After Tuesday nights 61-31 loss to the Elkins Elks, the Mansfield Sr High Tigers are ready to get back up on their basketball horse and return to battle. It was the dreaded “T” word that gave the Elks the lead they needed in the first quarter. Turnovers! “Greenland is arguably the top team in the conference,” explains head coach, Keith Dake. “You can’t expect to win a game against a team of that caliber by handing them six extra possessions. Ball security was an issue throughout the game and we simply have to be better.” Codi Chick led the team in scoring with 11 points while Layton Howard brought in nine.
“So far this season we have seen two completely different teams. Truly a Jekyll and Hyde story. On one hand, we have a team capable of scoring 70+ points per game and have done so on more than one occasion this season, and against quality opponents. On the other hand, we have a team that has failed to top 45 points in three straight games. Our conference is one of the absolute best in 3A, if not the best. Any team could win on any given night, and unlike previous seasons there isn’t that one team that everyone knows will win it all. Instead there are eight teams that can all compete at an incredibly high level. Unfortunately for us, we have hit a cold spell. But we are looking to heat things back up starting this Friday.”Â
Friday, January 10, the (4-7) Mansfield Tigers will travel to Greenland to take on the (7-6) Pirates with Jr High starting at 4 p.m. “Greenland is a tough opponent that possesses every quality great teams possess. They have size down low, deadly shooters from the perimeter, and are led by a coach’s son who is one of the top players within our conference. In order to win this game, we will need to do a much better job of minimizing unforced turnovers on the offensive end and have players willing to step up and score. We also need to do a better job of limiting second-chance points and securing rebounds on the defensive end, while running shooters off the line and forcing them out of their comfort zones.”Â
If you’re looking for a Jr High team that possesses qualities such as leadership, hard work, respect, dedication, tenacity, and strength in character, then look no further. The Waldron Jr High Lady Bulldogs are the epitome for all of the above. They have been faced with many adversities but through it all, continue to take on every game with a clean slate and a positive attitude.
Stepping in as head coach for the Lady Bulldogs is Coach Tracie Adams. Coach Adams has been away from the Bulldog Nation for 15 years but she is ready to get the show on the road and sending the Lady Bulldogs down the path of success. As the saying goes, “All great things come to those who wait”. And although the Jr Lady Bulldogs’ record doesn’t reflect all of the greatness that they are, it soon will.
Waldron recently took on the Cedarville Pirates where the Lady Bulldogs fought a good fight but fell short 32-17. Assistant Coach, Josh Atchley said, “The girls have shown some flashes lately and just have to put an entire game together. Once they get over the hump, they will fall in love with doing what it takes.” Vivian Holmes and Jasmine Nelson tied in scoring with six points apiece while Katy Stringer, Jinjer Ward, and Reagan Adams combined for five.
The Jr Lady Bulldogs will travel to Lincoln next to take on the Lady Wolves on Friday, January 10 starting at 4 p.m.
Conference games are really heating up in the 2A-4 division and with Lavaca sitting pretty at 4-0, the rest of the seeding is completely up for grabs. “The conference is going to be a close race from top to bottom,” explains head coach for the Hackett Sr High Hornets, Kent Elmore. “Lavaca is a great basketball team that everyone is wanting to get after. We have had a tough three-game losing streak in conference play but in the past two weeks the players have really bought in and have been playing much better basketball.”
In their first game of the new year, the Hornets faced the County Line Indians on January 7th in an away non-conference match-up and ended falling with a final score of 46-42. With the conclusion of the game, Dylan Kats led with 12 points followed by Tyler Satterfield with 11. Austin Cowell made nine points. Zach Gragg netted six points. And Cash Oliver and Ty Smith each brought in two.
“We were not playing very good team basketball and we did not play with the energy and attitude to be successful. We have played some tough competition over the past two weeks and have been in every game. We are still needing to improve on our defensive discipline. We have not shot the ball to our capability. As a coach, I do not see this as a bad thing, because I know that when we finally shoot as I know we can, we will be able to win a lot of games.”
Along with Hackett and Lavaca, the other teams competing in the 2A-4 are Hector, Magazine, Mountainburg, Danville, and Westside. Up next for the Hornets are the Magazine Rattlers on Tuesday, January 14. “On film, Magazine is much better than their record shows. It will be our homecoming game so the environment should be a great one. Our players will need to feed off that energy and use it to create turnovers and easy transition opportunities. I think if we do that and play sound defense, we will be able to come up with a much-needed conference win!”
Its been a rocky basketball season so far for the Mansfield Jr High Tigers but don’t count them out of the game yet. Each time they step onto the court, the Tigers prove that through pure grit and dedication, they can overcome anything. On Tuesday, January 7, Mansfield took on the Elkins Elks. “The easiest way to explain the first quarter of the game,” said Coach Keith Stovall. “Was that we just couldn’t get out of our own way.We were stumbling over ourselves the entire quarter and finishing down 9-0 is no way to start a game.”
