The 7th Grade and Jr High Hackett Hornets have been on fire this basketball season and for the Jr Hornets, things aren’t over just yet. The 7th Grade Hornets finished their season with a 7-3 total play record and went 4-1 in conference play. “The 7th-Grade group continued to grow and was a joy to coach! I look forward to a promising future,” expressed Coach Kent Elmore. “My Jr High team continues to improve and play good basketball!” Last night, the Jr Hornets hosted the Cedarville Jr Pirates and unfortunately for the Jr Pirates, the fire was out before they could even get it started.
#23 Pirate, Colton Arnold
Cedarville did their best to crush Hackett’s offense but to no avail. The Jr Hornets walked away with a 44-15 victory and their third straight win placing them with a total play record of 12-8. Wyatt Hester was nonstop all night bringing in 13 points. Hot on his heels with 10 points was Cole Ketchum. Eli Slavens was all the buzz with 7 points. Dawsyn Clay and Jesse Perez were back and forth ballers with 5 and 4 points respectively. And earning a free throw was Waylon Potter. Colton Arnold was the points captain for the Pirates with 9.
#22 Hornet, Hayden Foster and #20 Pirate, Brady Hightower
Next up for the Jr Hornets will be the Bearcats on Thursday, February 4 at Booneville. The Bearcats took the “Dub” in their first faceoff 33-30. And yes although bearcats can be a bit scary at first glance when encountered in the wild, the last I checked, the nation wasn’t running frantic over any “Killer Bearcats”!
Sometimes there are situations that you have no control over. With a pandemic ever-present in the day to day lives of everyone, the Mansfield 7th Grade Tigers fell victim to one of the side effects by being handed a shorter than normal basketball season. But, just because a situation isn’t in your control doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with it as the Tigers closed out their season with a BANG against the JC Westside Rebels with a 21-8 victory.
Cooper Edwards
The game tipped off sluggish for the Tigers as they struggled to wake up from their long trip from Mansfield to Coal Hill, AR. But once they shook the cobwebs off though, Mansfield was all hoops. The Tigers strolled into the half with a 15-3 lead. Coach Keith Stovall gathered his players for the final time with them as 7th Graders, coached them up, and sent them right back into battle. JC Westside came out on fire but so did Mansfield as they were able to roll up another 6 points in the second half. To make the game even better for the Tigers, Mansfield was able to clear their bench one final time as every player was able to contribute minutes in the match.
#24 Kanon Fisher
When it comes down to the points Mansfield scored in the game, you’ll notice an unplanned but nice touch in the win that only these boys could pull off. The Rebels may have had canons at their battle for Coal Hill, but Mansfield brought their own “Kanon”. Kanon Fisher led the Tigers with 6 points in the game and secured multiple rebounds on the afternoon. Cooper Edwards tallied his final points of the year hanging up 5 points on the scoreboard. Traevin Copeland was able to dip, dive, juke, and jive his way to 4 points and Joseph Carter tacked on three points. Logan Newman sent the bench on fire with a sweet two-pointer and Ethan Martin capped off Mansfield’s scoring with a free throw for 1 point. Now, if you were keeping up with the scoring, you noticed the unplanned oddity. The Tigers scored 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 points with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 players.
Traevin Copeland
The 7th Grade Tigers ended their season with a 5-3 record and now have the Tigers Eye on the 2021-2022 basketball season. Although they didn’t play very many games and many on the team were greenhorns, the Tigers found a way to make success out of this COVID mess. If all players return for next season, coupled with the heavy talent in this season’s 8th Grade, Mansfield could see one heck of a Jr High team next year.
Eva Joyce (Hollcroft) Hawkins of Waldron, Arkansas, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 31, 2021, at the age of 86, surrounded by her loving family in Greenwood, AR. Joyce was born January 14, 1935, in Booneville, AR to her loving parents Norman and Lucy (Brigance) Hollcroft.
