2A-6 District Tournament at Hazen postponed a day because of inclement weather

The 2A-6 senior high district tournament, which was scheduled to start today at Hazen High School, has been pushed back a day because of the icy weather. 

Games were scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with Wednesday being an off day. 

Monday's games are now scheduled for Tuesday and Tuesday's games are scheduled for Wednesday. As of now, the quarterfinals are still set for Thursday with the semifinals being played Friday and the finals on Saturday.

The top two teams are seeded to the semifinals and are qualified for the East Region tournament, which starts Feb. 25 at Mount Ida High School.

The Carlisle Lady Bison are the top seed in girls. They will play in the semifinals at 4 p.m. on Friday. Des Arc is the second seed and the Lady Eagles will play Friday at 7 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Clarendon Lions are the top seed in the boys tournament. They will play in the semifinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Augusta is the second seed and the Red Devils will play Friday at 8:30 p.m. The finals are Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday first-round games include:

•4. girls: 4. Clarendon vs. 9. Kipp-Delta

•5:30 boys: 4. Kipp-Delta vs. 9. Carlisle

7 girls: 3. Hazen vs. 10 Marvell

8:30 boys: 3. Brinkley vs. 10 McCrory

Wednesday first-round games include: 

4 girls: 5. Brinkley vs. 8. McCrory

5:30 boys: 5. Hazen vs. 8. Des Arc

7 girls: 6. Augusta vs. 7. Palestine-Wheatley

8:30 boys: 6. Marvell vs. 7. Palestine-Wheatley

Jr. Lady Jackrabbits finish as district tourney runner-up after winning regular-season 4A-2 title

The Lonoke Junior Lady Jackrabbits are the runners-up in the 4A-2 district tournament. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

NEWPORT — The Lonoke Junior Lady Jackrabbits did all they could but came up one point short in the finals of the 4A-2 district tournament.

Southside Batesville beat top seed Lonoke 37-36 in double overtime on Saturday night. Lonoke ends the season as the regular-season conference champion and the district tournament runner-up. 

The score was tied 29-29 at the of regulation. Lonoke led 34-31 following two free throws by Mickenzie Williams with 33.7 seconds left. Newport's Kassidy Barnt hit a three-pointer with 25 seconds left to tie the game at 34-34. Lonoke had a chance to win it but Mia Brown missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer.

In the second overtime, Lonoke led 36-34 following a basket by Keiunna Walker with 2:34 left. The score remained the same until Barnt banked in a three-pointer with 46 seconds left to give Southside a 37-36 lead.

Lonoke had several chances to win in the final seconds. 

Walker missed a short jumper with 25 seconds left. The two teams traded turnovers with Lonoke's coming with 6.7 seconds left.

After a Southside timeout, the Lady Southerners took the ball out of bounds. An official handed the ball to a Southside player before the timeout timer on the scoreboard had been reset. The officials did not catch the error and Southside turned the ball over and Lonoke's Kaley Woodruff was fouled with 2.7 seconds left.

She missed both free throws. Lonoke's Deria Allen rebounded the second miss and her putback attempted rimmed out as time expired.

Walker led Lonoke with 14 points. Williams had 11. Woodruff added 6. Scoring 2 each were Maddie Pool, Kennedy White and Allen.

Barnt led all scores with 20 points. Taylor Hammock added 12 points for Southside.

Lonoke looked to cruise early in the game, leading 11-6 after one quarter and 15-10 at halftime. White then hit 2 free throws early in the second half to give the Junior Lady Jackrabbits a 17-10 lead.

Southside the scored next 8 points to lead 18-17. Lonoke scored the final four points of the quarter to lead 21-18 heading into the fourth quarter.

Southside led 28-25 with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. Pool and Walker each scored 2 points as Lonoke took a 29-28 lead. 

Southside tied the game at 29-29 before Woodruff missed a short jumper at the buzzer.

Lonoke's Keiunna Walker drives to the basket in the fourth quarter against Southside Batesville. 

Lady Rabbits get big win, rout e-Stem 50-32 in regular-season finale

Lonoke's Jarrelyn McCall surveys the floor during the Lady Jackrabbits' win over e-Stem on Friday. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

LITTLE ROCK — The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits played one of their best games of the season Friday night, beating e-Stem 50-32 in the regular-season finale at Philander Smith College.

Lonoke, the defending 4A-2 district tournament champions, will be the fifth seed in the 4A-2 district tournament next week at the Gina Cox Center in Lonoke.

"I think it's got to be our best win of the year," Lonoke coach Nathan Morris said. "That's a high quality win over a good basketball team."

Lonoke will need to win two games in the district tournament to qualify for the Class 4A-East Region tournament, which will be held in two weeks at Trumann High School. 

"We're still going to take it one game at a time," Morris said. "But they know they've got to win two games to go. You can't go if you don't win the first one."

Morris did not know who the opponent would be, saying it could be Helena-West Helena Central, Newport or Stuttgart. The game is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m.

"They played us all close and two of them have beaten us," he said. 

