After taking a 51-33 win against the Westside Lady Rebels in the last conference game of the 2019-2020 season on Friday, February 14, the Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets secured the #7 seed at District pinning them against the Lady Rebels yet again in the first round of tournament play. The 2A-4 Sr High District Tournament is being held in Hector this year and kicked off on Monday, February 17. The Lady Hornets fought hard in Round 1 against the #6 seeded Lady Rebels and ended with a 53-47 win over Westside.
Kayla Richardson led with 19 points followed by Faith Thomas with 18, Rain Vaughn with six, Madi Taylor three, Madeline Freeman with two and eight rebounds, and Autum Neal, Kandace Byrd, Brooke Holt, and Jordyn Null with one point apiece. “It was good to get the first one over with,” stated coach, Broc Adams. “I keep telling the girls we are in survive and advance season. We are taking it all one game at a time and trying to give our best effort each night, not looking ahead. We will have to limit Lavacas three-point shooters tonight, and we will have to continue to knock down shots like we have the last three games!”
The Sr Lady Hornets will be back in District action again tonight, February 18 in round two against the #3 seeded Lavaca Lady Arrows at 6:30 p.m.
There is no limit to what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit and that’s just the thought process that the Waldron Jr High Bulldogs play with. The 2019-2020 basketball season has come to an end for the Jr Bulldogs but the greatness that these boys are about to unleash in the next few years of Sr High ball is just beginning. Making it to the championship round of the Jr High District Tournament, the #2 seeded Bulldogs went toe-to-toe against the #5 seeded Elkins Elks.
#12 Payton Lipham
The entire game was filled with some exciting moments but it was the fourth quarter that really took the cake. The Elks were behind 28-14 at the end of the third quarter but in the last few minutes of the game, Elkins kicked their gameplay into action. With under two minutes left, the score stood at 32-27 Waldron. Fans were holding their breath with anticipation, coaches were nervously chewing their nails, and players were staring each other down with fierce determination. And then it happened.
#5 Petey Justice
After each team put up a few more points, the score sat at 34-31 with 14 seconds left in the game and the Bulldogs having possession of the ball. It was at this moment that the Bulldog Nation knew their boys had done it. The final buzzer sounded, and the Jr Bulldogs were crowned the Jr District Champions. Trenton Hunt was the double-double king of the Bulldog mountain with 23 points, six rebounds, and ten steals. Lidge Stinson netted 11 points. Petey Justice grabbed five rebounds. Payton Lipham picked up two steals and two rebounds. Trevor Hunt obtained four steals, two assists, and two rebounds, and Kason Davis earned two rebounds. The Waldron Jr Bulldogs finish their season 24-4 in total season play and 11-2 in conference.
#1 Lidge Stinson
“This year’s goal from the beginning was a championship,” said Coach Josh Atchley. “We returned a lot of experience from last year and these guys really put the time in all off-season to be able to get it done on Saturday. We had lots of guys who stepped up at different times throughout the year. I believe we had five different starting line-ups and several times had guys step up off the bench in big moments. You are only as good as your guards and we have some good ones. Lidge Stinson was the one guard all year and put us in great spots for success while finishing the year averaging 12.4 points per game along with leading the team in assists to turnover ratios.”
#23 Trenton Hunt
“Trenton Hunt is a tough two guard who was our leading scorer for the year at 15.6 points per game and leading rebounder at 5.1 and steals at 4.6. Lots of other guys played key roles for us like Trevor Hunt, Petey Justice, and Peyton Lipham all having to guard the rim as a unit with none of them being taller than 5’7. Kason Davis, Chris Lopez, Ethan Mayberry, Jacob Daggs, Jose Cardenas, and Forest Efurd had big moments for us throughout the year. I can just not express how proud I am of these guys and their drive to win a championship! They will forever be special to me!”
The Hackett Jr High Lady Hornets definitely experienced some ups and downs during their 2019-2020 basketball season but one thing remained the same. No matter how hard things got, they never threw in the towel. And in the end, it was that kind of thinking that paid off for Hackett. Seeded #3 in District play, the Jr Lady Hornets took down the Lavaca Lady Arrows in the semi-finals to move on to the championship round to face the #1 seeded Hector Lady Wildcats on Saturday, February 15.
