After falling hard to the Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers 9-47 last Friday night and taking their fourth straight loss, the Magazine Jr Lady Rattlers came back with a vengeance and fought to break the curse of the underdog. Not only did the Jr Lady Rattlers break their losing streak but they crushed it into a million pieces, shoved it under the rug, and burned the house down. Magazine hosted the County Line Lady Indians Monday night and after making their presence known by running out to a 28-3 lead, the Jr Lady Rattlers took the victory 34-17 making it their third win of the season.
Ainslee Chappell
“We are feeling really good about last night’s win because we finally made shots fall,” stated coach Randy Bryan. “The three consecutive losses to Hackett by 6, WYC by 3, and Lavaca by 1 in OT were due to poor shooting. We had fewer turnovers, more rebounds, and more shot attempts in each of those games. That is generally a recipe for success.” Destiny Corley took charge of the scoreboard with 16 points trailed by Jailynn Sims with 9, Kinzie Robinson with 3, and Gracee Franklin and Joslyn Corley with 2 apiece.
Jr Lady Rattlers with Coach Randy Bryan
“In our first game back after Christmas break, we were dominated by Mansfield. They beat us in every phase of the game. But our girls are growing in every area. I start two 7th graders, two 8th graders, and one freshman. Two of those starters had never played before 7th grade and four had never faced any junior high competition before this season. Each game gives great opportunities to learn and grow. All of my girls give great effort every practice every day. I am well pleased with their progress!”
Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the moment. Friday night was one of those moments as the Mansfield Lady Tigers became the top team in their conference by defeating the Magazine Lady Rattlers 60-40. If you were in attendance at the game, you could also see what could become a pretty good rivalry developing right in front of your eyes. Mansfield’s win wasn’t a small feat by any means as the Lady Rattlers stuck often at the Tigers tail in an edge of the seat thriller.
Lady Tiger Skylynn Harris
The Lady Tigers started off the game hot but swiftly realized what the hype was around Magazine. The Lady Rattlers put a padlock on the backboards keeping Mansfield’s bread and butter up close plays out of the equation. By doing so, the Lady Tigers weren’t able to rack up the monstrous points they are used to as the 1st quarter ended with an 8-5 score in the Lady Tigers’ favor. With ten talented and aggressive ladies from two top-tier teams on the court at the same time, one would expect a high scoring shootout.
#13 Makayla Strutton
That wasn’t the case though as defense remained the focal point of both teams going into the 2nd quarter. Every shot had to be spot on and every pass had to be quick or else the ball was going the other way. Defense in basketball rarely gets the glory of offense, but the Lady Tigers were superb. Mixing the power of Brooke Wright and Seven Sanderson stuffing the Rattlers at the boards along with the in your face pressure of Danielle Lillie and Makayla Strutton, Mansfield was able to force bad passes and off shooting by Magazine. Going into the half, Mansfield held on to a slim 23-17 lead.
Lady Rattler Carly Parrish jumpin’ for the score
After the half, Lady Tiger fans were able to witness what a good coach is capable of as Coach Joshua Bryan regrouped his players for a second-half that will land in Lady Tiger folklore for years to come. The Lady Tigers changed offensive style and made their definitive game to primary scoring focus. Mansfield began to run the Rattlers raged with steals and breakaway layups sending Magazine to all corners of the court to cover. The aggressive mindset led to their largest lead of the night as Mansfield ended the 3rd quarter up by 13 points, 44-31. The high octane defensive pressure continued into the 4th quarter while the Lady Tigers became methodical on offense. Each pass was spot on. Each shot was nothing but net. Each layup was unopposed. By the end of the game, Mansfield walked off the court with a full tank of gas and a 60-40 win.
Lady Tiger Natalie Allison going big or going home against Lady Rattler Jordyn Krigbaum
Leading Mansfield in points on the game was Makayla Strutton who rounded up 15 against the Rattlers. Hot on her heels in the points race was Danielle Lillie and Skylynn Harris who knocked down 14 points each in the game. Natalie Allison rolled up 8 points while Kiara Thomas, Brooke Wright, and Seven Sanderson rounded out the points bracket with 3 points each. Pulling in half of the points for the Lady Rattlers was Kiara Vasquez with 20 followed by Kylie Robinson and Jordyn Krigbaum with 10 each.
