Lady Bison rout Brinkley, advance to district tourney finals

Carlisle's Arius McClain drives to the basket during the first half of the Lady Bison's win over Brinkley in the district tournament Friday night. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

PALESTINE — The Carlisle Lady Bison are one step away from reclaiming the 2A-6 district championship.

Carlisle jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Brinkley en route to a 53-25 win over the Lady Tigers in the semifinals of the 2A-6 district tournament Friday night.  The Lady Bison will play Clarendon in the finals Saturday at 5 p.m. The two teams split, winning on their home courts, both finishing 17-1 in conference play.

Carlisle, which is 19-7, last won the district tournament in 2012, beating Augusta in the finals. 

"It's great to be in the finals after not making it last year," Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo said. "But just making it is not enough. We want another championship and the one seed in the regional. We want to make it to the state tournament."

In the win over Brinkley, Carlisle led 14-0 with 3:16 left in the first quarter following a outback by Kylie Warren. The Lady Bison led 16-2 after one quarter and 29-11 at halftime.

The Lady Bison put the game away in the third quarter. Arius McClain scored 14 of her game-high 19 points in the third quarter. Waren scored four while NicQuira Burnett and Elex McClain had two points each.

In addition Arius McClain's 19 points, Warren had 11. Elex McClain scored five. Peyton Hitchings and Burnett had four each. Nikita Harper and Blakely Ellis had three points each. Kiara Miller added two.

Peyton Hitchings is fouled while driving to the basket against Brinkley. 

Lonoke teams to play in district tournament

Bryson Jackson

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

The Lonoke Jackrabbits and Lady Jackrabbits are playing in the 4A-2 district tournament this week at Southside Batesville.

Boys tourney

The Jackrabbits are the seventh seed and will play Stuttgart Monday night at 6:30 p.m. They split with them in the regular-season conference play. Lonoke also beat the Ricebirds in the Goldfish Classic in December at the Gina Cox Center.

If Lonoke wins, it will play Central Arkansas Christian at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of that game will qualify for the Class 4A East Region tournament, which starts Feb. 24 at Riverview High School in Searcy. 

Lonoke is matched up with Riverview in the semifinals, which would be played Thursday at 7:45 p.m. The finals are Saturday at 7:15 p.m. 

The boys seeds are: 1. Helena-West Helena Central, 2. Riverview, 3. CAC, 4. eStem, 5. Heber Springs, 6. Stuttgart, 7. Lonoke, 8. Southside Batesville and 9. Newport. 

Keiunna Walker

Girls tourney

The Lady Jackrabbits are the fourth seed and will play the winner of CAC and West Helena onTuesday at 6:30 p.m. If Lonoke wins that game, it will qualify for the regional tournament and play top-seed and defending Class 4A state champion Riverview in the semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 6 p.m.

The girls seeds are: 1. Riverview, 2 eStem, 3. Heber Springs, 4. Lonoke, 5. CAC, 6. Stuttgart, 7. Southside Batesville, 8. West Helena and 9. Newport. 

Lady Bison win conference title; Bison rally to beat McCrory

Carlisle's Arius McClain is fouled by McCrory's Caroline Lane during the first half of the Lady Bison's 17th-conference win Friday night at Bison Arena. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

Lady Bison clinch second seed

CARLISLE — For the fourth consecutive season, the Carlisle Lady Bison are conference champions.

Carlisle routed McCrory 66-52 to finish 2A-6 play at 17-1, tied with Clarendon for the top spot in the conference standings Friday night at Bison Arena. Carlisle will be the second seed in the district tournament while Clarendon will be the top seed. 

Carlisle will play in the semifinals of the district tournament Friday at Palestine-Wheatley at 7 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 5 p.m.

Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo is proud of what his team has accomplished so far this season. 

"That is four years in a row winning at least a share of the conference championship," Buffalo said. "That is quite an accomplishment. My one senior [Peyton Hitchings] has been on three in a row. 

"But we talked about this in the locker room after the game. Our bigger goals are still with us. We still want to win the district tournament and we still want to go to the state tournament.You set yourself up by doing well in the district tournament. It will be tough but hopefully, we're up for the challenge."

By getting the second seed, the Bison are already qualified for the Class 2A East Region Tournament, which starts Feb. 24 at Hazen. 

In the win over McCrory, the game wasn't as close as the final score indicates. Carlisle led 32-12 after one quarter and 54-22 at halftime. It was agreed upon by both coaches to run the clock the entire second half.

Kylie Warren led Carlisle with 21 points. Arius McClain had 12. Scoring nine ear were NicQuira Burnett and Elex McClain. Blakely Ellis and Taylor Cullun had four points each. Nikita Harper had three. Scoring two each was Kayla Golleher. Heather Bowlan and Hitchings had one point each.