Hackett knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task but they took the bull by the horns, none the less, and gave the battle everything they had. The Lady Hornets finished the match under Hector 42-27 giving them the title of District Runner-Ups and finishing the season with a record of 17-6. “We were able to cut the lead to six in the 4th but just ran out of gas,” explained Coach Broc Adams.
Alex Bunch led the Lady Hornets with 11 points followed by Teonna Best with six, Abby McBride with four, Kyleigh Hill with three, Aaliyah Escoffier with two, and Tori Blanton with one. “I think we had a phenomenal year! These girls bought into everything we did and worked extremely hard. I was most impressed with how great they were at being teammates and pushing each other to get better together. It was a fun process to watch. We only had a couple of girls returning that got much playing time last year so it speaks volumes to the amount of work they put in to get to where they were. I’m very proud of my Jr Lady Hornets!”
The Paris Eagles senior high boys team was eliminated Monday night in the first round of the district basketball tournament being held this week at Lamar High School, The 54-37 loss to the Bearcats ended the basketball season for the Eagles, as well as ending the high school careers of two Paris seniors: Nick Bazyk and Luke Trusty.
The Eagles started two freshmen in the game, giving Paris fans a glimpse of the future. Freshmen Jesse Wells and Sam Muldrow started the game and played significant minutes. The Eagles were within five points at the half, but could not find enough consistency with their outside shooting as several shots just wouldn’t go down for the Eagles.
Paris also had difficulty shutting down the outside shooting of Booneville as the Bearcats’ Jacob Herrera shot well and kept any signs of a Paris run at bay and preventing a second half comeback by the Eagles.
The Paris Lady Eagles, a four seed in the tournament, will play today at 4 p.m. against Fountain Lake, a #7 seed who pulled the mild upset in the first round against the #5 seed Atkins Lady Red Devils. A Paris win this afternoon will advance the Lady Eagles to the regional tournament next week in Rose Bud, and will set up a semi-final showdown with the top seed and host school, Lamar Lady Warriors on Thursday.
The Paris Eagles have much to be proud of this year. They fought hard in every game and never gave up. It is always tough to have the season come to an end with a tournament loss, especially for seniors who have played their final high school games. Nick Bazyk and Luke Trusty will have much to look back on with pride after the sting of their final loss diminishes and they begin to reflect on the contributions they made to the rebuilding of the boys basketball program.
Resident Press will have complete coverage of the Lady Eagles game today in tomorrow afternoon’s edition. Stay with RP for complete Paris Lady Eagles coverage!
Minnie Ozella (Smith) Bonds of Elm Park, Arkansas went to be with her Lord and Savior, Saturday, February 15, 2020, in her home with her loving family by her side. Minnie was born January 31, 1941, to Andrew and Irene (Jones) Smith in Elm Park, Arkansas. She was 79 years old.
At a very young age, Minnie met what would become the love of her life, Bobby Bonds. They grew up knowing each from the neighborhood, Minnie and Bobby became best friends, companions and eventually married enjoying 61 years as husband and wife. The love they had for each other spilled over into their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. As the baby of 6 and the only girl, It was just natural for Minnie to be loving and caring. She was the very personification of a doting wife, mother and grandmother. Minnie was a terrific cook and passed that talent onto her daughter and granddaughters. She was notorious for gifting her Christmas candy. She could be found at ball games any time her children played and then later in life, her grandchildren. It’s been said that as fun loving and sweet as Minnie was, she did not hesitate “to tell you what she thought” from the bottom of her heart. Although Minnie had lots of love for everyone, her grandchildren were her pride and joy and she treasured the time she got to spend with them.
Minnie leaves behind to cherish her memory, her husband Bobby Gene Bonds, one daughter, Tammie Jean Gray of Greenwood, Arkansas and one son, Bobby Eugene Bonds of Charleston, Arkansas. Granny will forever be missed by her grandchildren: Michael Gray, Samantha Jones, Paige Spann, Allison Gray, Cameron Bonds and Madalyn Knight as well as her 8 great grands: Liam Gray, Braxton Jones, Kason Jones, Adaleigh Murphy, Rylea Spann, Tristen Spann, Madisyn Spann and Brinleigh Spann. She is also survived by one brother Jackson Smith of Greenwood, Arkansas. Minnie will be missed by all that knew her and the many whose lives she impacted including a host of extended family, friends, neighbors and loved ones dear to her heart.