Lady Tigers Seven Sanderson and Kiara Thomas blocking out Lady Rattler Kiara Vasquez
Being at the top is great from the front, but it puts a target on your back and the Lady Tigers are all too aware of that. Having beaten Acorn and Magazine, they currently have two of their three toughest opponents behind the eight ball. That leaves one more and it’ll be a “Mountain” of a game. Mansfield will look to clean sweep their first round of opponents Tuesday, January 12 when they host a Mountainburg Lady Dragons team who sets the basketball nets on fire.
On Friday, January 8th Mansfield traveled to Magazine in an epic showdown of 2A basketball. With both teams loaded with skilled players and a chip on their shoulder, everyone knew that this one would come down to the wire. As both teams battled for supremacy for four straight quarters it was Magazine who came out on top with a 55-48 victory.
Rattler #3 Brady Watson
The game started off slow if you are an offensive person with the first quarter ending at a close 14-12 score putting the Tigers on top but only temporarily. Mansfield’s Codi Chick played the Tigers bandit as he made steals and swats from the Rattlers offensive attempts. The Rattlers had Cameron Raggio in their back pocket though as he dominated the boards with short shots and offensive rebounds. The two superstars flip flopped back and forth in the first quarter. But that’s when disaster struck for the Tigers. Starter and precision player Tyler Escalante went down with an ankle injury leaving the Tigers a man down for the game.
Rattler Ethan Staton and Tiger Ethan Pettus
Going into the second quarter both defenses continued to dominate the pace of the game. The Tigers JoJo Bailey heated up as the quarter went on, out jumping the Rattlers on rebounds while Bri Sanderson played solid going one on one with Magazines great one, Raggio. The Rattlers began to spread the wealth though by utilizing Brady Watson and Ashton Droemer to score when Raggio was unavailable. Going into the half, both teams remained even in nearly every category except the score where Magazine led the Tigers 24-20.
Bri Sanderson defensively covering Cameron Raggio
After halftime, things began to heat up on the hardwood. Mansfields Ethan Pettus opened up with smooth shots inside and outside the perimeter pushing the Tigers into a short lead early. Austin Quinalty and Clint Stovall paired up and drove the Rattlers crazy as they smothered the Rattlers keeping them from striking. The Rattlers noticed this tag-team attack quickly though and went back to work pulling away with their largest lead of the night at the end of the 3rd quarter 38-31. With the Tigers in foul trouble and the Rattlers on fire, all that was left was the final buzzer in the 4th quarter giving Magazine an ever-important 55-48 victory over their conference opponents.
High flyin’ Rattler Ashton Droemer
Cameron “The Man” Raggio lived up to the hype scoring 19 points on a tough Tigers defense. Brady Watson and Ashton Dromer combined for 9 points each which when combined with Raggio, equal over half the points in the game (37). Haden Littleton played big scoring 6 points while Ethan Staton (4), Jackon Oliver (3), Austin “KABOOM” Krigbaum (3), and Tatum Scott (2) rounded out the Rattlers hot scoreboard. The victory puts the Sr Rattlers at a 3-6 overall record and gave them their first conference win with a 1-3 record.
Tiger JoJo Bailey
Although the Sr Tigers dropped the ball against Magazine, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. Hot Shot Codi Chick knocked down 15 points for the Tigers followed by Ethan Pettus who put up 11 points on the Rattlers. JoJo Bailey was able to swipe up 8 points with his quick ankle-breaking footwork. Tyler Escalante had 4 points before leaving the game with an injury. His teammates played quite well though as Austin Quinalty and Clint Stovall matched his points output with 4 points each. Bri Sanderson hung up 2 points in the game but was most effective on defense. The loss landed Mansfield with a 6-8 overall record and a 2-3 conference record.
Tiger Codi Chick laying the coverage on Rattler Tatum Scott
This game set a standard and issued a warning for all 2A opponents who will face both the Tigers and Rattlers. Neither will go down without a fight. Both programs are moving up as they build what looks to be powerhouse programs in the near future. If you missed this round of Scales and Stripes, be sure to be in attendance on February, 2nd when they collide in Mansfield for another exciting showdown.