Caroline Lane, the great niece of Carlisle mayor Ray Glover, led the Lady Jaguars with 22 points. 

Bison coach Jayson Lowery talks to his team during a timeout Friday night against McCrory.

Bison rally for sixth on-court win

The Carlisle Bison, which had to forfeit four wins because an ineligible player during the first semester, won their second game of the second semester by rallying to beat McCrory 66-60 on senior night.

McCrory led 31-25 at halftime and 41-40 entering the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars went on a 13-4 run to lead 54-44 midway through the final eight minutes.

However, the Bison then turned it on by outscoring the Jaguars 22-6 the remainder of the game.

Play got rough at times and technical fouls were called on both teams. McCrory coach Jeremiah Quattlebaum was hit with one while Carlisle senior Brynden Weems was hit with one of his own late in the closing seconds.

With the win, Carlisle was able to secure the seventh seed in the 2A-6 district tournament, which is being held this week at Palestine-Wheatley. 

Carlisle finished conference play at 3-15, having received a forfeit win from Marvell, which used an ineligible player. The Bison also beat Hazen at Hazen's new arena a few weeks ago.

In the win over McCrory, Garnell Harris finished with 26 points. He was 14 for 16 from the free throw line, including 9 of 10 in the fourth quarter.

Weems had 19 points. JaMarious Harper and Ty Golleher had six points each. Scoring three each were Zach Caviness, Gray Amanden and JeSean Harper. 

"For three quarters we had an all out war," Carlisle coach Jayson Lowery said, who called a timeout when McCrory went up 10. 

"Statistics told if they scored again the chances of us pulling out a win were in single digits," he said. "Jonathan Buffalo [assistant coach] and I talked away from the bench. I had one idea but was risky. It would require using one of my freshman that had just moved up and had only one official practice with our senior high."

That player is JeSean Harper.

"My main scorers had been doing their job all game but had to be tired," Lowery said. "I had saved all my timeouts for the fourth quarter on purpose. My scorers would have to tough it out without real breaks, my two best defenders would have to play lights out and the freshman would add to the speed of the game. So we took the gamble."

From there, the Bison rallied to get the win.

"During timeouts, my senior, who had his senior year ended by injury — Dominic Castleberry — pumped up his team and was practically a third coach. His hunger for the game was inspiriting the others. In those four magical minutes, we outscored McCrory by 16 points."

The Bison will play Palestine-Wheatley on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play KIPP-Delta and Marvell on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The winner of the game will play in the semifinals Friday at 8:30 p.m. against second-seed Clarendon. If the Bison get to that game, they will play in the regional tournament at Hazen.

The boys' finals are Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Lady Bison rout Des Arc for 13th conference win

Carlisle's Nicquira Burnett battles for a loose ball with Des Arc's Jade Bell. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Lady Bison bounced back from a tough week to beat the Des Arc Lady Eagles 53-36 on Friday night at Bison Arena.

With the win, Carlisle improves to 14-8 overall and 13-1 in 2A-6 play. 

Carlisle played three games this week. The Lady Bison dropped a 58-44 decision at Clarendon on Tuesday then held on a for a 58-55 win at Augusta on Thursday.

In Friday's win over Des Arc, Carlisle jumped out to a 12-0 lead with 4:56 left in the first quarter. Arius McClain scored all 12 points. 

Des Arc broke the run on a free throw by Jade Bell with 3:48 left. Carlisle led 19-4 after one quarter.

Des Arc's Shelby Evants hit a short jumper to start the second quarter. Carlisle then scored nine in a row, including a four-point play by Kylie Warren, to lead 28-6 with 4:08 left in the first half. 

The Lady Bison led 32-11 at halftime.

Carlisle put an exclamation point on the win by outscoring Des Arc 19-7 in the third quarter to lead 51-18, forcing the running clock in the fourth quarter.

The Lady Eagles tried to get back into the game by pressing in the fourth quarter, and they outscored the Lady Bison 18-2 but the deficit was too great.

"It's always great to get back in our gym," Carlisle coach Jonathan Buffalo said. "I really think this place is a home-court advantage. We had a big crowd.

"It was good to finally play well. We didn't really play well this week."

Carlisle has four conference games left. They include Hazen, KIPP-Delta, Marvell and McCrory.

"We've got to win out and make sure we're the one or two seed," Buffalo said. "Our goals do not change — win the district tournament and go to the state tournament. All those goals are still in front of us."

In the win over Des Arc, Arius McClain and Warren led the Lady Bison with 16 points each. NIcquira Burnett and Elex McClain had six points each. Nikita Harper had five. Kayla Golleher had two.

Cierra Fisher led Des Arc with 15 points. 

Carlisle's Arius McClain makes a move to the basket against Des Arc. 

Bison push Eagles but fall by 10

A depleted Carlisle Bison basketball team gave Des Arc fits but came up short, losing 50-40 Friday night at Bison Arena.

