The Roaring 20s slate of homecoming festivities at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith culminated in the crowning of students Luis “Wicho” Negrete Becerra of Saltillo, Mexico and Taely Dedmon of Mansfield as 2020 Homecoming King and Queen.
Negrete Becerra is the son of Javier Negrete Martinez and Graciela Becerra Vela. A senior mathematics major, he represents Kappa Alpha Order. Dedmon is the daughter of Keith and Tracy Dedmon and represents the student alumni association as an organizational leadership major.
“Being able to represent UAFS as homecoming queen is the highest honor in my eyes,” said Dedmon. “I have so much respect for this university. UAFS will always be a part of me, and I’m so excited I get to be a part of its legacy. Once a Lion, always a lion!”
“It’s an honor to represent UAFS and all the student body, without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today!” said Negrete Becerra
The 2019 Homecoming King and Queen, Naythan Dyke and Mary Beth Andrews announced the winners, who were crowned by UAFS Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley and Dr. Ricardo Maestas.
“Homecoming is such special time on a college campus, and this week I have been able to see outstanding displays of Lion Pride from students, faculty, staff, and alumni all over campus,” said Riley. “I am so appreciative of the hard work our Student Life Office and our Alumni Association put into Homecoming each year, and thankful for the opportunity to meet so many members of our Lion family who have shared with me valuable stories of the university we all call home.”
Crown bearers were Warren and Bailey May of Fort Smith, the son and daughter of Jeremy and Sarah May, members of the UAFS Class of
Negrete Becerra and Dedmon were crowned from a homecoming court of eight nominated students after students voted, and candidates conducted interviews with a panel of judges.
The three additional students elected to Homecoming King court were: Landon King, representing Campus Activities Board, a junior, vocal music major from Harrison; Dyllan Newell, representing Sigma Nu and Delta Gamma, a sophomore, media communications major from Fort Smith; and Matthew Wells, representing Kappa Sigma and Gamma Phi Beta, a sophomore, business administration major from Ozark.
The Three additional students elected to Homecoming Queen court were Madison Coker representing Delta Gamma and Sigma Nu, a senior, organizational leadership major from West Fork; Taylor Bayley, representing Gamma phi beta and Kappa sigma, a junior, English with teacher licensure major from Winslow; and Kristin Centeno representing NUMediA, a sophomore, media communication major from Baltimore, Maryland.
After all of the practices, the holiday tournaments, the long bus trips, and the many season and post-season games, it all boils down to this week and the Class 3A state tournament. This is the final week of basketball as the top teams in boys and girls 3A basketball will meet in Charleston to decide who will play in this year’s state championship finals. State tournament play will begin tomorrow and will go through Saturday. The boys and girls state championship games will be held on Friday, March 13, in Hot Springs at Bank OZK Arena.
The host school will have one team in the state tournament, the Charleston Lady Tigers. The Lady Tigers are a #3 seed in the tournament, and their first game will be on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. versus Centerpoint. The Lady Tigers will be going for a potential rematch with Mountain View, possibly in the semifinals with the right to go to Hot Springs for the final. But for now, there is a lot of basketball to be played. And at tournament time, you never know who is going to play their best at the right time to advance in the tournament.
The opening game of the tournament will begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 with Hoxie taking on Little Rock Episcopal.
To view or download a copy of the girls 3A state championship tournament brackets, click here to be redirected to Max Preps.
On the boys’ side of the brackets, Valley Springs is also a one seed in the tournament, making it a possibility for the state girls and boys final to be an all Valley Springs affair. Boys play will open on Tuesday, March 3, at 2:30 p.m. when Rivercrest and Jessieville open the tournament with what should be a great game.
To view or download a copy of the boys 3A state championship tournament brackets, click here to be redirected to Max Preps.
For our readers, here is a preview of the tournament fields for this years boys and girls state tournament.