The new year is treating the Cedarville Jr Lady Pirates like basketball royalty. Just two games into 2021, the Jr Lady Pirates secured their second win last night when they took on the Lady Eagles in Paris. With their first win coming from Hackett 41-37 on December 4, Cedarville is enjoying unflighting things that fly. On Monday night, the Jr Lady Pirates fought exhaustingly with the Lady Eagles in more back and forth action than a ping pong ball in the World Team Table Championship.
With a 26-21 victory against Paris, the Jr Lady Pirates move to 11-4 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. Trailing 13-8 at halftime, the Jr Lady Pirates dug deeper than ever to reach their goal of winning by pulling together as a team and executing their plays to perfection. Eighth-grader, Rylee Partain led the way with 16 points on 4 made threes refusing to let anything hinder her from making it rain.
Freshmen, Makalie Carter and Katelyn Moore-Guerra added 8 and 2 points respectively. Carter has exploded on the court this season when it comes to her leadership and basketball skills. Each time she hits the hardwood it seems she has developed tenfold. There’s not much she can’t do in this sport and her refusal to not let anything get in her way is evident every time she hits the court. And Guerra plays with a calm aggressive demeanor that leaves opponents scratching their heads on how to approach her. She’s able to pull the competition in by seeming non-threatening and then POW!, she snatches the ball and is gone faster than a purse thief in downtown L.A.
The Jr High games against Cossatot on January 14 have been canceled.
It has been a rough basketball season for many across the state. None more so than the 7th Grade Mansfield Lady Tigers as they have faced game cancelations which have left them with fewer games than normal. Fewer games equal fewer chances to improve outside of practice. The games they did play were against stiff opponents who were able to outlast the Lady Tigers for narrow victories. That all changed last night though as the Mansfield 7th Grade Lady Tigers brought down the house on the Mountainburg Lady Dragons in an epic 12-10 win.
Mackenzie Robinson
A first win of the season is big for any team, but for this group, it means even more. Little known by many fans is that most of the players on the 7th Grade Lady Tiger team haven’t ever played basketball in their life. That means the fundamentals, rules, and routine of the game isn’t a given as it would be with many of the programs that they have faced. The Lady Tigers have shown though that they are willing to learn as much as they can and work their tail ends off to keep the aura of the Mansfield Lady Tigers Basketball program intact.
Carissa Vaughan
With their first basketball win ever notched deep in their belt, these ladies are set for more success. They have shown that hard work and adversity aren’t going to stop them from becoming great. The 7th Grade Lady Tigers will step onto the court next on Thursday, January 14th against the JC Westside Rebels in hopes to add their own bricks to building the empire known as Mansfield Lady Tigers Basketball.
The Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers had quite a mixed week last week. The Lady Tigers started off with a humbling 36-25 loss to Trinity giving them their first blemish of the season. Such a loss could drag most teams down in the dumps giving the next opponent on the schedule an opportunity to jump in for a quick win. But the Mansfield Jr Lady Tigers aren’t most teams though as they were not only ready for their next opponent, Magazine, but they were begging to play.
Shelbie Fuller
During their non-conference snag against the Lady Buffaloes, Alyson Edwards (12) Kaylee Ward (8) and Kynslee Ward (5) were the three offensive amigos during the match who made more baskets fall than an earthquake hitting Hobby Lobby. Edwards also earned 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 deflections, Kaylee scored 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 2 deflections, and Kynslee netted 7 rebounds, 2 deflections, 2 steals, and 1 assist.
Raine Hecox
Defensively, Harlie Fuller, Raine Hecox, Shelbie Fuller, and Ambria Whittaker were like a tigress stalking an unsuspecting buffalo as they meticulously followed each player in blue before snaggin’, draggin’, and baggin’ the ball the entire match. Harlie picked up 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 deflection, Raine made 1 assist and 1 steal, and Shelbie and Ambria scored 1 rebound each.