Minnie was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Irene Smith, and her brothers: Billy Smith, Buddy Smith, JL Smith and Leonard Smith.
Minnie’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at the Packsaddle Community Church in Packsaddle, Arkansas with Rev. Jeff Wilkinson and Rev. JL Bonds officiating. Interment will follow in the Freedom Cemetery near Waldron, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Minnie’s pallbearers will be Billy Spann, Michael Gray, Justin Jones, Chris Williams, Jeff Bonds and Cameron Bonds. Honorary pallbearers will be Jeff Henderson, DJ Pyles, Rex Rhodes, Robert Wilkinson, Leon Dodson and Donnie Shank.
Minnie’s visitation will be Tuesday, February 18, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
After a regular season that saw the Charleston Lady Tigers go a perfect 14-0 and win an outright district championship, as well as the Tigers boys team surprising the conference by finishing the season as tri-champions of the conference, both teams are now focusing on post-season play. Charleston will play this week in the district tournament that will be held at Waldron High School.
The Lady Tigers finished the regular season 23-2 overall and 14-0 in conference. The only losses on the season for the Lady Tigers were a 46-43 loss on November 16 to Class 4A Pea Ridge, and a 68-56 loss to Class 6A Lake Hamilton on December 13 in Hot Springs. Charleston has not lost a game since that cold night in December when the Lady Tigers made the long trip to play Lake Hamilton. Since that time, they have been perfect in not only conference, but have had wins over Class 4A Wynne, and Class 6A Searcy. In conference play, the Lady Tigers have had only one close game, that being against Elkins at home on January 21 when Charleston defeated the Lady Elks 50-44. After wrapping up the regular season last Friday at Elkins with a 42-25 win, the Lady Tigers will enter this week’s district tournament ranked #32 in the state across all classifications, and #5 in the state in Class 3A.
As the top seed in this year’s district tournament, Charleston has earned a double-bye from the first two rounds and will play their first game on Thursday, February 20 at 4 p.m. The Lady Tigers await the winners of play-in games from the first two rounds of the tournament. Elkins, the number two seed in the tournament, is in the opposite side of the bracket from Charleston, and they too have earned a double-bye and will play their first tournament game on Thursday at 7 p.m. It remains to be seen if Cinderella will make an appearance at this year’s tournament, but if the tournament goes according to seedings, there could be a third match-up between Charleston and Elkins in the championship game that will be played Saturday, February 22, at 6 p.m.
The Charleston boys team was the feel-good story of the year in the conference regular season. A young and inexperienced team that included a freshman guard playing a significant role as a starter, surprised the league by leading almost the entire conference season and finishing the season with a share of the conference title. The Tigers are a gritty team that plays cohesively and always seems to find a way to win. Last Friday night, Charleston traveled to Elkins for their third game in just four days. All three games were played on the road. Facing a motivated Elks team that had lost to Charleston earlier in the season on a buzzer-beater three-point shot, the Elks went into the game needing to defeat Charleston to gain a share of the conference title. That same night, in the southern reaches of the league, the Waldron Bulldogs were hosting the Greenland Pirates to remain in the hunt for a share of the title. Elkins defeated Charleston and forced a three-way tie for the conference championship. Using the conference’s tie breaker formula, the Tigers were designated as a three seed going into the district tournament by virtue of their margin of victory being less than those of Elkins and Waldron.
So, as the district tournament begins this week in Waldron, Charleston, the three seed, earned a first round bye and will not play today. The Tigers first game will be on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. versus the winner of the Lincoln versus Mansfield game that will be held today at 5:30 p.m. If the Tigers win their first game, they will advance to the semi-final on Thursday versus Elkins. To qualify for next week’s regional tournament, the Tigers must win on Tuesday. All district tournament semi-finalists will advance to next week’s regional tournament. The Lady Tigers, by virtue of their double-bye and seeded automatically in the semi-finals, have already qualified for regionals. The case for all teams is that of seeding in the regional tournament. All teams want to win as many games as possible in the district tournament to be seeded as highly as possible in next week’s regional tournament. A team that goes to regional as a #4 seed will be matched-up with a #1 seed in the regional bracket. So, there is an incentive to win as many games as possible in the district tournament to get a more favorable seed in the regional.
