Lonoke's Martin makes big splash for Hogs baseball team

Arkansas' Casey Martin, left, of Lonoke is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run against the Bucknell Bison on Saturday. (Photos courtesy of Mike Harris)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

FAYETTEVILLE — Former Lonoke Jackrabbits all-state performer Casey Martin showed the country what he’s capable of doing for the the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team on Saturday.

Martin, the 2017 Arkansas Preps Player of the Year, went 4 for 6 with and five runs batted in with three runs scored, including a home run in the Razorbacks 32-4 win over the Bucknell Bison. 

Martin singled in the second inning of his first collegiate start. He stole second base and scored. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. 

His four hits led the Razorbacks, which finished with 22 for the game. He was tied for first on the team with five RBIs. 

“It just helps you carry over to the next at-bat,” Martin said after the game. “It gives you a little bit of a push to be able to do what you want and do what’s best for the team.”

Razorbacks senior second baseman Carson Shaddy was impressed by the play of Martin. 

“Casey did his job today,” Shaddy said. “I’m really proud of him. Superstar!”

Martin’s play was not lost on Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn.

“Casey Martin stood out,” Van Horn said. “He got four hits and played three different positions. He showed you how fast he was and stole a base.”

Martin made his collegiate debut Friday night in the Razorbacks’ 14-2 win over the Bison. He was 0 for 1 but was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance. 

Casey Martin hits his first collegiate home run. 

Lady Bison hold off Earle to win 2A-3 title

Carlisle seniors Blakey Ellis and Kylie Warren receive the 2A-3 District Tournament championship trophy from Carlisle Athletic Director Brad Horn following the Lady Bison's 69-50 win over Earle on Saturday. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Lady Bison are rolling. 

Carlisle jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Earle then pulled away late for a 69-50 win over the Lady Bulldogs in the finals of the 2A-3 District Tournament on Saturday at Bison Arena. The win was Carlisle’s 18 consecutive, improving the Lady Bison’s record to 26-3. 

it was the second consecutive season that Carlisle has beaten Earle in the championship game. A year ago at McCrory, the Lady Bison rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Lady Bulldogs, who were the defending state champions.

This year, Carlisle never trailed in the game. 

“They are a good basketball team,” Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo said of Earle. “They aren’t the No. 2 team in the state for nothing. I warned my team in the locker room at halftime that sometime in the second half that Earle was going to make a push and we had to survive the run. 

“We got a little shaky with the the basketball in the first half of the fourth quarter, almost two thirds of the fourth quarter. At the end, we found a way to make sure to get the rebounds. We pushed the lead back out to 19. It never got into single digits.”

After jumping out 7-0, Carlisle led 11-2 then 18-11 after one quarter. Carlisle pushed its lead to 29-17 following a three-pointer by Blakely Ellis with 3:09 left in the first half. Earle cut the deficit to 29-23 with 2:01 left but the Lady Bison led 34-24 at halftime. 

Carlisle scored the first seven points of the third quarter to lead 41-24 with 5:32 left. Kiara Miller scored on a short jumper. Kylie Warren hit two free throws then Ellis nailed another three-pointer. 

Earle then five in a row to make the score 41-29. Carlisle responded with a 9-0 run, including a rare three-pointer by DeShaye Ricks, to lead 50-29 with 1:17 left. 

Carlisle's Kiara Miller attempt a shot in the first quarter against Earle.

Earle freshman Colbi Maples scored four in a row to make the score 50-33 before Ricks hit a basket with 17 seconds left to give the Lady Bison a 52-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

Carlisle pushed its lead back to 21 on a basket by Warren early in the fourth quarter. From there, Earle scored 11 consecutive points to make the score 54-44 with 5:52 left in the game. 

Carlisle gained a semblance of control when it scored four in a row, including two by Ricks and a putback by Warren, to make the score 58-44. 

Earle never got any closer than 12 points the remainder of the game. 

Warren led Carlisle with 32 points. She added 10 rebounds. Ellis had 15 points. Ricks ha 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Kiara Miller had seven points. Heather Bowlan had two points and six boards. 

Roshala Scott led Earle with 21 points. Maples had 16. 

“That was a great win for our program,” Buffalo said. “That’s one of our goals (winning district). We have the other two goals right in front of us,” referring to the regional and state tournaments.

“We’re just going to get back to work on Monday and play Cotter on Wednesday in the regional.”

Buffalo was appreciative of the fan support at Bison Arena in the championship game. 

“It was a great atmosphere … the place was packed,” he said. “They were cheering for both teams. You couldn’t ask for more. That might have been the most people in there since the state tournament nine years ago. 

“It was a great environment. I swear half the town showed up.”

Lady Bison rally for 16th consecutive win; Bison, Lady Bison eye district tourney at Bison Arena

Carlisle's DeShaye Ricks is fouled while making a move to the basket against Hazen. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

The Carlisle Lady Bison, ranked third in Class 2A by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and ninth by MaxPreps.com, rallied from a seven-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Concord 50-48 on Friday night.

Carlisle ends the regular season at 24-3, which includes a 16-game winning streak. The Lady Bison have not lost since Dec. 16 when it fell to the Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits. However, Carlisle avenged that loss in the finals of the Goldfish Classic in late December. 

In Friday’s win over Concord, Carlisle trailed 38-36 after three quarters and trailed by seven midway through the final period before rallying to get the win, which was only their fourth win of the second semester that didn’t include a running clock. Others were at Brinkley and twice against England. 

“My players showed grit and determination to get that win tonight,” Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo said. “We faced adversity and overcame it. It was a great win.”