2020 Boys Class 3A State Tournament Field
Bald Knob Bulldogs
Coach: Matt Ragsdale
18-11 Overall, 12-4 Conference
Little Rock Baptist Prep Eagles
Coach: Steve Miller
23-9 Overall, 12-2 Conference
Bergman Panthers
Coach: Bo Martin
32-8 Overall, 9-3 Conference
West Helena Central Cougars
Coach: Kevin Pringle
19-10 Overall, 9-5 Conference
Clinton Yellowjackets
Coach: Cole Gardner
21-9 Overall, 10-2 Conference
Monticello Drew Central Pirates
Coach: C.J. Watson
18-12 Overall, 8-6 Conference
Dumas Bobcats
Coach: Larry Harris
24-3 Overall, 14-0 Conference
Elkins Elks
Coach: Jared Porter
28-4 Overall, 12-2 Conference
Little Rock Episcopal Wildcats
Coach: Brandon Friedel
20-11 Overall, 10-4 Conference
Gosnell Pirates
Coach: Kirk Glintborg
19-12 Overall, 11-5 Conference
Jessieville Lions
Coach: Jared White
18-13 Overall, 8-6 Conference
Mayflower Eagles
Coach: Brent Stallings
21-9 Overall, 10-4 Conference
Osceola Seminoles
Coach: Vernon Wilson
16-7 Overall, 12-4 Conference
Prescott Curley Wolves
Coach: Beau Brickell
18-4 Overall, 11-1 Conference
Rivercrest Colts
Coach: Hunter Robinson
21-8 Overall, 12-4 Conference
Valley Springs Tigers
Coach: Blake Hanney
35-3 Overall, 11-1 Conference
Girls Class 3A State Tournament Field:
Ashdown Panthers
Coach: Beau Tillery
17-12 Overall, 7-5 Conference
Little Rock Central Arkansas Christian Academy (CAC)
Coach: Steve Quattlebaum
26-6 Overall, 12-2 Conference
Centerpoint Knights
Coach: John Bright
23-6 Overall, 10-2 Conference
West Helena Central Cougars
Coach: Kevin Pringle
23-5 Overall, 12-2 Conference
Charleston Tigers
Coach: Jason Rucker
27-3 Overall, 14-0 Conference
Little Rock Episcopal Wildcats
Coach: Micah Marsh
23-8 Overall, 12-2 Conference
Fouke Panthers
Coach: Richard Williams
21-10 Overall, 9-5 Conference
Searcy Harding Academy Wildcats
Coach: Rusty Garner
28-4 Overall, 16-0 Conference
Hoxie Mustangs
Coach: Scott Brown
27-3 Overall, 16-0 Conference
Lamar Warriors
Coach: Brandon Schluterman
29-3 Overall, 14-0 Conference
Mayflower Eagles
Coach: Coty Storms
22-9 Overall, 9-6 Conference
Mountain View Yellowjackets
Coach: Casey Scribner
24-5 Overall, 11-1 Conference
Rose Bud Ramblers
Coach: Bradley Moss
19-11 Overall, 8-4 Conference
Walnut Ridge Bobcats
Coach: Michael Halbrook
22-7 Overall, 14-2 Conference
Valley Springs Tigers
Coach: Ryan Johnson
33-7 Overall, 7-5 Conference
Both boys and girls fields are loaded with heavyweights who have dominated their overall and conference seasons. As it is often times in the state tournament, a favorite might disappoint and not play well, and a team that is thought of not to have much of a chance in the tournament will get hot and upset at least one “favored” opponent in the tournament. One thing is for sure, each team in the tournament better be ready to play and give it everything they have, because there are simply no weak teams on either side of the tournament.
Area fans have a great opportunity to drive to Charleston and watch some high quality basketball this week. And for Charleston fans, your Lady Tigers are playing for a chance to be in the state final in Hot Springs next week. Charleston needs to have the home court advantage all week when they take the floor in their quest for a state title. Simply put, there needs to be a lot of black and gold in the stands when the Lady Tigers take the floor. Tiger Center needs to be rocking with a lot of noise! Give your team a home court advantage all week, and I am sure the Lady Tigers will respond!
Resident Press wishes all of the teams in this year’s state tournament the best. RP would also like to recognize and thank the Charleston School District for taking on the huge task of hosting the state tournament.