And in a peculiarity to this year’s post-season, next week’s regional tournament will also be held in Waldron. District teams have the advantage of playing in the Waldron facility this week going into next week’s regional tournament. Teams will qualify from the regional tournament next week to move on to the state tournament that will be hosted at Tiger Center in Charleston in two weeks.
Resident Press will keep you updated all the way through the state finals in Hot Springs on March 13. Stay with RP for the latest in Charleston basketball!
As promised to our readers in Saturday’s article, Resident Press is happy to update Paris fans on tonight’s district basketball tournament game that will be held at Lamar High School.
The Paris Eagles senior boys team will play the last game tonight of the first session of the senior high district basketball tournament. The Eagles will play Booneville at 8:30 p.m. Paris, the #7 seed in this year’s tournament, will take on the #5 seed Bearcats. If the Eagles win, they will play again at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday versus Atkins.
Tomorrow, February 18, the Paris Lady Eagles will open the district tournament after earning a bye in today’s first round. The Lady Eagles await the outcome of today’s first round match-up between the #8 seed Fountain Lake Lady Cobras and the #5 seed Atkins Lady Red Devils. Those teams will play today at 4 p.m. Paris will play the winner of this game at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. If the Lady Eagles win tomorrow afternoon, they will play the host school and top-seeded Lamar Lady Warriors on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Both Paris teams are hoping to qualify this week for next week’s regional tournament that will be held in Rose Bud. To advance to the regionals, both teams have to reach the semi-finals of the district tournament. For the Lady Eagles, this means that they must win tomorrow. For the boys, the Eagles must win two games to qualify for the regional tournament.
Qualifiers from the regional tournament will advance to the state tournament that will be held in Charleston in two weeks.
Resident Press will provide updates throughout the week on both Paris teams as they compete in the district tournament. Good luck to the Eagles and Lady Eagles as they compete for a district tournament championship!
Billy Wayne (Trey) Barker III of Waldron, Arkansas passed from this life, Thursday, February 13, 2020, in Waldron, Arkansas. Trey was born May 25, 1987, to Billy Wayne Barker Jr. and Tonya Morgan in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. He was 32 years old.
Trey was a sports fan through and through. He enjoyed watching it all, especially if it was the Arkansas Razorbacks. Trey was notorious for watching Fox News daily, and he was proud to say he was a die hard Republican. Trey loved his family and had a special bond with his brothers but his mom was his rock, his go to and his strength.
Trey leaves behind to cherish his memory, his mother, Tonya Morgan of the home, his father, Billy W. Barker Jr. of Boles, Arkansas and his brothers: Morgan Barker, Zed Barker and Gunner Morgan all of Waldron, Arkansas. Trey is also survived by his maternal grandmother, Shirley Kerlin of Calico Rock, Arkansas, paternal grandfather, Billy Barker Sr. of Boles, Arkansas and paternal grandmother, Faris Barker of Greenwood, Arkansas. Trey will be missed by a large extended family including aunts: Sandy Brigance of Waldron, Arkansas, Sonya Hawkins of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Denise Pittard of Albertville, Alabama and uncles: Josh Morgan of Eatonville, Washington, Butch Morgan of Waldron, Arkansas and Johnny Morgan of Calico Rock, Arkansas as well as a host of cousins, and friends that he loved dearly.
Trey was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather Billy Morgan.
Trey’s life celebration will be 2:00 p.m., Monday, February 17, 2020, at the Mt. Moriah Community Church in Haletown, Arkansas with Rev. Zac Hale officiating. Interment will follow in the Union Hill Cemetery in Union Hill, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Trey’s pallbearers will be Morgan Barker, Zed Barker, Bobby John Hunt, Wade Ridenhour, Dillon Ward and Johnny Wagner.
Trey’s visitation will be Sunday, February 16, 2020, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
You may leave words of comfort and remembrance for Trey’s family by visiting: www.heritagememorialfh.com.
Melvin Smith of Waldron, Arkansas went to be with his Lord and Savior, Thursday, February 13th, 2020, in Waldron, Arkansas with his loving family by his side. Melvin was born May 9th, 1937 in Barber, Arkansas to Felix Smith and Mary Mima (Taylor) Smith. He was 82 years old.
