Both Lonoke teams, Carlisle girls earn first-round wins in Goldfish Classic

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Lonoke's Justin Meadows [12] is fouled while making a shot against Des Arc in the first round of the Goldfish Classic. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits, Lady Jackrabbits and the Carlisle Lady Bison were all victorious in the first round of the Goldfish Classic on Monday at the Gina Cox Center.

Lonoke boys 59, Des Arc 32

The Lonoke Jackrabbits shook off a slow start to pull away from the Des Arc Eagles in the second half. 

Lonoke led 11-8 after one quarter and 21-13 at halftime.

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 12 points. Haven Hunter had nine points on three three-pointers. Justin Meadows added eight. Yancy Cooney scored seven.  Kylan Branscomb had six. Tyler Spencer added five. Scoring four was Michael Kelly. Bryson Jackson and Tyler Washington had three points each. Isaac Toney added two.  

The Jackrabbits will play Malvern in the semifinals Tuesday night at 8:20 p.m.

Lonoke's Keiunna Walker shoots for two against Des Arc.

Lonoke girls 61, Des Arc 9

It took a little bit to get going but the Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits advanced to the semifinals with a dominating win over the Des Arc Lady Eagles. 

Lonoke led 16-0 and 33-4 at halftime.

Keiunna Walker led Lonoke with 22 points. Kaley Woodruff had 12. Jarreyln McCall added 11. Mickenzie Williams scored eight. Ashlyn Allen had five. Mia Brown added two. 

Lonoke will play Malvern in the semifinals of the tournament Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Carlisle's Kayla Golleher makes a pass during action earlier this season. Golleher scored four points in the Lady Bison's win over Stuttgart on Monday. 

Carlisle girls 53, Stuttgart 25

The Carlisle Lady Bison scored early and often in beating Stuttgart in the first round of the tournament. 

Carlisle led 16-7 after one quarter and 37-14 at halftime. 

Kylie Warren led Carlisle with 19 points. Nikita Harper had 13. Arius McClain scored eight. Nicquira Burnett had seven. Kayla Golleher scored four while Elex McClain had two. 

Carlisle will play England in the semifinals of the tournament Tuesday at 4:20 p.m.

Carlisle's Brynden Weems looks to score against Hazen two weeks ago. Weems scored 14 points in the Bison's loss to Stuttgart on Monday. 

Stuttgart 62, Carlisle boys 39

The Carlisle Bison played Stuttgart close for a quarter before the Ricebirds pulled away for the win.

Carlisle trailed 11-10 after one quarter but trailed 28-16 at halftime.

Brynden Weems led Carlisle with 14 points. Demarcus Houston had seven. Garnell Harris and Zach Caviness had five points each. Devon Kendrick scored four. Dominic Castleberry and Ty Golleher had two points each.

The Bison will play Hazen in the consolation round Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Carlisle sweeps Hazen in 2A-6 play

Bison coach Jayson Lowery talks to his team during their win over Hazen on Friday. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — It was a clean sweep for the Carlisle Bison and Lady Bison in their 2A-6 conference matchup with Hazen on Friday at Bison Arena.

Carlisle's Kylie Warren attempts a running jumper against Hazen.

Lady Bison score early, often in win

The Carlisle Lady Bison improved  to 6-5 overall and 6-0 in league play with a 67-33 win over the Hazen Lady Hornets.

Carlisle scored the game's first seven points. Elex McClain scored the first four while Kylie Warren scored three before Hazen's Elizabeth Foot hit a short jumper with 5:55 left. 

Carlisle used an 11-0 run to push its lead to 23-4 with 2:25 left in the first quarter. The big play of the run was a three-pointer by Nikita Harper with 2:34 left, making the score 21-4. The Lady Bison led 27-9 after one quarter and 41-20 at halftime.

The Lady Bison outscored Hazen 21-12 in the third quarter to lead 62-32 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Warren led Carlisle with 19 points. Elex McClain had 17. Harper added 10. NicQuira Burnett  and Arius McClain had six points each. Peyton Hitchings scored four. Blakely Ellis had three. Ashley Harbison added two. 

Lamondra Pinkney led Hazen with 14 points. 

