett had 6. Hitchings and Nikita Harper had 5 points each. Molli Weems and Ashley Harbison had 3 points each. Ashby Terry added 2.

The Lady Bison then beat Brinkley  58-35 on Friday at Bison Arena. 

The game was close after one quarter as Carlisle led 13-12. The Lady Bison pushed their lead to 28-21 at halftime. Warren then scored 11 of game-high 27 points in the third quarter as the Lady Bison pushed their lead to 46-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

McClain added 13. HItchings had 6. Golleher had 4. Weems and Burnett had 3 points each. 

Carlisle's Nick Schafer shoots for 2 against Palestine-Wheatley. 

Bison drop 2 games

Carlisle dropped both conference games to Palestine-Wheatley and Brinkley.

The Bison lost to the Patriots 54-35.

Carlisle trailed 30-10 at halftime. 

Devon Kendrick led Carlisle 11 points. Nick Schafer had 9. Cole sheets scored 4. Brynden Weems had 3. Drake Adams, Lewis Bunch and Gray Amaden had 2 points each. 

The Bison dropped a 54-24 decision to Brinkley on Friday night. 

The Tigers led 31-14 at halftime.

Schafer led the Bison with 11 points. Zack Caviness had 6. Dominic Castleberry had 3. Scoring 2 each were Bunch and Weems.

Lonoke sweeps Southside Batesville in 4A-2 action

Lonoke's Riely Rowton, right, fights for the ball with Southside's Ashton Ford. Also pictured for Lonoke is Eboni Willis. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

Lady Rabbits hold on to beat Southside

LONOKE — The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits held off a second half rally to beat Southside Batesville 41-36 in a 4A-2 conference game on Tuesday night at the Gina Cox Center.

Lonoke led 22-9 at halftime and 24-9 early in the second half on a jumper by Jarrelyn McCall. 

The Lady Southerners scored 11 consecutive points to cut Lonoke's lead to 24-20. 

Lonoke's Ashlyn Allen the scored four consecutive to push the Lady Jackrabbits lead to 28-20.

However, Southside did not go away. 

Southside's Ashton Ford scored six in row for the Lady Southeners to make the score 32-30 with 2:24 left.

Lonoke's Eboni Willis hit a short jumper with 2 minutes left. Lonoke then hit 7 of 8 free throws in the 1:13 to secure the victory.

McCall led Lonoke with 12 points. Willis had 10. Kerasha Johnson scored 7. Amanda Sexton scored 6. Allen had 4. Riely Rowton had 2.

Ford led Southside with 17 points.

Lonoke is now 1-1 in league play. 

Lonoke's Justin Meadows looks to make a move to the basket against Southside Batesville. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

Jackrabbits pull away in second half

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits bounced back from a loss to Guy-Perkins on Monday to beat Southside Batesville 41-29 on Tuesday.

The Jackrabbits fell to the Thunderbirds in the first round of the Conway St. Joseph Tournament before beating Southside in a 4A-2 conference game. Lonoke is now 2-0 in league play. 

Lonoke trailed 7-5 after one quarter. The Jackrabbits shut out the Southerners in the second quarter but only scored four points — all in the final 1:19 of the first half. Justin Meadows converted a three-point play and Jawaun Bryant hit a free throw.

The third quarter was close until Bryson Jackson hit consecutive three-pointers late int he quarter to give the Jackrabbits a 25-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Lonoke continued the run in the fourth quarter as the Jackrabbits went on a 9-2 run to lead 34-19 with 3:15 left in the game. 

The closest that Southside got the remainder of the game was 10 points at 34-24. 

Meadows led Lonoke with 9 points. Jackson had 7. Scoring 6 each were Yancy Cooney and Brenton Bryant. Byron Fair had 5. Jawaun Bryant had 4. Scoring 2 each were Nick Bates and Anthony Morris. 

Braden Mead and Hunter Tatum led Southside with 7 points each. 

Lonoke, Carlisle swimmers do well in Cabot meet

Carlisle's Tristan Bennett, the lone Lady Bison swimmer, finished 10th in the team standings. 

CABOT — Swimmers from Carlisle and Lonoke high schools participated in the Cabot Invitational on Nov. 19.

Tristan Bennett was the lone Lady Bison swimmer. She finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle and ninth in the 100-yard backstroke. She finished 10th in the team standings. 

The Lady Jackrabbits relay team, comprised of Colby Hartley, Baileigh Dulaney, Kayla McGee and Cassidy Roland finished seventh in the 200 medley and seventh in the 200 freestyle.

The Lonoke boys really team of Casey Long, Tanner Edwards, Jimmy Evans and Will Armstrong finished seven in the 200 medley and sixth in the 200 free style.

McGee won the 50-yard girls freestyle. Hartley was 16th.

Edwards won the 50-yard boys freestyle. Armstrong was 15th.

Casey Long was seventh in the boys 100-yard butterfly. 

Dulaney was 11th in the girls 100-yard freestyle. Hartley was 17th. 

Evans was third in the boys 100-yard freestyle. Edwards was fifth. Long was 14th and Armstrong was 15th.

Evans was sixth in the 100-yard backstroke. 

McGee was second in the girls 100-yard breaststroke. 

The Lady Jackrabbits finished sixth; the Jackrabbits finished fifth. 

Lonoke's Casey Long

Lonoke's Jimmy Evans

Lonoke's Kayla McGee