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.