Resident Press will post afternoon and evening updates on all the state tournament sessions throughout the week. Look for RP for the latest on state tournament coverage from Charleston!
For their track season opener, the Waldron Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs set the 3A Indoor State Championship on fire. Waldron competed against 63 other teams in the 1A-4A divisions and proved that they were going to be hard to keep up with in the upcoming season. By the end of the night, the Bulldogs who are coached by Chance Tanner were crowned the 3A Indoor State Champions while the Lady Bulldogs who are coached by Angie Bailey solidified Runner-Up. Waldron brought 31 Sr High athletes with them for this competition and over half of them ended up finishing in the top ten of their categories.
Hannah Jeffries
For the Lady Bulldogs, Hannah Jeffries placed first in long jump and third in triple jump. Molly Richmond earned second in high jump and placed 10th in the 60 and 200 meter dashes. Ryleigh Anschutz made second in the 400-meter dash. Jasmine Nelson placed ninth in the 400-meter dash. Stephanie Sexton and McKenzi Stidman ranked sixth and ninth respectively in the 800-meter run. Mario Grano scored third in the1600-meter run and second in the 3200-meter run. Constance Richmond made third in the 3200-meter run. Erica Davis placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles. And Kylee Broomfield and Hayley Stidman earned third and ninth place for pole vault. The Lady Bulldogs also took home first place in both the 4×400 and the 4×800 races.
The Indoor State Runner-Up Lady Bulldogs
The Bulldogs finished with a total of 77.5 points which was 10.5 points more than the next team. Bryson Bailey won first place in the 60-meter dash and long jump and came in third in the 200-meter dash giving him enough points with 26 to earn high point. Gabino Grano won first in the 200-meter dash, third in the 60-meter dash, and eighth in the long jump. Caden Fuller placed eighth in the 400-meter dash. Zach Canada and Jaylyn Matthews ranked seventh and ninth in the 800-meter run. Bladyn Mays earned 10th in the 3200-meter run. Drake Carnley and Peyton Lipham placed second and ninth in the 60-meter hurdles. Noah Kastl earned fourth in high jump and triple jump. Isaac Villarreal placed fourth in high jump and eighth in triple jump. Matthew Tegtmeyer made eighth in pole vault. And Brayden Houston placed 10th in shot put.
The Bulldog Indoor State Champions
The 4×400 Lady Bulldogs Sexton, Nelson, Molly Richmond, and Anschutz
The 4×800 Lady Bulldogs Anschutz, Sexton, Constance Richmond, and Grano
The Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets 2019-2020 basketball season has come to an end. The Lady Hornets had a hurly-burly of a year filled with ups and downs, tears, and cheers but in true Hackett fashion, the girls along with Coach Broc Adams never sweat the small stuff. They finished the season with 904 points, an 8-18 total record and 2-10 in conference play placing them as the #7 seed for the District Tournament. And that’s when the Lady Hornets really came to life.
Jamye Durham
During District play, Hackett took on and defeated Westside and Lavaca which was enough to send them through to Regionals. The Lady Hornets fell to Mountainburg in the District semifinals but they didn’t let that rain on their basketball parade. Next, it was off to Regionals for this much deserving group of athletes who were slated to take on the Flippin Lady Bobcats. The Lady Hornets ended taking a 42-31 loss to the Lady Bobcats but considering the first time Hackett took on Flippin at the beginning of the season the Lady Bobcats won by 39 points, there’s no better definition of improvement on the Lady Hornets part.
#22 Madeline Freeman
Faith Thomas led her team with 11 points followed by Madeline Freeman with seven and Shayla Foster with five. “I was most impressed with how hard these girls played every night,” expressed Coach Adams. “They improved in all aspects of the game and watching them grow as a basketball team was a lot of fun! In the last couple of weeks, we put a lot of emphasis on everyone having a chance when it came to tournament time and we were able to pick up two good wins in the District Tournament and make it to Regionals!”
#5 Kayla Richardson
“I can’t begin to describe how proud of this team I am! They are competitors and never quit. I’m extremely thankful for the support from our community, families and admin this year and most importantly my amazing wife Ashley for allowing me to do what I love. It was one of my favorite years of coaching! Watching how much these girls improved over the course of the year was phenomenal! For all mine that are softballers, I can’t wait to watch you guys continue on to your next sport. I’ll be there as much as possible and hope you go win another state title. Here’s to a great offseason in preparation of next year!”