Carlisle, which had to forfeit its four wins from the first semester, is playing without three starters. One is ineligible, one moved and one — Dominic Castleberry — is out because of a concussion.

With all that said, the Bison did not go away.

Carlisle scored the first four points — all by Zach Caviness — but trailed 12-9 after one quarter and 26-20 at halftime.

The Bison trailed 40-29 with 4:34 left in the game. The made run, cutting the deficit to 42-35 with 2:43 left in the game following two free throws by Jamarious Harper. The teams traded baskets but Des Arc pushed the lead to 50-37 with 1:24 left.

Brynden Weems led Carlisle with 14 points. Harper had nine. Garnell Harris scored seven. Caviness had six. Gray Amaden and Ty Golleher had three points each.

Garnell Harris eyes the basket against Des Arc.

Bison forfeit four football wins, four basketball wins from first semester

The Carlisle Bison football team, pictured in a game against Hazen in 2015, is forfeiting four wins from that season. The basketball team must also forfeit four wins. (File photo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Bison football team and basketball team have voluntarily forfeited games from the first semester of the 2015-16 school year because of use of an ineligible player.

According to a press release from the Arkansas Activities Association, Carlisle self-reported the violations. 

"The AAA accepted Carlisle's decision to fortieth all senior boys' football games and basketball during the 2015 fall semester," the press release stated. It also said the teams will be placed on warning for 365 days.

Carlisle's football victories came over conference teams Clarendon, Palestine-Wheatley, Marvell and Augusta. Carlisle's basketball wins came over Poyen, Palestine-Wheatley and Hazen twice. 

Junior Jackrabbits beat Harding in 2OT to win Bradford tourney

The Lonoke Junior Jackrabbits are the 2016 Bradford Junior High Invitational Tournament champions. (Photo courtesy of Blain Brewington)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

BRADFORD — It took six extra minutes but the Lonoke Junior Jackrabbits are champions of the Bradford Junior High Inviational.

Lonoke beat Harding Academy 47-42 in double overtime in the championship game Saturday night.

"The kids played well, played so hard and were extremely resilient and found a way to win in double overtime," Lonoke coach Blain Brewington said. 

Lonoke trailed by as many as six three times throughout the game but came back each time. 

"This is a fun group to coach that gets better every single day," Brewington said. 

The score was tied 5-5 after one quarter and Harding led 12-11 at halftime.

Harding outscored Lonoke 19-14 in the third quarter to lead 31-25. The Junior Jackrabbits sent the game into overtime by outscoring the Junior Wildcats 12-6 in the fourth quarter. Lonoke's Tyriqe Jackson scored four points in the fourth quarter. Tony Bryan and Nick Tate both hit three-pointers while Braidon Bryant scored two. 

The score was tied 37-37 at the end of regulation. 

Lonoke outscored Harding 10-5 in the two overtime periods. The score was tied 41-41 at the end of the first overtime. 

Jackson led Lonoke with 27 points. He scored eight of Lonoke's 10 points in overtime. 

Tony Bryant added 10. Braidon Bryant and Nick Tate had five points each. 

Lonoke's next game is Tuesday against Southside Batesville at the Gina Cox Center. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.

Lady Bison rout Marvell; Bison fall to Mustangs

Carlisle's Blakely Ellis guards an in-bounds pass against Marvell (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Lady Bison improved to 10-8 overall and 8-0 in 2A-6 play with a 69-13 win over the Marvell Fillies on Friday night at Bison Arena.

Marvell scored the first two points of the game but Carlisle scored the next 33 points in the first quarter to lead 33-2 heading into the second quarter. Nicquira Burnett and Kylie Warren scored eight points each during the first quarter. Nikita Harper had seven. Blakely Ellis scored four. Peyton Hitchings and Madeleine Brown had two points each. Arius McClain and Elex McClain had one point each.

Carlisle outscored Marvell 22-6 in the second quarter to lead 55-8 at halftime.

Burnett led Carlisle with 12 points. Warren scored 10. Arius McClain had nine. Harper finished with seven. Kayla Golleher and Ellis had six points each. Elex McClain had five. Ashley Harbison and Brown had four points each. Scoring two each were Hitchings, Lauren Lea and Mattie Staggs.

Dominic Castleberry brings the ball up the floor against Marvell

Marvell 64, Bison 57

The Marvell Mustangs held off the Carlisle Bison for a 64-57 win Friday night.

Marvell led 18-12 after one quarter and 33-26 at halftime. Both teams scored 31 points in the second half.

Demarcus Houston and Brynden Weems led Carlisle with 16 points each. Zach Caviness had nine. Ty Golleher scored seven. Jamarious Harper had four. Dominic Castleberry scored three while Garnell Harris added two free throws.