Joyce loved to tell stories about growing up with her five brothers in California. As the only girl in the family she was proud of keeping up with her rowdy brothers and very much enjoyed telling the stories from her point of view. Her love of music was inherited from her parents; her dad led singing at church and her mom played the piano. Joyce loved singing in the church choir, especially singing alto for the cantatas at Waldron Church of the Nazarene. She also loved singing in the choirs at Southside Baptist Church and Temple Baptist Church. Many long term Waldron residents will remember her friendly smile while working at Piggly Wiggly and Super Sav Drug; she took great pride in providing excellent customer service and was also known for sharing her delicious homemade cinnamon rolls with her co-workers and friends. Called “Mamaw” by her grandchildren, the name soon stuck and she was affectionately known throughout her life as Mamaw to all who loved her. Her grandchildren certainly remember riding in Mamaw’s famous blue VW bug to catch those early Saturday morning yard sales or a drive to Jiffy Mart to fill a bag with candy! There are certainly too many to mention, but it should be said how much she loved all her McKay family throughout the years and all her Brigance cousins.
Joyce leaves behind to cherish her memory, daughter Judy and husband Vestal Hutchens of Waldron; son Lonnie and wife Lynn McKay of Fort Smith; daughter Tracy and husband Troy Hunt of Greenwood; and two step-daughters Kathy Pate; Judy and husband Bill Coleman both of Fort Smith. She is survived by one brother Gary and wife Judy Hollcroft of California; sister-in-law Mary Hollcroft of Florida; and sister-in-law Janie Elmore of Waldron. Mamaw will forever remain in the hearts of her grandchildren: Brian and wife Cathy Hutchens of Watertown, NY; Kelly and husband Jeremy Slaten of Waldron, AR; Crystal and husband Tony Wagner of London, AR; Autumn Coffey of Booneville, AR; Eva “Niki” Hutchens of Killeen,TX; Kyle and wife Valerie Hunt of Searcy, AR; Kari and husband Micah Turnipseed of Mayflower, AR; Josh Hunt of Greenwood, AR; Steven Hunt of Greenwood, AR; Rachel and husband David Stills of Springdale, AR; Caitlin and husband Shane Williams of Fort Smith, AR; Travis and wife Brenda Newberry of Greenwood, AR; and Charlotte Franklin of Fort Smith, AR. She was also blessed with 28 great grandchildren and two great-great granddaughters. Joyce will also be missed by her many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and a host of friends and acquaintances.
Joyce is preceded in death by her husband Dalton Hawkins; parents Norman and Lucy; her brothers Nathan, Mason, Ben, and Larry Hollcroft; and her “sister of the heart”, Bennie Hutchens.
Mamaw’s honorary pallbearers are her grandsons: Brian Hutchens, Tony Wagner, Jeremy Slaten, Kyle, Josh, and Steven Hunt, Micah Turnipseed, David Stills, and Shane Williams.
Joyce’s celebration of life will be 10:00 a.m. Thursday, February 4, 2021 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Joyce’s visitation will be Wednesday, February 3, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas.
The family would like to thank Mercy Hospice for their wonderful love and care of Mamaw in her final days, and for their amazing support of our family.
The Hackett Jr Lady Hornets are starting their final week of regular season play until next week’s Districts. The Lady Hornets ended last week on a high note after taking a 35-24 win against the Waldron Jr Lady Bulldogs on Friday night. With a slow start to the first quarter which ended with a score of 8-3 Hackett, the pace started picking up big time for the Lady Hornets. Hackett was able to hold Waldron to just 5 points to go into halftime up 22-8. The Lady Bulldogs ruled the defense department in the third quarter by keeping the Lady Hornets grounded with just two points. But for the big finish, Hackett managed to release themselves from the Lady Bulldogs grip and go big for the win.
“Some of the things we have been pushing hard in practice are starting to show up in games and I’m so proud of them,” expressed Coach Broc Adams. Sitting on top with a bunch of points for the Lady Hornets, 18 to be exact, was Alex Bunch. Jessie Mendenhall scooped up 8 points against the Lady Bulldogs. And Aaliyah Escoffier and Maya Carter flew in and netted 5 and 4 points respectively. Leading the pack for the Lady Bulldogs was Emilee McConnell with 13 points followed by Kaylee Underwood with 6.
For Round 2 of conference play, the Jr Lady Hornets will host the Cedarville Lady Pirates tonight, February 1. In their first match-up, the Lady Pirates dropped anchor on the Lady Hornets with a score of 41-37 Cedarville. But with Hackett having homecourt advantage, its not going to be very easy to pierce through the Lady Hornets hive!