Yesterday, it seemed like nothing went right for the Lady Tigers. After many consecutive wins dating back to December 13, Charleston was handed a loss by the state’s number one team, Mountain View. The Lady Tigers would then have to come back in less than 24 hours to play another good team, the Rose Bud Lady Ramblers, for the third seed in next week’s state tournament.
If you read my column yesterday, I predicted that the Lady Tigers, led by an outstanding group of seniors, would bounce back strong against Rose Bud…and that is exactly what they did. On Friday, Charleston could not get a shot to go down…but on Saturday, it seemed like almost everything they shot went in. And for Rose Bud, if this was not bad enough, Baylee King of Charleston heaved a three-point shot from approximately her own free throw line and banked it in at the buzzer from approximately three-fourths of the way down the court to end the third quarter. The shot extended the Charleston lead to 13 points. Everything was dropping for the Lady Tigers.
Admittedly, with all due respect to Rose Bud, they are a very good team, but they are not Mountain View. That had a lot to do with the Lady Tigers performance today. But, the most impressive outcome of today’s game for Charleston was the way the Lady Tigers put the Mountain View loss behind them quickly, and came out with good energy and much better shooting today.
I have talked about how this team has not necessarily played their best at times throughout the season, but have been talented enough and experienced enough to still win games, and win games by big margins. And they won a lot of games this year. Yesterday, Charleston faced adversity that they had not experienced at anytime this year, and it remained to be seen how the team would react on Saturday. I think the Lady Tigers put to rest any concerns regarding their mental state or competitive desire with their performance against Rose Bud.
I have enjoyed watching this team all season, but I have to confess that they have been a hard group to judge by looking at their body language in different situations. This team has a business-like body language, I am sure due to its senior experience. The Lady Tigers can be up by 15 points at the half, or they can be down 10 points at the half, and when they walk by on the way to the locker room, their facial expressions are the same. They don’t panic. They have a lot of confidence, and they know what to do. Coach Jason Rucker knows exactly how to handle them, having been their coach for many years. Coach Rucker makes great adjustments at half-time, and all throughout the season, regardless of the score or the margin of victory, he is always coaching for the next game. They are a very special group of players and coaches, and I believe they are going to make one big, final push next week in front of the home fans to end their high school careers on top and be in contention for a state title.
On Saturday, at the Waldron regional tournament, third place games for the boys and girls brackets, along with championship games in the boys and girls brackets took place. I will have a summary of the results for our readers on Monday afternoon in Resident Press. I will also preview all of the teams and the seedings in the state tournament that will be held at Tiger Center starting on Tuesday.
And as we begin to wrap up the regional tournament, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the Waldron School District and the many Waldron coaches, staff members, and administrators for the great job they did in not only hosting the regional tournament, but the district tournament the week before, as well. Anyone who has worked in a school district that has hosted such of an event knows how much planning and work hours go into the successful hosting of a tournament. The Waldron folks worked long hours for two consecutive weeks to put both tournaments on, and on behalf of Resident Press, I would like to thank them for their hospitality and the efficiency of the operation of the tournament. Next week, it will be Charleston’s turn to host the state, and I am sure the Charleston School District will also do a first class job hosting the best teams in Class 3A and their fans from around the state.
So for now, the Lady Tigers get a couple of days to rest and regroup before the start of the state tournament on Tuesday. Next week will be the final opportunity for Charleston fans to see this team in action. The Lady Tigers are a team of historical significance to the girls basketball program in Charleston. With an undefeated conference championship, district tournament championship, and a state three seed in their pockets, the Lady Tigers are going to compete for a state title as the final piece to their legacy. This will be a team that people will still be talking about 25 years from now. Charleston fans owe it to themselves to come out next week and to watch history and cheer the Lady Tigers to a state title. And, the players and coaches on this team deserve your attendance, as well.