Meghan Emery
For Friday’s conference face-off, it didn’t take long for the Lady Tigers to dig their claws into the Lady Rattlers home court as they jumped to an early 21-0 first-quarter lead then turned around and tacked on ten more points before going into the locker room with a commanding 31-1 halftime score. Starters Kynslee Ward, Kaylee Ward, Whittaker, Harlie Fuller, and Edwards made sure that they did their part to redeem every part of their loss earlier in the week with massive stats against their conference opponent. Even though the Jr Lady Tigers had the lead, every team member in this ambush got to feast and feast they did.
Kynslee Ward
Rolling into the second half, head coach, Joshua Bryan, opened the gates of the Jungle and released every team member onto the court. This gave those who didn’t get to play very much in their match against Trinity the chance to get their feet moving and the ball shooting. Success was produced no matter what the combination of five players was on the court. The game was quick, clean, and concise which was just what the Lady Tigers needed to close out a rough first half week. Leading the ambush was Harlie Fuller and Kynslee Ward who each secured 11 points followed by Kaylee Ward with 10, Shelbie Fuller with 7, Edwards with 5, and Whittaker with 3. The Jr Lady Tigers hit double digits in the rebounds, assists, and steals departments with 29, 11, and 22 respectively.
Harlie Fuller
Taking charge with 8 rebounds was Kaylee trailed by Edwards with 7, Harlie with 5, Cole Smith with 2, and at 1 apiece was Kynslee, Whittaker, Shelbie, Azlynn Stover, Meghan Emery, Ellie Welch, and Kaylie Lowery. The Lady Tigers also earned 5 blocks all acquired by Kaylee, and 9 deflections established by Kynslee, Kaylee, and Harlie with 2 each and Whittaker, Shelbie, and Raine Hecox with 1 apiece. To kick off the week, the (7-1) Jr Lady Tigers will attempt to keep ahold of their 2-0 undefeated conference title when they host the Mountainburg Lady Dragons on Monday, January 11, and then travel to JC Westside to face the Lady Rebels on Thursday, January 14.
Cedarville senior, Makayla Pearcy, and the Lady Pirates have been effortlessly blowing through their opponents this season like it was going out of style. Pearcy, who holds down the guard position, has been averaging 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. She also leads with 22 steals, is shooting 44.2% from the three-point range, and is second on the team with 23 deflections. Makayla has been dominating basketball for the last 10 years and after high school plans to attend Arkansas Tech and major in Psychology.
“I have always loved basketball with a passion so as soon as I was able to play I did just that,” explained Pearcy. The Lady Pirates are sitting with a 9-2 season record and showing zero plans of slowing down. “We have put so much time into the gym this year that it has not only helped my shooting but my defensive skills as well.My favorite game so far this season has been the Ozark game because they were a great competitor and we had a great night against them!” Cedarville earned the win 57-51 against the Lady Hillbillies.
Coach Andrew Tencleve added, “Makayla has been our most efficient and consistent player. She is so unselfish and her willingness on offense to always make the team first played a major factor in our good start to the year. She is our best overall defender and her toughness and ability to guard any spot on the floor is key for us!”
Pearcy concluded “I am looking forward to the Charleston game on January 26 because the last time we beat the Lady Tigers was in junior high and this year we are more than ready to compete. The best thing about being a Lady Pirate would be our team bond. We are all so close and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” The Cedarville Sr Lady Pirates will be hitting the court Tuesday, January 12 to host the Paris Lady Eagles.
Arresting Agency – Mansfield Police Department: Christopher David Coates of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 4 at 9:29 p.m. Coates was transferred to an outside agency on January 5 at 10:50 a.m.
Dustin Andrew Kellogg of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 3 at 7:30 a.m. Kellogg was transferred to an outside agency on January 4 at 6:26 p.m.
Michael Wayne Kindred of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 5 at 1:25 p.m. Kindred was transferred to an outside agency on January 6 at 9:24 a.m.
Arresting Agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office: Cali Marie Antoinette Elmore of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 4 at 2:07 p.m. and released on cash bond January 4 at 4:09 p.m. Elmore was charged with petition to revoke – felony.
Brian Keith Kopcinski of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 9 at 11:51 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Kopcinski was charged with failure to appear misdemeanor-A.