The second quarter showed the Tigers getting stronger as they “got the offense going to climb back into the game.” Creating some turnovers, Mansfield was able to hold Eklins to one point until there was 1:45 left in the first half of the game. “A couple of unforced turnovers allowed Elkins to get some easy layups and knocking out two three-pointers as a result of a breakdown in defensive coverage.This allowed the Elks to roll-off 10 points before halftime.”
“We won the second half of the game but could not overcome the deficit created in the 1st quarter. The second half defensively saw what I call “Hyperplay”. Overplaying your position so badly that when the ball swings you can’t recover forcing another player to cover. This left our interior vulnerable and Elkins was allowed to score the majority of their second-half points in the lane.”
“Our guys showed great effort as they continued to control the boards. Giving us numerous second-chance scoring opportunities. Offensively we have to get off to a faster start, and we have to get our heads up and see the openings in the defense and take advantage of it. Also, our primary ball handlers never got to the free-throw line because they were not attacking aggressively enough. Playing well in sports is not enough. We have to play complete games from start to finish.” The Jr Tigers finished the game with Elkins taking the win 43-35.
Leading the Tigers in scoring was Braxton Byers with 12 points. Drew Elmore with 10. Clint Stovall added six. Austin Quinalty netted three. And Tyler Turnipseed and Greyson Baggett finished with two each. Next on the list for the Tigers are the Lavaca Golden Arrows who they will face on Thursday, January 9 starting at 5 p.m.
It seems the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs have an insatiable appetite for winning and the competition just keeps on spoon-feeding the wins in. The Bulldog’s most recent conquest was the Cedarville Pirates on Tuesday, January 7. Waldron was locked in from the get-go and through four emotional and energetic quarters, they never took their eye off the ball. The Bulldogs were just too quick for the Pirates to catch as they sealed the victory 73-50. Waldron moves to 3-0 in conference play and 14-3 on the year.
“I’m proud of our guys for coming out and getting the job done at home against a good Cedarville team,” expresses Coach Joshua Brown. The Bulldogs earned an 81 free throw percentage and had three players bring in a total of 12 three-point shots. Leading the pack with eight of those shots was Payton Brown who took home 42 points on the board. Gada Wagner swished three three-pointers and Isaac Villarreal secured one three-point shot and made a total of five points.
Also with five points on the game was Mason Ford followed by Jacob Avila with four. And with two points apiece was Bryson Bailey, Braden Williams, Ruben Valdez, and Caden Fuller. The Bulldogs will head to Lincoln next to take on the (1-2) Wolves on Friday, January 10 starting with Jr High at 4 p.m. “Lincoln’s record is not indicative of how good they are. They have a point guard who knows the game and they have some pieces to go with that.”
“When they shoot the ball well they are tough to beat. #1 Grigsby can get going and plays inside and out. Davis does a good job of creating around the rim and their #4 can shoot it really well. We have to keep them off the glass and control the tempo. We can’t give them any open looks from outside. Defensively we have to bring our best effort!”Â
Although the Magazine Sr High Rattlers took a 66-57 loss against the Danville Little Johns, they made sure to do it in style. “We came out a little sluggish in Tuesday nights match but we stayed with the game plan and worked our way back into the battle in the fourth quarter to tie and go into overtime,” stated head coach, Buck Chappell. “I feel like that was the best game we have played this year as a team as a whole. We still have some work to do on some smaller issues though.”
With 17 points on the game, Cameron Raggio was the top Rattler in scoring closely followed by Brady Watson with 16. Kaedon Trejo netted 14 points with nine of those points coming from three beautifully set three-point buckets. Ashton Droemer put six points on the board. And Jacob Hall and Jack Kirbo grabbed two apiece. Defensively, the Rattlers snagged 22 rebounds and eight steals. Raggio led with nine of those rebounds while Droemer earned five.
This Friday is Homecoming for the Rattlers and if things go as planned, Magazine feels confident in taking this game. “We play Union Christian Academy on Friday, January 10 starting at 6 p.m. Turnovers have been an issue so far. If we can keep the turnovers down we should see a drastic improvement as the season moves forward. We underestimated UCA the first time we met and they are much improved from last year. I feel like we can get a good win for Homecoming this Friday!”Â
In a one-point victory, the Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets earned a feather in their cap as they drew a new county line against the Lady Indians. On Tuesday, January 7, Hackett took their game to County Line and after four insane and intense quarters, the Lady Hornets gained the win 36-35. This triumphant battle upgrades Hackett to 4-9 on the year.
Kayla Richardson led her team in scoring with 10 points while Faith Thomas and Rain Vaughn followed with seven each. Madi Taylor and Jamye Durham brought in four points apiece. And Madeline Freeman and Autum Neal each snagged two. “We are starting to get more comfortable with the things we are doing,” explained Coach Broc Adams. “They are working really hard and getting better each day! We have to continue to improve our shooting and we are trying to get a bunch of reps.”