It is that time of year where the end to the long regular season is in sight and the start of a new season, the post-season, is just around the corner. Teams have approximately three conference games remaining starting tomorrow night, and one such game will be the Charleston Tigers and Lady Tigers playing at Paris. Both schools would like to be in better position in the conference standings than they see themselves at the moment, but both can make a run in their last three games to improve their first round district tournament match-ups and hopes to advance to regional tournament play.
On the girls side, the Charleston Lady Tigers, winners of their district last year, and state semifinalists, are 6-4 in conference play. Paris, playing with three starting sophomores, a junior, and one senior, entered the year with very little varsity experience and are hoping to also make a run to avoid possibly playing Cedarville on their home court in the first round of the district tournament.
Resident Press Photos / Ronni Tate Young
According to Arkansas Scorebook Live, the 3A-4 girls conference standings as of Monday, February 1 are:
Danville 9-1
Cossatot River 8-2
Cedarville 8-2
Charleston 6-4
Booneville 4-6
Paris 3-7
Waldron 1-9
Hackett 1-9
Charleston has remaining games at Paris, Hackett, and Danville. They have a final home game on Friday versus Waldron.
Resident Press Photo
The Paris Lady Eagles have games remaining with Charleston and at Cossatot River on Friday. The Lady Eagles will finish their regular season with a home game versus Cedarville on February 9 and a road game at Booneville on February 12.
On the boys side, the Charleston Tigers are 6-3 and tied for third place in the conference. Charleston is tied with Booneville and is two games behind conference-leading Waldron who is 9-1. Paris is 4-6 going into Tuesday’s match-up with Charleston and currently resides in fifth place in the conference. The conference boys standings as of today are:
Waldron 9-1
Booneville 6-4
Charleston 6-3
Cedarville 5-4
Paris 4-6
Hackett 3-7
Danville 2-6
Cossatot River 2-7
Resident Press Photo / Ronni Tate Young
Charleston has remaining games at Paris and Hackett. The Tigers final home game will be this Friday when Charleston welcomes Waldron to Tiger Center.
Just as in the case of the girls teams, both Charleston and Paris boys are focused on having a big week this week, and closing out the season on high notes next week to make a move in the conference standings.
This year’s senior district tournament will be held at Cedarville, and the Pirates will have a significant home court advantage for the tournament. This makes it that much more important to finish high in the standings to avoid playing the Lady Pirates or the Pirates on their home floor early in the tournament.
Injuries, fatigue, and disappointment in the way the season has gone are all factors that can affect teenagers playing high school basketball this time of year. But senior leadership, coaching, and fan support can inspire teams to get on a roll at post-season time. Many times, a team that has had a mediocre season can get hot a post-season time and win a few games in a row and all of the sudden find themselves playing for something very important. That is the beauty of the post-season tournament, and the name of the game now is just to get there and start out with the best possible path to the finals.
Resident Press Photo
And I haven’t mentioned it, but it is always out there…anytime Paris and Charleston get together, you can throw out the records. Both schools, separated by just a few miles, always come to play when they see each other on the schedule. It should be a good night for basketball. Charleston fans travel well and always support their Tigers, and the same can be said for the Eagles fan base.
So, Tuesday’s night’s games at Paris Gymnasium are important for many reasons, and at 5 p.m., the fun and the action will begin. Resident Press will be there to bring you all of the action in Wednesday evening’s online edition of the Resident Press. We thank all of our loyal readers in both communities for following Resident Press!
No one is unbeatable. Just ask the Jr Lady Tigers when they fell to Trinity a few weeks back. Sometimes you just have a bad game and other times you’re just downright outmatched. The Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers sure looked unbeatable though as they outmatched the JC Westside Rebels on Friday, January 29th. Mansfield took the long drive to JC Westside with a game to play and drove back out with a dominant 44-9 victory.
Alyson Edwards
The show started with Kaylee Ward tipping the ball off to the Lady Tigers and then getting into her groove. Normally Ward is a rebound and put back player, but on that particular day, she turned on the boosters. Ward must’ve been learning from her older sister, Kynslee, as she drove the length of the court on multiple occasions for Lady Tiger buckets. The Lady Tigers closed out the 1st quarter with a commanding 22-0 lead over the Lady Rebels. It was then time for the old faithful’s to step in as Kynslee Ward, Harlie Fuller, and Alyson Edwards mounted up and took charge at JC Westside. Mansfield held the Lady Rebels scoreless up until the 2:48 point in the 2nd Quarter and still rolled into halftime with a 30-2 lead.