Melvin was liked and respected by everyone who knew him. He was a hard worker and a devoted Christian and family man. He was a man of few words and he loved gardening, coon hunting, livestock and the simple things in life. He especially loved Betty, his wife of 63 years. Melvin always took exceptional care of her and one of his greatest concerns was always making sure “Bet” was taken care of and comfortable. Melvin left a legacy of integrity, strength and wisdom to his family. He was like an old oak tree, strong and steady. He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather and father in law.
Melvin leaves behind to cherish his memory, one daughter, Debbie Byford and husband David of Waldron, Arkansas; one son, Rick Smith and wife Mandy of Fort Smith, Arkansas; 7 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Melvin is also survived by his sisters: Doria Harrison, Francis Judy and Margaret McCafferty. Melvin will be missed by all who knew him and the many whose lives he impacted including a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Melvin was preceded in death by his wife Betty, his son James, his granddaughter Terry, his parents, his sisters: Evie Smith, Dovie Williams, Roxie Essman, Iola Essman and his brothers: Ardell, Jess and Lester.
Melvin’s life celebration will be at 10:00 a.m., Monday, February 17, 2020, at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Pastor George Crump officiating. Interment will follow in Duncan Cemetery near Waldron, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Melvin’s pallbearers will be Rick Smith, Zak Smith, Jastin Smith, David Byford, Brad Byford, Travis Tabor and Alvin Carnahan.
Melvin’s visitation will be Monday, February 17, 2020 from 9:00-10:00 am at Heritage Memorial Chapel.
It is the time of the year when the regular season comes to an end, and teams are looking to enter post-season play with momentum from a strong finish to the season. This past week, the Paris Lady Eagles have won their last two conference games, including a win last night over Perryville, to enter next week’s district tournament on a two-game win streak. The Lady Eagles finished the season in fourth place in the conference and will enter the district tournament as a four seed. By finishing fourth, Paris avoids playing on Monday night and will get an extra day of rest before tournament play begins for the Lady Eagles on Tuesday in Lamar. The Lady Eagles defeated Perryville 56-44, avenging a previous 26-point loss to the Lady Mustangs on December 13.
Lady Eagles coach Dustin Williams said after the game, “It was back and forth for the first three quarters, but our team was able to break away in the fourth, outscoring Perryville 19-6. I thought our defensive intensity, toughness on the boards and the ability to match up late in the game really helped. We spent a lot of time the past two days going over their sets and our girls were able to call them out and shift while it was happening. Our transition game was there and that really helped put it away. I think we are getting hot at the right time heading into Tuesday (first district tournament game).
For Paris, Jadyn Hart was the leading scorer with 18 points. Harley Watts had 17 points for Paris, and Brailey Forst added 7 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Eagles was Jayden Wells with 5 points and Karsyn Tencleve with one point.
After Friday night’s games, the final girls conference standings are:
Lamar 14-0
Perryville 9-5
Jessieville 9-5
Paris 7-7
Atkins 6-8
Two Rivers 5-9
Booneville 4-10
Fountain Lake 2-12
In conference play this year, it was Lamar and the rest of the league. The Lady Warriors finished a perfect, undefeated conference season. A tie for second between Perryville and Jessieville was a distant five games behind first place Lamar. In fact, at 7-7, one can look back to a one point, upset loss at home to Booneville who had previously won just two conference games, and a road loss late in the season at Jessieville when the Lady Eagles were tagged with deep foul trouble to the extent that they finished the last five minutes of the game with just four players on the court. Even under such extreme circumstances, the Lady Eagles narrowly lost to Jessieville. So, in the could of, would of category, if the Lady Eagles had those two games back, the Paris team that started the season with very little varsity basketball experience would have finished this year in a tie for second place in the conference. Overall, the Lady Eagles tooks some early season losses as the team searched for the right chemistry and gained varsity experience with every game. I know Coach Williams would love to have some of those games back now that his team has improved so much since the start of the season in November. Much is owed to senior Paiton Forbis who brought her volleyball championship experience and work ethic to the team and locker room this year. The Lady Eagles were a very young team this year, and Forbis’s contributions cannot be overlooked. She is an outstanding person and athlete, and the Lady Eagles were fortunate to have her play this year.