Kylie Warren led the Lady Bison with 21 points. DeShaye Ricks had 18. Blakely Ellis had six. Heather Bowlan had three and Kiara Miller and Shelby Hancock each added a free throw. 

Carlisle's Kamryn Taylor and Braiden Jenkins both grab a rebound against Hazen. 

District tournament

Bison Arena will be the host for the 2A-3 district tournament, which starts Monday. 

In the girls bracket, Carlisle is the top seed from the south division. In the boys bracket, Carlisle is the third seed from the south.

The Lady Bison are already qualified for the regional tournament, which will be held the following week at Marked Tree. They will play in the semifinals Friday at 4 p.m.. Des Arc and Palestine-Wheatley play in one first-round game Monday at 4 p.m. Hazen and Augusta play in another on Tuesday at 4 p.m The winners of those two games will play each other Thursday at 4 p.m. Carlisle will play the winner of that game.

The girls championship game is Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The third-place game is Feb. 17 at 4 p.m.

The Bison will play Cross County on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. If they win, they will play the winner of Augusta and Hazen on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. And if they win that game, they will qualify for the regional tournament and play Clarendon in the semifinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. The championship game is Feb. 17 at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game is Feb. 17 at 5:30 p.m. 

Lonoke splits with EStem, headed to district tourney

Lonoke coach Heath Swiney talks to his Lady Jackrabbits during recent action. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

The Lonoke Jackrabbits and Lady Jackrabbits split the final regular season games with EStem on Wednesday at the Gina Cox Center.

The games were originally scheduled to be played in Little Rock on Tuesday but were postponed then moved to Lonoke because of the threat of inclement weather, did not materialize in central Arkansas. 

The Lady Jackrabbits evened the season series with the Lady Mets by winning 48-35.

Lonoke is now 21-7 on the season and ranked 11th in Class 4A by MaxPreps.com.

In the win over EStem, Lonoke led 13-11 after one quarter and 24-15 at halftime. 

Keiunna Walker led Lonoke with 27 points. Arius McClain had eight. Mia Brown scored seven. Mickenzie Williams had four. Kennedy White added a free throw.

In the boys game, Lonoke lost 54-47. The Jackrabbits end the regular season at 13-13.

In the loss to EStem, Lonoke trailed 12-11 after one quarter and but rallied to lead 25-24 at halftime. 

The difference in the game was the third quarter when the Mets outscored the Jackrabbits 13-3.

Tyriqe Jackson led Lonoke with 19 points. E’Shawn Brown had eight. Isaiah Thomas had five. Tony Bryant and Tyler Washington and four points each. Scoring three each were Jayden Johnson and DeAngelo Noid. Braiden Bryant added a free throw.

Lonoke's DeAngelo Noid shoots for two. 

District Tourney

This coming week, Lonoke will play in the 4A-2 district tournament at Riverview High School.

The Lady Jackrabbits will be the second seed in the tournament and will play seventh-seeded Heber Springs on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. If Lonoke wins, it will qualify for the regional tournament, which will be held at the Gina Cox Center the following week.

If Lonoke beats Heber Springs, it will play the winner of Riverview of Helena-West Helena Central on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The championship game is Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. The third-place game is Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.

The Jackrabbits are the seventh seed in the boys tournament and will play two-time defending state champion Baptist Prep on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. 

If they win, the Jackrabbits will play Thursday at 7:45 p.m. The championship game is Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The third-place game is Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m.

Junior Lady Bison come up short in district finals

Carlisle's Leigh Ann Wolfe shoots for two of her 17 points in the finals of the district tournament Thursday night. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

SHERWOOD — The Carlisle Junior Lady Bison gave all it had for four quarters but couldn’t overcome England’s long-range shooting in the finals of the Class 1A/2A District 13 championship game Thursday night at Abundant Life Schools.

England beat Carlisle 46-40, ending the Junior Lady Bison’s season at 11-6. 

“I’m very proud of my girls,” Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo said. “They fought all the way to the end.”

Carlisle jumped out to a 10-4 lead on the three-point shooting of Caty Parker, Hailey Thrift and Leigh Ann Wolfe. Thrift also hit a free throw during the run.

England tied the game at 10-10 on six consecutive points by Logan Wilson. Carlisle’s Kyla Bush hit a short jumper with 33 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Junior Lady Bison a 12-10 lead. 

Carlisle pushed its lead to 14-10 early in the second quarter on two free throws by Wolfe. However, England’s hit consecutive three-pointers — one each by Wilson and Emma Mackey — to take a 16-14 lead.

Carlisle led 19-18 at halftime after Thrift hit 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds left. 

The third quarter saw England outscore Carlisle 14-9 to lead 32-23 heading into the fourth quarter. Carlisle tied the score at 32-32 following two throws each by Wolfe and Audry Fortner. Wolfe’s came via a technical foul on an England player. 

Carlisle’s least lead came at 35-35 following a basket by Thrift with 3:34 left. England then went on a 9-0 run, which included three-pointers by Wilson and Mackey, to lead 44-36 with 1:21 left.

carlisle cut the deficit back to four at 44-40 with 24.5 seconds left but England iced the game with 19 seconds left.

England had 33 turnovers as compared to Carlisle’s 24. However, England hit six three-pointers to four for the Junior Lady Bison. 

Wolfe led Carlisle with 17 points. Thrift had 11. Parker finished with five. Gracie Grown scored four. Bush had two and Gracien Byrd hit a free throw.

Wilson led England with 17 points. Dynasty Johnson added 11.