Watch for my column on Monday afternoon for a complete breakdown of next week’s state tournament. And thanks to all of our loyal readers in Charleston for making Resident Press their choice in following Charleston basketball! It has been our pleasure to bring it to you all season.
Mansfield kicked off what will ultimately be a very busy spring sports calendar with a trip to the Arkansas Track Coaches Association Indoor State Finals on Friday, February 28. Behind the strength of some outstanding individual performances, Mansfield showed flashes of a promising track and field season.
Supported by individual state titles by two of its girls, the Mansfield Lady Tigers finished fifth overall in the class 3A division. The Mansfield men despite some competitive measures landed outside the top ten.
Freshman Skylynn Harris and sophomore Sadie Roberts put the MHS women into instant contention as the two each won first place in their individual events.
Harris bested all shot put throwers competing in the newly opened Fowler Center adjacent to the Randal Tyson Track Complex. Her state championship mark of 33 feet 8.75 inches easily outdistanced the next best throw by nearly one foot.
Meanwhile, Roberts rocked the high jump competition just past the hallowed hallways joining the Fowler facility to the Tyson arena. Within the shadows of multiple SEC and NCAA championship awards won by the U of A track teams, Mansfield’s highly flexible tenth grader cleared five feet for her first individual state title.
Only 19 members of the Lady Tiger lineup were activated for the class 3A indoor championships due to ATCA entry limitations. The active roster included 3 seniors, 2 juniors, 6 sophomores, and 8 freshmen.
Mansfield’s senior girl’s team could boast up to 31 players by the class 3A Region 1 West District outdoor finals in April.
Of the 19 athletes representing the MHS women, 11 contributed to the scoring column.
Freshman Madelen Jones hit pay-dirt in both the 60m hurdles and high jump. She was sixth in the 3A division hurdles with a time of 10.98. She tied for eight in the high jump at 4-4.
Sophomores Hope Rainwater, McKenzie Griffin, and Faith Rainwater joined freshman Jadelynn Wood for fourth place in the 4x800m relay. Wood was a common link to the team’s other relay squad. She fronted the 4x400m relay combination of Cassidy Carlton, Danielle Lillie, and Lennon Woods. That group took seventh place.
Lillie, just a junior, finished fifth in the long jump at 14-8. Fellow junior Brooke Wright was ninth in the shot put at 28-2.
Freshman Natalie Allison was fourth in the triple jump with a bound of 31-9. The multi-sport athlete missed a top three triple jump medal by three-fourths of an inch.
Darby Jones, a sophomore, ran 14:20.80 to take fifth in the 3200m run. Faith Rainwater was slightly ahead of Jones in the same race but slipped on the inside rail in the final 2 laps to post a DNF.
Roberts tied for eighth in the women’s pole vault at 7-0 without the benefit of run throughs due to her extended stay at the high jump venue.
Senior Delilah McKusker was ninth in the 60m hurdles. Her time of 11.37 was a 1.20 second improvement over her time at the 2019 ATCA Championships.
For the Mansfield men, freshman Aston Hinkle was fourth in the pole vault. The ninth grader cleared 10 feet. He also competed as a member of the 4x800m relay and the 3200m run.
Junior Codi Chick tied for 6th in the high jump after clearly 5-6. He also showed flashes of speed in the 60m dash (7.89) and the 200m dash (25.09). Teammate Randal Claude was close behind in the 60m dash at 7.99.
Bri Sanderson took home a point in the men’s shot put. The junior thrower pushed the 12 pound shot to 38 feet 7 inches for eighth place. He was a 2019 bronze medalist in the discus at last spring’s outdoor finals.
Sophomore Ethan Chapman was within 11 seconds of his junior high school record in the 1600m run. Running for the senior high distance team, he rounded the indoor mile in 5:24.39.
John Branche, Victor Steffen, Logan Yoss, and Renden Emery were collectively tenth in the 4x400m relay. They completed the co-op in 4:16.17.
Austin Carlton competed in two horizontal jumps and the 200m dash. Shawn Brown threw the shot.
John Branche, Victor Steffen, Ethan Chapman, and Ashton Hinkle members of the Mansfield cross country team moved over to the 2020 Tiger indoor track roster to compete in the ATCA State Indoor Track Finals on Feb 28.