In Friday's win over e-Stem, Lonoke led 15-12 at the end of the first quarter but trailed 24-23 at halftime.

Lonoke's Kerasha Johnson hit 1 of 2 free throws and Jarrelyn McCall hit a jumper to give the Lady Jackrabbits a 27-24 lead.

The Lady Mets cut the deficit to 27-26 with 6:43 left in the third quarter. McCall then scored four in a row to ignite a 15-0 run, which gave Lonoke a 42-26 lead with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

Lonoke's largest lead was 20 points at 48-28 and 50-30. The Lady Jackrabbits outscored e-Stem 27-8 in the second half.

E-Stem's Gia Hayes scored 17 points in the first half but did not score in the second half.

"We played defense well," Morris said. 

McCall led Lonoke with 24 points. Eboni Willis scored 10. Amanda Sexton had 9. Johnson scored 5 while Ashlyn Allen had 2.

Lonoke's Kerasha Johnson attempts a free throw against e-Stem.

Lonoke's Elmore to play college football at Division III Washington University in STL

Lonoke football player Chandler Elmore signs with Washington University in St. Louis during a ceremony in the foyer of the Gina Cox Center on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Elmore Family)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

LONOKE — Lonoke Jackrabbits football player Chandler Elmore is taking his game to the collegiate level.

Elmore signed a National Letter of Intent with Washington University in St. Louis, which is an NCAA Division III school. He signed during a ceremony in the foyer of the Gina Cox Center on Wednesday. 

Elmore, who played linebacker for the Jackrabbits, said signing to play college football is not a dream come true, "just a big personal accomplishment."

"It gives me a lot of personal satisfaction and insight towards my future," he said. "Being accepted into a school like Washington University is humbling."

Elmore, who was named first team conference in 2014, said he was looking for a top-ranked university with a smaller, more intimate athletic program.

"Washington met and surprised every standard by leaps and bounds," Elmore said. "And the hospitality from coaches and players alike was a huge bonus."

Elmore was recruited as an athlete by head coach Larry Kindbom.

"Coach Kindbom has discussed my contributions on both sides of the ball," Elmore said. "He liked the way I played outside linebacker though and would like to keep me in my element and let me grown. Playing a little offense would be nice though."

Elmore said he plans to major in biomedical or nuclear engineering.

"Another reason I picked Washington University was for its school of engineering," he said. 

Washington is in the same conference as Hendrix College in Conway. The Bears will play in Conway against the Warriors on Nov. 7. 

Lady Bison rally to beat Hazen; Bison come up short

Carlisle's Nikita Harper drives to the basket against Hazen. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Bison and Lady Bison split two games with Hazen on Tuesday at Bison Arena.

Lady Bison rally for victory

The Carlisle Lady Bison took Hazen's best shot but rallied then held off Hazen for a 55-45 win over the Lady Hornets.

Hazen scored the game's first seven points and led 13-3 with 3:49 left in the first quarter. 

Carlisle ended the quarter with an 8-1 run to trail 14-13 heading into the second quarter.

The Lady Bison took their first lead of the game on a jumper by Nicquira Burnett with 6:29 left in the first half. Her basket made the score 18-16. Hazen regained the advantage, leading 27-23 with 2:28 left in the first half. 

Carlisle scored the last five points of the game, the last two on a layup by Kylie Warren with four seconds left. 

The Lady Bison scored the first six points of the second half to lead 34-27. Hazen rallied to trail 34-33. Carlisle led 41-36 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Hazen tried to keep it close and trailed 43-42 following a putback by Karina Swanigan with 4:41 left in the game.

Carlisle then went on an 8-1 run to lead 51-43 with 3:05 left. Peyton Hitchings scored four points while Warren and Elex McClain had two points each during the run. 

Warren led all scorers with 27 points. Nikita Harper and McClain had 8 points each. Hitchings and Burnett had 6 points each. 

Swanigan led Hazen with 15 points. Shania McGee had 12 while Lamondra Pinkney had 10. 

With the win, the Lady Bison improve to 16-7 overall and 13-2 in 2A-6 play. Des Arc lost to Clarendon on Tuesday night, giving the Lady Bison a 2-game lead in the conference standings with three games to play.

Nick Schafer attempts a free throw against Hazen.

Hornets pull away from Bison

The Carlisle Bison jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the quarter against Hazen but the Hornets pulled away for a 55-38 win.

Hazen cut the deficit to 9-8 before Carlisle's Brynden Weems hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:58 left to make the score 10-8. Hazen hit consecutive 3-pointers to end the quarter to lead 14-10. 

Hazen led 19-17 at halftime but outscored the Bison 36-21 in the second half. 

Weems and Devon Kendrick led the Bison with 14 points each. Nick Schafer had 7. Cole Sheets added 3.

Lonoke sweeps Stuttgart

Lonoke's Kerasha Johnson shoots for 2 against Stuttgart. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

LONOKE — Lonoke swept two senior high games from Stuttgart on Friday at the Gina Cox Center.