The Lady Eagles are a team that has performed well, and coach Dustin Williams and his staff deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the team’s performance this season that was far and beyond what several people silently expected for this team. In fact, if you have followed my column this year, I have made the case for Dustin Williams to be considered for Coach of the Year honors in the conference. Unfortunately, conferences tend to automatically give the honor to the coach of a team that wins the conference. I have never agreed with this, as it does not leave room for a coach of a team to be considered when he or she has led a team with low expectations from coaches and sports writers to finish high in the conference standings. There is no room for “Cinderella” who crashes the party with a team that is not expected to do well. But, for whatever it is worth, Dustin Williams is my coach of the year, and I think there are many Paris fans who share my opinion.
Paris has a legitimate chance to win games in the district tournament and advance to the regional tournament. Quite a feat for this team. And now Paris is playing with an expanded roster that will give the Lady Eagles much-needed depth as they enter the tournament to keep themselves out of a potential Jessieville situation when foul trouble became a major factor in the Lady Eagles’ chance to win the game.
The Lady Eagles will play Tuesday afternoon in the second round of the district tournament at 4 p.m. at Lamar High School. Paris will play the winner of the play-in game between the #8 seed Fountain Lake Lady Cobras and the #5 seed Atkins Lady Red Devils. Paris had success against both teams during the regular season. The first game in the tournament is always the toughest as players have to adjust to the pressure of a “one and done” tournament where every game can be your last. No player wants to experience the suddenness of losing that last game, and cleaning out your locker for the last time this season. And certainly, once the tournament starts, anything can happen. But Paris has fought hard all year, and has faced adversity all season. They are battle-tested. and regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, the one thing that is assured is this team will play their hearts out for the entire game.
For the Eagles, the 2019-20 season has been an uphill struggle all year. Like their Lady Eagles counterparts, the boys senior team entered this season as an inexperienced team in varsity basketball. It was also a rebuilding year for the Eagles, and each week, the team played hard and with a determination to win. And each week, the Eagles’ effort would often find themselves in games late, but seem to struggle to find enough offense to close-out close games late with a win. Seniors Nick Bazyck and Luke Trusty provided senior leadership for the team that was instrumental in the team being in games each night. But in the end, in a conference that was loaded with good guard play and experienced rosters, the Eagles found themselves on the short end of games in conference play. No player or person connected to the program wants to hear the word “rebuilding”, especially seniors. But the Eagles young varsity team gained valuable playing experience this season, and now, with the expanded roster including freshman from a junior high team that were runner-ups in the junior high district tournament, the Eagles have more depth, and will give the younger players a chance to get valuable court experience before they are counted on next season.
The expanded rosters on both teams may play a factor in next week’s district tournament. Of course, Paris is not the only school that will move freshman up to their varsity teams now that junior high season is over. And it is a very difficult thing for an upperclassman to see his or her position filled by a freshman. It is a call that coaches make, and each coach will do so using their own logic and justification. But one thing is for sure, all coaches will do whatever they believe will give their teams the best chance to win, and, ultimately, whatever is in the best interest of the players involved. It can be an emotional issue, and I certainly do not envy any coach who makes such a decision.
The Eagles will play on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. in Lamar in the first round of the district tournament. Paris finished the season in seventh place in the conference. So, the Eagles and their fans will have the last game of the night on Monday as Paris will have to win the play-in game to advance to the second round on Tuesday. As of the publication time of this story, the Monday night opponent has not been confirmed, but it is believed that the opponent may be Booneville. When the opponent is confirmed, Resident Press will publish an update for our readers.
The final boys standings in the regular conference season are:
Fountain Lake 12-2
Lamar 10-4
Atkins 8-6
Perryville 8-6
Jessieville 8-6
Booneville 7-7
Paris 3-11
Two Rivers 0-14
It has been an exciting season of Paris basketball as fans watched the development of two young teams throughout the year. Many of the players for both the Eagles and Lady Eagles were either playing just their first or second years of varsity basketball. Much is owed to the seniors on both teams for their leadership and contributions to the rebuilding of the programs and the future of Paris basketball. They deserve the Paris fan base to make the trips to Lamar to support them in the district tournament.
With the players on both teams, there is no telling what may happen in Lamar. They will play hard, and with a few breaks…who knows? Anything can happen in the post-season!