Shelbie Fuller
After proving they were out of shape last week against Lavaca, the starters went back onto the court to start the 3rd quarter to gain some conditioning. As they wore down, Mansfield began putting in their bench. This isn’t just any group of bench players though. This was a Lady Tigers bench and they hit the court with the same ferocity as their starting counterparts. After ending the 3rd quarter with a 42-7 lead, the Lady Tigers held the final quarter with a scoring tie, allowing 2 points and making 2 points to close the game out with a 44-9 final.
Harlie Fuller
Kaylee Ward led the team with a whopping 18 points, 7 blocks, 4 deflections, and 5 steals. Not to be outdone by her little sister, Kynslee Ward scored 11 points, had 4 assists, 10 steals, and 5 deflections against the Lady Rebels. Harlie and Shelbie Fuller were also trying to garner the sibling favorite with Harlie outdoing her little sister in scoring putting up 4 points against Shelbie’s 2 points while the pair tied in rebounds with two apiece. While the sisters were battling over stats, the Lady Tigers backbone, Alyson Edwards, worked her way to gaining 7 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. And Ellie Welch closed the scoring books for the Lady Tigers with a 2 point board bucket at the end of the game.
Kynslee Ward
The win boosted the Lady Tigers’ overall record to 10-1 and 3-0 in conference play. This week is where Mansfield is put to the test. The Jr Lady Tigers will host Magazine on Monday, February 1st, travel to an unfamiliar jungle in Acorn on Wednesday, February 3rd, and then close out their regular season at Mountainburg. A death row schedule like this in the same week is going to prove challenging, but the Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers won’t back down.
Pictured: Mansfield’s Megan Rose, second from the left on the back row, is pictured with her Southeastern Oklahoma State teammates. Rose recently finished as her team’s second scorer for the second consecutive time this season.
At her second scheduled race in this abbreviated spring cross country season, former Mansfield Lady Tiger, Megan Rose, once again helped set the pecking for the Southeastern Oklahoma State Bison.
The GAC Preview Meet in Weatherford, OK welcomed a small contingent of conference schools for the January, 29, afternoon run. SEOSU, Rose’s home since 2018, was among the competition.
Hosted by Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the Friday 5K was a longer course and larger field than the stampede the Bison roamed two weeks ago in Russellville.
Rose finished second on her team for the second consecutive meet. According to the college junior, it wasn’t exactly the perfect finish.
“I got second on the team again” explained Rose. “I was in fifth place behind third and fourth when we all ran the wrong direction at one point. We got corrected and I steadily moved back up.”
The typically cerebral runner admitted being confused by the multi-colored markings along the curvy course.
“The boys’ race was longer,” noted the experienced racer. “They marked their course with one color and ours with another. At one particular turn, we hugged the corner too tight and missed the markings for the girls’course.”
Rose admitted she was only slightly frustrated at her finish time because of the confusion on the course. Her goal going into the race was to be under 21 minutes. The detour pushed her past that target time to 21:26.
“I went the wrong way,” sighed Rose. “It’s okay though. I’m content with my time and happy with my place on the team.”
The later than normal cross country season has otherwise been kind to the former high school star. Through the early going, she has established an improved pace. A week of 1000m repeat workouts with active rest has helped lift her into the top tier of her own squad’s performances.
“My next step is trying to close the gap between me and the first place girl on my team,” announced Rose.
The Greenwood varsity basketball team won Friday’s home conference game against Greenbrier by a score of 50-44. The homecoming coronation ceremony preceded gametime.
The homecoming court included: Queen Kinley Fisher, Senior Maid of Honor Madisyn Wilson, Senior Maid Alexis Clifford, Junior Maid Courtney Swilling, and Sophmore Maids Ashlyn Butler and Charley Kay Sharp.