Two uniquely talented Mansfield Lady Tigers had their sights set on the ATCA Indoor State Finals for quite some time. With very different skill sets, each put their best qualities forward on Friday, February 28 to claim individual state championships.
At the Arkansas Track Coaches Association Indoor State Finals inside the Randal Tyson Track Complex on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Skylynn Harris and Sadie Roberts took center stage for the Tigers.
Harris beamed first with a monster throw in the senior girls shot put. Pushing the 4K (8.8 pound) ball 33 feet 8.75 inches, the Mansfield freshman beat her closest rival by 11 inches to win her first individual state championship in the class 3A girl’s division. She was also the overall state champion among all small divisions from classes 1A through 4A.
“We’ve been talking about this moment since her seventh grade year,” said long time Tiger track coach John Mackey. “I thought she had it in her to be a champion. It starts with a belief, and then you go out and prove it. Sky did just that. So, excited for what she has accomplished.”
Following that momentum boost, it was Mansfield sophomore Sadie Roberts’ turn at the high jump pit. Missing out on All-State honors at last spring’s outdoor state finals by a mere scratch, Roberts was focused for a return to the big stage.
The Lady Tiger leaper was the only class 3A girl to clear five feet. The measure, coming on Roberts second attempt, clinched the class 3A individual state title.
“Sadie has as good a technique over the bar as anyone,” stated Mackey. “It helps that she has Coach (Kaylie) Pyles as a mentor. Coach in her day, and now Sadie continue a long list of Mansfield high jumping greats. Very proud of our newest state champ.”
The Lady Tiger pair played prominently in Mansfield’s overall team score. The dynamic duo accounted for over half of the team’s 38.34 points en route to a fifth place team finish.
Sophomore Sadie Roberts is the 2020 ATCA indoor state high jump champion.
There are few that answers the call to serve, even fewer who serve in multiple areas of emergency services. Jeffrey Robert Reaves of Hackett is one of those few.
Reaves, 26, works at the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher, serves Fire Chief for the City of Hackett, and also as a county reserve deputy.
While juggling the duties of his profession, Reaves always finds the time to spend with his infant twins, Mollie and Jeffrey.
Reaves is undoubtedly one of the most devoted individuals, to his family, his friends and his work. Regardless of his schedule, Reaves continually works to find ways to improve emergency services. Moreover, he wants to help other departments do the same.
“When I think of Jeff, I think of a calm, collected individual with a servants heart,” shared lifelong friend and former co-worker, Renee Flesher. “Whether it’s fighting fires, first responding, dispatching or dealing with individuals that others choose not to deal with, he does it with grace and purpose.”
Reaves’ former Fire Chief James McCutcheon agrees. “Jeffrey has been on the department for ten years, give or take a year, including his time as a junior firefighter. He has always played an active role in the department and has served in several positions, such as emergency medical responder, equipment manager, and trainer. All of these in addition to firefighting, and has excelled beyond expectations as Assistant Chief. Jeffrey is one of the most dependable people I know and shows it in his service to the Hackett Community as well as the County. Even on his days off he is always doing something to help with the department and community. He is one of a few individuals that are in my circle that I trust my life with. Jeffrey serves and conducts himself with great integrity, making sure everyone around him knows where he stands. Always doing the right thing even when doing the right thing is the hard thing to do. He loves his family, his friends and his community and he shows it with his actions. I’m very proud of Jeffrey and what he has accomplished in the time I’ve known him and just as proud to call him a friend.”
This selfless son, brother, father and friend has certainly earned a place in the Hometown Highlight! We congratulate him on being nominated for this honor.
If you know of an ordinary citizen doing extraordinary things, we want to feature them!
Update: Since the publication time of this article, Valley Springs has defeated Rose Bud in the second semifinal game to advance to Saturday’s championship game versus Mountain View. Charleston will play Rose Bud Saturday at 12 p.m. in the third place game and for a #3 seed in the state tournament.
