The Mansfield Tigers and Lady Tigers have been on a hot streak in conference play this season. Both teams are sitting pretty atop of the 2A-4 with undefeated 5-0 records and have powered past their 2A-4 opponents in convincing fashion. With wins over Hector, Western Yell, Lavaca, and JC Westside under their belts and just two conference teams left to face, Mansfield fans may be thinking it’s all going to be smooth sailing to the 1Seed of the District Tournament. There’s just one “Mountain” of a problem with that kind of thinking. The Mountainburg Dragons and Lady Dragons have been silently stalking the same 1Seed and aim to burn up Mansfield’s chances on Friday, January 19th when Mansfield travels to “The Burg”. Mansfield and Mountainburg were originally slated to face off against each other on December 8th, 2023 but with Mansfield still in the state football Playoffs, the game was postponed until a full month later. During that time, both Mansfield and Mountainburg successfully ran a gauntlet schedule of larger programs which helped build up the upcoming small-town showdown.
The Mansfield Lady Tigers are 5-0 in conference play and 17-0 overall so far this season. By defeating non-conference teams like Elkins, Pea Ridge, Lincoln, Booneville, and Acorn then mowing over conference competition, Mansfield has made their way up to #2 in most media State rankings. Mansfield’s nuclear nine-player roster has blown up the scoreboard by scoring 1,004 points in just 17 games (59 points average) while their ferocious defense has only allowed 456 points (26 point average). The Lady Tigers’ shooting skills have shown that they have nothing but ice in their veins as each of Mansfield’s nine players has the capability of putting opponents away from beyond the arches. The Mountainburg Lady Dragons have taken nearly the same type of path as they sit with a 5-0 record in conference play and 15-1 overall. The Lady Dragons have defeated the likes of Lincoln, Cedarville, Lifeway Christian, and West Fork in non-conference play. Mountainburg’s only loss was in their first game of the season as they narrowly fell to Prairie Grove 48-45. Since that loss, the Lady Dragons have burnt up the courts by going 15-0 and outscoring their opponents 787-575. Although the Lady Dragons aren’t in the state spotlight, they have slowly but surely earned their way to being ranked 6th in the State by multiple media outlets. Both the Lady Tigers and Mountainburg are three games up on the closest conference competition (Lavaca / 2-3) so the battle to reach the top of the mountain in Mountainburg will have a lot on the line.
Mansfield’s boys’ team started the season with the same tough non-conference schedule as the girls, but with the football State Playoffs still in progress, many of their current starters were on the field rather than on the court. That may seem as if it were an excuse for early losses on the Tiger schedule, but in all actuality, it showed the talented depth on the Tigers’ bench stretched for miles. Even with injuries to starters throughout the first half of the season, the Tigers still have a winning record going 5-0 in conference play and 11-7 overall. Through the thrilling wins and close losses, Mansfield is seemingly starting to get into their groove as an overall unit on the court setting the floor ablaze seemingly at will. Although the Tigers are undefeated against their 2A-4 conference opponents, they’re not so far ahead that W’s are an automatic. Mountainburg is currently tied for second place in the 2A-4 with Lavaca as both teams have a 3-2 conference record. With losses against Western Yell and JC Westside earlier in the season, the Dragons know that a home victory over the top-ranked Tigers would be huge for their program’s chances at a conference championship. The Dragons are 9-7 overall and share a pair of losses with Mansfield against like opponents, Waldron and Hackett. Mansfield fell to Waldron losing 68-44 while Mountainburg was scratched out by the Bulldogs 67-64. The Tigers lost to Hackett twice with scores of 54-43 and 63-35 and the Dragons were stung 60-39 by the Hornets. Record-wise, the game favors Mansfield while the statistics and home-court advantage lean Mountainburg’s way.
Both the Tigers and Dragons basketball programs are relatively equal in nearly all areas of the game. Mansfield and Mountainburg have extremely skilled players, exceptional coaching staff, and impressive victories over larger schools. The program’s records are nearly identical against like opponents. These games will likely be key indicators as to who’s who when it comes time for the 2A-4 conference and district championships in Lavaca. With a lot on the line in Friday’s games at Mountainburg, whoever wins and whoever loses will boil down to one thing and one thing alone…..who wants it more?
Mansfield photos courtesy of Joey Bolin.
Mountainburg photos courtesy of Malinda Mizell