(Photos courtesy of Peggy Barger)
Queen Kinley Fisher
Maid of Honor Madisyn Wilson
Senior Maid Alexis Clifford
Junior Maid Courtney Swilling
Sophomore Maid Charley Kay Sharp
Sophomore Maid Ashlyn Butler
Queen Escorts from left: Caleb Ligon, Lance Marek, Evan Bartlett, and Daswon Holt
Maid of Honor Escorts from left: Josh Terry, Hunter Houston, and Chase Beshears
Senior Maid Escorts from left: Joe Russell, Sam Forbus, Aiden Kennon, and Matt Parker
Junior Escorts Luke Haynes and Craden Stein
Sophomore Escorts Jay Wright and Micah Lensing
Sophomore Escorts Chayce Blakneship and Gavin White
Crown Bearers Sawyer Upton and Abel Redmon with Flower Girl Addalyn Stien
Billy John Franklin, age 89, passed away on Saturday, January 30, 2021. At the time of his passing, Bill was surrounded by loved ones in the comfort of his home in Parks, Arkansas. Bill was born on January 21, 1932 in Boles, Arkansas to Rufus (Jim) Franklin and Pearl (Edwards) Franklin. Shortly thereafter his family moved to Parks, Arkansas, the place he would call home for the rest of his life.
Growing up, Bill worked in the log woods and on the family farm, where his love of farming began. When he returned home after serving in the U.S. Army for two years (1953-1955), he met his future wife, Patsy Gililland. They married on July 29, 1956, and together began their life’s work as farmers, laboring side-by-side to create the farm where they have worked hard and lived happily for many years.
Bill loved all aspects of farm life, whether he was haying, looking after his cattle, riding horses, or just enjoying the view from his house on the hill. He planted a large garden every year until his health began to fail, and for many of those years he plowed his garden with a mule. His hard work was usually rewarded with a bountiful harvest, enough to feed his family and gladly share with friends and neighbors. In his spare time, he enjoyed quail hunting and training his bird dogs. His sport of choice was baseball, and he particularly enjoyed watching the Braves play; ask him about the Braves, and he could quote stats past and present. In his later years, most mornings he could be found at the Parks store enjoying coffee with the gang and pulling pranks at every opportunity.
Bill received such joy in watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren play. When they came to visit his face would light up, as they walked into the room.
During his last years, Bill was blessed to have special caregivers, Carla Brigance, Karen Ward, Vicki House, Betty Atchley, Dawn Payne, and Amber Atchley, as well as his Hospice Team. These wonderful people made his homebound time easier.
Bill leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife of 64 years, Pat Franklin of Parks, AR, his children: Brenda and Carlton McConnell of Y-City, AR; Billy Pat and Debbie Franklin of Parks, AR. Grandpa will forever remain in the hearts of his 4 grandchildren: Shauna (McConnell) & Trent Cox; Rhys Franklin; Heather (Franklin) & Jackie Davis; Chad Franklin & Jill as well as 8 Great-grandchildren: Braiden Franklin, Brycen Cox, Caleb Cox, Landon Franklin, Parker Davis, Jaxson Davis, Matthew Franklin & Aveline Franklin. Bill will be remembered as a good friend to many people.
Bill was preceded in death by his grandson, Brett McConnell; his brother, Bobby Franklin; and sister, Melbalene McCraw.
Bill’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Monday, February 1, 2021, at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. John Elmore officiating. Interment will follow in the Parks Cemetery in Parks, Arkansas.
Bill’s pallbearers will be Rhys Franklin, Chad Franklin, Trent Cox, Jackie Davis, Nathan Franklin.
Bill’s visitation will be Monday, February 1, 2021, from 1:15 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be mailed to 12376 Bellevue Road, Parks, AR c/o Parks Cemetery at Parks, Arkansas.
During these trying and difficult times, we must follow the guidelines we have been given to do our part to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. Family and friends are welcome to attend the service but everyone must wear a mask and maintain a social distance of 6 feet apart. For those who want to view the service but can not be in attendance, the funeral service will be live-streamed on our website.
The Mansfield Lady Tigers basketball program has held a mass amount of talented and skilled players in the past with that trend continuing strong full speed ahead! Amongst that accomplished list is two sets of sisters that are quickly rising to fame status. The Lady Tiger Jr High squad currently holds freshmen, Harlie Fuller and Kynslee Ward and their younger sister counterparts eighth-grader Shelbie Fuller and seventh-grader Kaylee Ward.