The Mountain View Lady Jackets did something on Friday that no Charleston opponent has been able to do since December; that is to defeat the Lady Tigers. The Lady Jackets defeated Charleston in dominant fashion by defeating the Lady Tigers 44-24 in the Class 3A-1 regional tournament semifinal. Mountain View advances to the regional championship game and will face the winner of the second semifinal game between Valley Springs and Rose Bud. Charleston will play in the third place game on Saturday at 12 noon versus the loser of the Valley Springs / Rose Bud semifinal game.
The winner of the regional championship game will advance to the state tournament next week as a #1 seed in the tournament. The loser will go as a #2 seed. The winner of the third place game on Saturday will go to the state tournament as a #3 seed, and the loser will go as a #4 seed.
Mountain View entered today’s game ranked number one in Class 3A by Max Preps. The Lady Jackets looked like the top team as they completely took apart Charleston’s ability to score. The Lady Tigers were unable to penetrate the middle that was heavily guarded by the big Mountain View low post players. Combined with a very poor shooting night for Charleston, both from the field and from the free throw line, and the result was a lopsided Mountain View victory.
In many respects, it was just a bad day for the Lady Tigers. Playing against the top team in the state, it was a bad day to have a bad day. Charleston uncharacteristically could not hit shots and could not contain the Lady Jackets on the offensive end of the floor with their normally devastating and swarming defense.
If Charleston was due for a bad day, today was the time to get it out of the way. From this point forward, each game becomes a must-win for the Lady Tigers. No one wants to have a poor shooting day like today in the state tournament. Every opponent in the tournament is good, and there is simply no room for a poor shooting performance.
It will be interesting to see how this team bounces back tomorrow against another quality opponent. The third place game is very important with respect to Charleston’s seeding in the tournament next week. It seems like forever since the Lady Tigers have played at home. In fact, Charleston has played a little more than two weeks in Waldron having ended the regular season there and playing in the district and regional tournaments there. I expect to see this outstanding group of Charleston seniors bounce back strong tomorrow, earn the third seed, and then return home to play on their home court and in front of their home fans. All of this could be huge for Charleston, but the Lady Tigers have to quickly forget today and focus on a very important game in less than 24 hours. The seasoning and experience of this team should help this team handle the challenge, and I expect Charleston to quickly put today’s game behind them tomorrow afternoon.
Resident Press will have more coverage on Sunday with the results of Saturday’s game and the final results of the regional tournament. RP will publish the qualifying teams from the other Class 3A regionals that have been played this week and that will be traveling to Charleston next week for the state tournament.
And, of course, Resident Press will bring all of the Class 3A championship action to you, all the way to the crowning of a new state champion in Hot Springs. Stay with Resident Press for the best coverage of Charleston basketball.
Talk about a whirlwind of a season for the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs. From breaking records to earning championships, the Bulldogs have spent the 2019-2020 basketball season doing it all. Waldron will be closing shop on their season after their February 27 Regional match-up against the Clinton Yellowjackets in which the Bulldogs took a 70-60 loss. Payton Brown led the team with 26 points followed by Jacob Avila and Gada Wagner with 16 points apiece, Braden Williams with two, and Mason Ford finished with five defensive rebounds.
The Bulldogs finish the year with a 24-7 total play record, 12-2 in conference, and racked up a grand total of 2079 points. Coach Joshua Brown gives us his last Bulldogs report of the year. “We had a great season and our players, coaches, and community have a lot to be proud of. We set a school record for wins in a season with 23 in the 2018-19 season and then exceeded that this year with 24 wins. Payton Brown broke the school record this year for points in a game with 60 in December. I’m sure that he also broke the record for points in a season and career.”
“I really like this group of guys and we are going to miss our seniors.” Saying goodbye will be Mason Ford, Jacob Avila, Payton Brown, Ruben Valdez, and Kennedy Rice. “They played their hearts out night in and night out. We were the one seed in the conference tournament and won a conference championship for the first time in school history (I think) as I have not seen any plaques or banners to suggest otherwise for Sr Boys. We will return eight juniors, two sophomores and will move up several 9th graders for next year’s team.Thank you to the Bulldog Nation for making the WAC a special place to play for our kids!”