Lady Rabbits get much-needed win

The Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits bounced back from tough losses to Heber Springs and Helena-West Helena Central with 50-31 win over Stuttgart.

With the win, Lonoke improves to 11-11 overall and 5-8 in 4A-2 conference play. 

The game was close throughout the first half with Stuttgart leading 19-18 late in the second quarter. Lonoke's Amanda Sexton hit a jumper with 30 seconds left to give the Lady Jackrabbits a 20-19 halftime lead.

Lonoke then started the second half with a 14-0 run to lead 34-19 with 2:43 left in the third quarter. Jarrelyn McCall scored eight during the run while Kerasha Johnson had four and Eboni Willis had two.

After a Stuttgart bucket made it 34-21, Willis scored four in a to give her team a 38-21 lead. 

The Lady Ricebirds scored four in a row to cut the deficit to 38-26. Lonoke responded with a 10-0 run to lead 48-26 with 2:45 left. 

McCall led Lonoke with 24 points. Sexton and Willis had 11 points each. Johnson finished with 4. 

Lonoke lost to West Helena 67-62 on Tuesday. 

McCall led Lonoke with 29 points. Willis had 11. Johnson scored 7. Riely Rowton and Sexton had 6 points each. Ashlyn Allen had 3. 

Jawaun Bryant is fouled while making a shot against Stuttgart on Friday. 

Jackrabbits use big run to beat Ricebirds

The Lonoke Jackrabbits outscored Stuttgart 22-6 in the second quarter en route to a 64-35 win.

Lonoke led 8-7 after one quarter then Tyler Spencer hit a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to give the Jackrabbits the lead for good. Lonoke led 30-13 at halftime and 43-28 after three quarters.

The Jackrabbits opened the fourth quarter with four consecutive points to lead 47-28. The closes Stuttgart got the remainder of the game was 17 points at 47-30. 

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 17 points. Spencer added 13. Brenton Bryant had 11. Scoring 7 each were Nick Bates and Yancy Cooney. Justin Meadows had 4. Haven Hunter had 3. Isaac Toney added 2 points. 

Lonoke lost to West Helena 56-50 on Tuesday. 

Jawaun Bryant led Lonoke with 18 points. Bryson Jackson had 14. Spencer and Bates scored 6 each. Meadows had 3. Brenton Bryant added 2 while Byron Fair hit a free throw.

Bison, Lady Bison have tough times last week

Carlisle's Nicquira Burnett and Kim Lott double team a Clarendon player. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

lonokecountysports@gmail.com

Carlisle split two games with Clarendon on Tuesday but were swept by Des Arc on Friday. 

Lady Bison go 1-1 last week.

The Carlisle Lady Bison fell to 15-7 overall and 12-2 after splitting two games last week.

Carlisle beat Clarendon 45-34 on Tuesday but lost at Des Arc 58-36 on Friday.

The Lady Bison are still in first place in the 2A-6 standings by one game over at least Des Arc, which has 3 conference losses, including one to Carlisle by 10 points in December. 

In the loss to Des Arc, the Lady Bison trailed 10-2 after one quarter and 29-6 at halftime. Carlisle's leading scorer Kylie Warren, was saddled with four fouls. She scored only 3 points before fouling out in the third quarter.

Elex McClain led Carlisle with 12 points. Ashley Harbison had 9 points on three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Nikita Harper had 5. Kayla Golleher had 4. Warren and Peyton Hitchings had 3 points each. 

In the win over Clarendon, the Lady Bison struggled in the first half and trailed 23-22 with 49.1 seconds left in the second quarter.

Warren hit a jumper with 17 seconds left to give the Lady Bison a 24-23 lead. 

Carlisle pushed the lead to 29-23 early in the third quarter before the Lady Lions rallied to trail 29-28 with 4:26 left. Carlisle responded with a 7-0 run to lead 36-28 with 1:05 left in the third quarter 

Warren led Carlisle with 23 points. McClain had 7. Nicquira Burnett had 5. Golleher had 4. Harper scored 3. Kim Lott scored 2 while Hitchings added a free throw.

Carlisle's Brynden Weems shoots for 2 of his 21 points against Clarendon. 

Bison drop 2 games

The Carlisle Bison fell to No. 1 Clarendon 66-42 and Des Arc 76-57 in 2A-6 conference games last week.

In the loss to Clarendon, the Bison played the Lions tough in the first quarter but trailed 24-13. The Lions then led 42-19 at halftime. 

Brynden Weems led the Bison with 21 points. Nick Schafer had 6. Devon Kendrick had 5. Zack Caviness had 3. Scoring 2 each were Cole Sheets, Gray Amaden and Keyshawn Allen had 2 points each. Lewis Bunch added a free throw.

In the loss to Des Arc, the Bison trailed 42-30 at halftime and 57-44 after three quarters. 

Kendrick led the Bison with 18 points. Weems scored 17. Schafer had 10. Sheets finished with 6. Dominic Castleberry had 3. Amaden had 2 and Allen hit a free throw.