Gary Eugene Shelley of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 8 at 5:20 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Shelley was released from the Arkansas Department of Corrections on previous charges not bonded on, and is being held as a fugitive from justice, out of state.
Teresa Jean Mckusker Swafford of Huntington was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 6 at 11:05 p.m. and released on cash bond January 7 at 1:42 a.m. Swafford was charged with failure to appear – class C misdemeanor.
Charles Edward Weathers of Hackett was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 7 at 2:38 p.m. and remains at the SCADC. Weathers remains on commitment hold for the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Arkansas Parole: Michael Douglas Morgan of Mansfield was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on January 7 at 9:30 a.m. and was released on legally sufficient bond on January 8 at 5:04 p.m. Morgan was returned for previous charges after being released from another county.
*The charges against those arrested are allegations and the cases are still pending in the courts.**
Cringing in fear, I sat between my two uncles fearfully gazing at the big screen and watching the horrifying story unfold. I don’t know the year but I know I was way too young to be watching a T-rex pursue and devour cattle and men in the movie, The Beast of Hollow Mountain. My first movie and I can still recall some of the scenes.
For a big portion of the last century, the local theater was the place to be, especially on a Saturday afternoon or evening. Every town of any size had at least one, and some several, theaters where the teenagers would congregate and enjoy visiting and watching the latest movies.
Whether it was the Gem Theater (Charleston), the Reata (Danville), Savage (Booneville), Scott (Waldron) or Logan (Paris), the local theater was the place to be for teenagers, especially on Saturday evenings.
The most common genres were the horror stories featuring Godzilla, King Kong, or even more horrifying creatures like the blob, Hitchcock’s The Birds, or the creature from the Black Lagoon. I think my uncles particularly liked these because their frightened dates would sit much closer to them and clutch their hands throughout the movie.
My favorite were always the westerns. I loved movies featuring John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and later Clint Eastwood. I can still recall clutching my quarter to purchase my ticket and then finding my way through the darkened theater to my favorite seat. If I had enough money, I could purchase a soda, candy bar, and popcorn for another quarter.
The theaters were plush with velvet seats, carpeted floors, and surround sound. Up until the 1920’s, theaters were live performances and available only for the wealthy. With the development of movies, theater entertainment became available to all and theater owners made them extremely nice to give the working class a taste of the finer things in life.
Most people over the age of forty can identify with those days of standing in line waiting patiently for your turn to buy a ticket and can still recall the smell of the buttered popcorn and other refreshments that could be purchased at the concession stand. Many married couples can still remember their first date- a trip to the theater- and probably the movie that was playing at the time.
One of my first dates was at the Paris drive-in theater and the movie was the tear jerker, Love Story. Drive-ins, another thing of the past, allowed you to sit in your own car while watching the movie. You would drive up onto a small banked hill about sundown, turn off your lights, and fasten your microphone to your car window, and enjoy the latest movies. Sometimes, families would bring entire pick-up loads of kids, back up to the sound device, and sit in lawn chairs in the truck bed while watching the movie. Many enjoyable spring and summer nights were spent in this manner.
Times have changed, people travel further for entertainment, and large theaters offering ten or twelve movie choices have taken the place of our community theaters. The old movie theaters stand deserted and quite but, as we pass by, we still remember our Saturdays at the Movies.
Gem Theater – Charleston AR
Logan Theater Logan County Historical Society Paris, Arkansas
Savage Theater in Booneville, Logan County Historical Society
Paris Drive in Theater, Logan County Historical Society, Paris
Scott Theater, Waldron, Scott County Historical Society, Waldron
Strand Theater, Logan County Historical Society, 1943 Paris
On Saturday, January 9, Anthony Dedmon took the title of Scott County’s best hunter at the 1st annual Big Buck contest!
The contest, which was sponsored by American Legion Post 46 and the Ouachita Mountains VFW Post 1345, began in October 2020 and was open to all Scott County residents with a $5 entry.
Judging took place at Memorial Hall in downtown Waldron by Arkansas Deer Coordinator Ralph Meeker. Bucks were scored using the official Boone and Crockett scoring criteria.
Dedmon proudly took claim to the trophy and title! Congratulations to him on this outstanding win!