Carlisle's Demarcus Houston eyes a three-pointer against Hazen.

Bison get third win

The Carlisle Bison got their third win of the season and first over Hazen in three seasons as they beat the Hornets 68-51.

The Bison trailed 14-12 after one quarter. Carlisle took a 16-14 lead early in the second quarter on baskets by Brynden Weems and Garnell Harris. Demarcus Houston had assists on both baskets. Carlisle led 28-22 at halftime.

The Hornets made a run in the third quarter, pulling to within one at 31-30 with 5:02 left. The Bison then scored six in a row and led 43-36 after three quarters.

The Bison took control in the final quarter. Their largest lead was 17 points on several occasions, including the final score. 

Weems led the Bison with 19 points. Devon Kendrick had 17. Houston added 15. Zach Caviness had six. Harris scored five. Jamarious Harper and Dominic Castleberry had two points each. Ty Golleher and Caleb Jones each hit one free throw.

"I'm so proud of my kids tonight," Carlisle coach Jayson Lowery said, via his Facebook page. "My boys have worked so hard and never stopped believing and being a family through tough losses. It was great to see the fire in their eyes tonight and the pride on their faces when they felt the thrill of victory on rival night."

Jackrabbits get second in tourney

The Lonoke Jackrabbits are the runners-up in the Conway St. Joseph Tournament. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CONWAY — The Lonoke Jackrabbits went 2-1 in the Conway St. Joseph High School Tournament last week. The Jackrabbits beat Perryville and Wonderview but lost to Guy-Perkins in the finals.

In the championship game, the Jackrabbits fell to the Thunderbirds 67-41 on Saturday night.

Guy-Perkins scored the game's first six points before Lonoke's Kylan Branscomb hit a free throw with 6:09 left in the first quarter. Lonoke trailed 17-8 after one quarter. 

Lonoke's Tyler Spencer hit a basket early in the second quarter to make the score 17-10. From there, Guy-Perkins outscored Lonoke 21-8 the remainder of the quarter to lead 38-18 at halftime.

Branscomb led Lonoke with nine points. Haven Hunter had eight. Spencer scored six. Isaac Toney had five. Yancy Cooney finished with four. Jawaun Bryant had three. Scoring two each were Bryson Jackson, Michael Kelly and Jayden Johnson.

Lonoke beat Perryville 62-46 in the first game of the tournament. 

Jackson led Lonoke with 15 points. Branscomb had 12. Hunter had 11. Kelly finished with eight. Cooney scored seven. Bryant had five. Scoring two each were Toney and Spencer. 

Lonoke beat Wonderview 53-48 in the second game of the tournament.

Branscomb led Lonoke with 16 points. Bryant had 14. Jackson scored eight. Toney had six. Hunter had three. Scoring two each were Cooney and Kelly.

Lonoke's Kylan Branscomb shoots for 2 against Guy-Perkins. 

Lady Rabbits fall to England in finals of tourney; go 3-1 last week

The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits finished as runners-up in the Conway St. Joseph Tournament. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CONWAY — The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits had a good week despite falling to England in the finals of the St. Joseph High School Tournament championship game Saturday night. 

Lonoke went 3-1, including a conference win and two wins in the tournament, to move its record to 5-2 on the season. 

Against England, Lonoke jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first quarter but fell to the Lady Lions 52-41. 

Lonoke led 8-0 with 1:59 left in the first quarter. England did not score until there was 1:52 left. Lonoke led 12-5 with 23 seconds left following a short jumper by Keiunna Walker. England's Julia Bryant hit two free throws with 16.5 seconds left to start a 12-0 run to give the Lady Lions a 17-12 lead.

Lonoke cut the deficit to 17-16 on four consecutive points by Ashlyn Allen. Lonoke tied it at 18-18 on another basket by Allen. England led 25-20 at halftime and 35-30 after three quarters.

England led 42-34 with 4:46 left in the game. Walker and Jarrelyn McCall hit consecutive baskets to make the score 42-38 with 3:50 left. 

Lonoke had a chance to get closer but missed a short jumper. From there, England scored five in a row to lead 47-38. 

Tatayana Penister led England with 17 points. Bryant had 12. Amber Martin had 10.