Shooting Guard, Harlie, is one of the more natural shooters in the school district. Many girls in both the Sr High and Jr High compliment her ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor. Last season Harlie earned All-Conference and this season, although she had to miss 3 games due to quarantine, she has already acquired 62 points, 22 rebounds, 10 assists, 20 steals, and has been the Jr Lady Tigers leading scorer three times this season.
“One goal I set for Harlie this season is to shoot the ball more,” explained Coach Josh Bryan. “Harlie has a knack for finding the open spot and hitting the open jumper at the critical time for our team both last season and this season. Specifically, I can remember last season in the semi-final round of the district tournament, we were having a tough time scoring and Elkins just went ahead of us by one with a big 3-pointer from their best player. Harlie didn’t even hesitate. We came down the floor and she hit one from the left-wing sucking the wind back out of Elkins sails. On the very next trip down the floor, two players sailed out to block her shot and she sidestepped them both and hit another one really boosting the momentum for us to win that game. Harlie is one of my best shooters. If the game is on the line, Harlie is the one who I know will give us the best chance at knocking down the game-winning shot.”
Harlie Fuller
“What I love about basketball is the bond that I get to build with everyone,” stated Harlie. “Not only are they my teammates but they are family too and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I love the competitiveness of basketball. It makes me want to better myself every day and try harder every time I’m on the court and I’m thankful I get the chance to play the sport I love. I’ve been playing basketball for 5 years and it was my mom who first got me interested to play. I had known when I moved to Mansfield that my mom had graduated from here and I knew she was really good at basketball. I knew I was talented enough to give it a try so when Little League started, I began playing. From then on out I just fell in love with the game. In school, my mom had set a record as a 3 point shooter so that’snow my goal to reach and have my name on the wall for 3’s in a season. Playing with my sister, of course, we’re very competitive but we both know we have each other’s back.”
“I love being able to watch Shelbie grow as a person and a basketball player. She enjoys the game just as much as I do and we both want to be the best we can. I say we’re both very competitive and we both want to have our name on the wall along with our mom’s. The main thing is that we push each other to do better and not to give up. We both know that we both share a huge love for the game and the time we get to share with our teammates. Shelbie and I are very thankful not only for the girls on the team but to have an incredible coach like Coach Bryan. I’m very thankful that when we moved to Mansfield he took the time to better me and my sister. Not only as athletes but as a person as a whole knowing God has big plans. We’re all ready for our next game and ready for another undefeated season!”
Kynslee plays Point Guard for the Jr Lady Tigers and after being unstoppable last year, she has continued that same intense momentum into this season. For the 2019-2020 basketball season, Kynslee not only earned All-District and All-Conference but she’s breaking multiple school records in the process. Last year Kynslee netted steals in a game with 14, deflections in a game with 16, steals in a season with 124, and deflections in a season with 125. And so far this season, Kynslee has pick-up 68 steals, 100 points, 38 assists, 27 rebounds, 27 deflections, and has had 2 double-doubles.
If the Jr Lady Tigers would have had a regular-season like last year, it’s fairly certain that Kynslee could’ve broken her seasonal steals record. Currently, she sits with 68 steals with five games left this season and only playing in 10 games. This time last year the Jr Lady Tigers had already played 18 games. “If my math is correct,” said Coach Bryan. “Based on her current average, she would have around 122 steals. That’s an incredible feat for someone at any age. Kynslee is truly a great defensive player and specifically an on-ball defender. Kynslee has a bright future in the sport and we are expecting great things from her throughout her career. The steals in a season record for the high school is 115, something Kynslee will be looking to rewrite over the next three years.”
“Kynslee is my go-to girl for energy. She’s full of it. Every team needs a player like her, but to have one that is quick, aggressive, and loves the sport is someone who can be a focal point for your program, Kynslee is just that. Kynslee’s greatest improvement from last season is her shot. She’s still got some work to do but she’s been working hard to score more from the outside and it’s showing more and more every game. Even though Kynslee rarely stops talking, she’s missed when she’s not around. As her Coach, I will be expecting more and more out of her each and every day because I know she still hasn’t reached her full potential!”