Walker led Lonoke with 19 points. Allen had 11. McCall finished with seven. Kennedy White had three. Kaley Woodruff had one.

Lonoke beat Perryville 52-41 in the second game of the tournament. 

Walker led Lonoke with 24 points. McCall had 13. Mickenzie Williams and Allen had four points each. Tashalla Gomillion had three. White had two. Woodruff added a free throw.

Lonoke opened the tournament with a 61-20 win over Shirley. 

Walker and McCall led Lonoke with 18 points each. Allen had 14. White had five. Woodruff had four. Jayla Van Buren had two. 

Lonoke also beat Southside Batesville in a 4A-2 conference game last week. The final score was 55-52 in overtime.

Walker led Lonoke with 22 points. McCall had 13. Williams had 10. Woodruff and Mia Brown had three points each. 

Lonoke's Keiunna Walker drives to the basket against England.

Bison, Lady Bison sweep Palestine-Wheatley

Carlisle's Arius McClain drives to the basket against Palestine-Wheatley on Tuesday night. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Bison and Lady Bison swept their 2A-6 conference openers from Palestine-Wheatley on Tuesday night at Bison Arena. 

Lady Bison rout Lady Patriots

The Carlisle Lady Bison finally got in the win column, beating Palestine-Wheatley 64-24. The Lady Bison are now 1-2 on the season. The two losses were to Lonoke and Poyen.

In Tuesday's game, Carlisle scored the first eight points of the game. Arius McClain started the scoring with a three-pointer. Kylie Warren then scored three in a row. Kayla Golleher and McClain then each hit 1 of 2 foul shots before the Lady Patriots got on the board with 4:06 left in the first quarter. 

Carlisle led 27-7 after one quarter and 51-12 at halftime. 

The Lady Bison outscored Palestine-Wheatley 11-7 in the third quarter. The Lady Patriots outscored Carlisle 5-2 in the fourth quarter. 

Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo was proud of his team's effort against the Lady Patriots.

"We played outstanding from the opening tip," Buffalo said. "We brought good energy on both ends of the court. We played much better defense."

Warren led the Lady Bison with 19 points. Arius McClain had 14. Nikita Harper had nine. Golleher and Ashley Harbison had five points each. Elex McClain and Ashby Terry had four points each. Mattie Staggs had two. Peyton Hitchings and Blakely Ellis had one point each.

Carlisle's Demarcus Houston shoots for 2 of his game-high 25 points against Palestine-Wheatley

Bison get second win

The Carlisle Bison got their second consecutive win, routing the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots 73-43.

The Bison are now 2-1 on the season.

Palestine-Wheatley led 3-0 before Carlisle's Brynden Weems hit a short jumper and Dominic Castleberry hit a three-pointer to make the score 5-3. 

After the Patriots tied the score at 7-7, the Bison went on a 9-0 run to lead 16-7. Weems started the run with a free throw. Devon Kendrick hit a short jumper. Demarcus Houston scored four in a row off steals and Kendrick scored on a drive to the basket.

Palestine rallied to tie it at 16-16 after one quarter.

After a Palestine-Wheatley free throw made the score 17-16, Houston hit the first of five three-pointers in the second quarter to give the Bison a 19-17 lead. Houston hit five three-pointers in the second quarter as the Bison led 43-24 at halftime.

Carlisle outscored Palestine-Wheatley 24-10 in the third quarter to lead 67-34 heading into the fourth quarter.

Houston led Carlisle with 25 points. Weems had 12. Kendrick had eight. Castleberry, Gray Amaden and Ty Golleher had six points each. Jamarious Harper gadded four. Zach Caviness had three. Tristan Seidenschwarz scored two. Garnell Harris added a free throw.

"They have worked so hard without complain to get to this point because they are true champions," Carlisle coach Jayson Lowery said via his Facebook. "Many kids, and I have coached some in the past, shut down when bad things continue to happen. Not these boys. With all the losses that piled up on them and the coaching changes, these boys could have decided that one more coach with some far-out ideas on basketball just wasn't worth following. These boys didn't. Instead, they listened and learned. They are a true family in the fact that they are constantly building up each other and pushing each other to be the best."