Kynslee Ward
Kynslee has been playing basketball since she was four or five in the UPWARD program. “I just always loved the sport and I love the group of girls that I get to play with while also making new friends on the court. My parents were the ones that helped kick start my love for basketball. And as far as playing on the same team with my sister Kaylee, it really pushes me to try and get more points than her! We are really competitive when it comes to the sports we play together and we both push each other to do better every game. I am just happy I get to play this year with my sister!”
The big little sister to Harlie, Shooting Guard, and Small Forward, Shelbie, is defining herself as one of Mansfield’s better shooters as well. With such a stacked Jr High team, Shelbie works in her playing time when the opportunity arises. Just like her sister, Shelbie will be the Lady Tigers’ go-to shooter next season on the Jr High team. Even though Shelbie has great shooting capabilities she also has the size to really help out around the rim. Just since last season, she has grown 3-4 inches. If she continues to grow, her role on the team will be defined as a Forward with Guard like abilities.
“One task that has been difficult for me this season is figuring out who will be starting,” expressed Coach Bryan. “One reason is COVID but the other is that we have a lot of talent in the junior high program. Shelbie is another whom I trust to take the last shot. At Magazine this season, Shelbie hit one from very deep, at least 4 feet behind the arc. I thought that was a good shot, but then she did it again just a few minutes later. This showed me that she’s developing a more keen eye for the basket. With a little more time in the gym, Shelbie could be one of the best shooters around.”
Currently, Shelbie holds 27 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 7 steals. Playing for only four short years, Shelbie says, “Basketball is a fast-paced sport and requires physical skill which is one of the reasons why it is my favorite sport. Watching my sister when I was younger really made me want to play. Basketball runs in my family, and my mom coached me and my friends my first year which helped us not only get to know each other but better develop our basketball skills. Playing on the same team with my sister isn’t bad at all! We always joke around and have fun. Harlie and I have a really close bond and we push each other to get better. We do get aggravated a little about certain things, but we can never stay mad at each other. And having the fam on the team really makes it worth it!”
Shelbie Fuller
The youngest player on the team, Kaylee plays Center and Power Forward. Kaylee is the big gentle giant in the middle of the Jr Lady Tiger pack. Kaylee had some big shoes to fill this season with last year’s freshmen now moved up to the Sr High team. She has filled them well though and has even started to grow out of them. Kaylee is a natural at basketball and plays well beyond her age range. Only a seventh-grader, Kaylee has already broken two of Mansfield’s Jr High records. Blocked Shots in a game with 8 and blocked shots in a season with currently 52 (because we know this number is going to continue to increase over the next 5 games)!
“I have been playing basketball since I was 5 years old and started with the UPWARD program,” explained Kaylee. “My parents got me into playing ball and once I tried it I never wanted to stop playing. Being on the same team as Kynslee is pretty good overall. It’s challenging at some points but it all ends up working out. It’s also very fun playing with your sister cause it doesn’t happen often. We are a bit competitive when it comes to games. She likes to try and score more points than me, but that doesn’t happen most of the time, but that’s ok. We will always push each other to the limit and we make sure to never give up.”
Kaylee, along with a few of the other Mansfield starters on the Jr High team, have only played about 2.5 quarters average throughout the season. These girls are outscoring their opponents 24.2 to 6.8 points in the first half alone and most of the time have a 20+ point lead at the halfway mark of the third quarter. For the Jr Lady Tigers to be putting up these numbers compared to the amount of time they are playing is just unreal. Kaylee almost had a triple-double this season at Booneville with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 steals. Throw in her 7 blocked shots and she’s just a few away from a quadruple-double. Kaylee has had two double-doubles this season and has earned 131 points, 78 rebounds, 52 blocked shots, 33 steals, 9 assists so far.
Kaylee Ward
Coach Bryan concluded, “Kaylee is a special young lady that only comes around once in a blue moon. She’s athletic and 6’2″, something you don’t typically get in unison, much less at her age. I will be expecting greater and greater things from Kaylee as she gets older. Kaylee is very coachable and wants to be better tomorrow than she is today. That type of mentality in a player with her potential is deadly for opposing teams. I recall a summer game where she guarded seniors as a 5th grader. They had a hard time scoring on her then and she’ll only get better as time moves on. I enjoy having both the Ward girls on the same team. Even though they argue and pick as sisters do, they work incredibly well on the court together. Kaylee has a bright future ahead of her and I look forward to seeing what doors open for her!”