The Lady Hornets will get back into conference play as they host the Magazine Lady Rattlers on Tuesday, January 14th at 6 p.m. Currently, the Lady Rattlers sit 6-6 in total season play and 1-2 in conference. Last year, Hackett lost both conference games to Magazine so this season, they are looking for a little redemption.
“Magazine has a really good post player and a couple of decent shooters this season. We are going to have to be physical in the middle and make sure we identify their shooters. We just really want to pressure them into playing a little faster than they are comfortable with and creating advantage situations on our end because of it.”
The Paris Lady Eagles, led by Jadyn Hart’s 30 points and the team’s outstanding rebounding, defeated the Atkins Lady Red Devils Tuesday night in Paris, 49-42. The conference win over Atkins moves the Lady Eagles ahead of Atkins in the conference standings. Paris now trails Two Rivers and Lamar by three games, second place Perryville by two games, and third place Jessieville by one game. The Lady Eagles have an important road game Friday night at Two Rivers. Paris, as are all teams in the conference, are driving to finish the regular season as strong as possible to secure a high seed in the district tournament.
The young Lady Eagles are improving with each game, in particular, the first few games out of the game in January. Paris coach Dustin Williams is very proud of how the team has come out of the holiday break to resume the conference season. “Very proud of the way we’ve played coming out of the break. Defensively, we did a good job of slowing Dillard (Atkins junior forward, Ashton Dillard) down in the second half. She is a great basketball player. We are on an upward trend in our play and starting to put together complete games. Defensive intensity and rebounding have been our key. Our girls are more confident on the offensive end now and it’s really starting to open things up. Our girls are very unselfish and just want to do their role as well as they possibly can. I am excited to see how we close out the last ten games of the regular season.”
Jadyn Hart led the Lady Eagles with 30 points. According to Coach Williams, “that is the fourth time she has been at 30 or more this year. In the last three games, she has had 30 points in two of the three games. ” Jacee Hart hit three “3s” and finished with 11 points.
The Paris Eagles boys team went into Tuesday night’s game facing the 14th ranked Atkins Red Devils who entered the contest undefeated at 9-0 overall, and 3-0 in conference play. It was a match-up on paper that appeared to be one-sided, but the Eagles refused to go into the game expecting to lose. In fact, Paris may have given its best effort and most complete game of the season against the talented Atkins team.
Paris lost to Atkins by a score of 65-57. It was a game that was very much undecided deep into the fourth quarter. The Red Devils may not have expected for the game to still be in doubt so late in the game. Paris coach Mike Foster, although disappointed in the team’s inability to finish with a win, was very happy with the Eagles’ effort against the highly-favored Red Devils. “They (Paris) played really hard and fought back from a 16 point deficit to cut it to three with just three minutes remaining in the game. We just couldn’t get over the hump to close out with the win. I am very proud of the effort.”
Nick Bazyk led Paris with 25 points. Dylan Krigbaum had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Senior Luke Trusty had 6 rebounds.
Paris now prepares to go on the road to play a critical conference match at Two Rivers on Friday. The junior Lady Eagles will travel to Hot Springs Fountain Lake on Thursday. It is a long and grueling week for the players and coaches, but that is simply the way it is in the final month of the regular season. If last evenings games are any indication of the focus of both the girls and boys teams, it looks like Paris is locked in on their task at hand of playing each conference game like it is the most important game of the season. It is so easy to be proud of both of these young teams who entered the season with very little varsity experience on either roster. The future is bright for both Paris boys and girls basketball, and Paris fans may get a glimpse of the future in the next 4-6 weeks as the young varsity teams continue to improve and the expansion of the senior high roster to possibly include freshmen players for the senior high district tournaments. Both teams could be tough outs in the senior district tournaments with the modified rosters and the continued improvement the varsity teams are making each week.
It is a great time of the year. Basketball is in full swing and each game matters. Post-season play is just around the corner, and all of the pageantry of students, fans, and spirit groups makes the game environment just that much more exciting.
Watch for Resident Press during the senior district tournament for a special feature on two men who have been bringing Paris sports to the community and the entire River Valley area for many years. If you are a Paris alum, or just a fan, you will not want to miss this special feature!
Sportscasters Tim Johns and Marvin Wiggins; Paris Sports Icons
And as always….stay with Resident Press for the best coverage in Paris Eagles sports!
It was another victorious evening for the Mansfield Jr High Lady Tigers as they once again wiped the floor with the competition. On Tuesday, January 7, the Elkins Lady Elks trotted into Tiger country looking to take down the big cats. But the Lady Tigers don’t take kindly to strangers thinking they will get one over on them in their own home. After each team took turns sizing each other up, it was time for battle.
Alyson Edwards
Mansfield ended the first quarter with an eight-point lead and from there on out it continued to get worse for the Lady Elks. Harlie Fuller opened the first half of the game droppin’ three-pointers like they were goin’ out of style. She would go on to finish the game with a total of 14 points under her name in the stat book with 12 of those points coming from three’s.
Harlie Fuller
By halftime, the score read 26-16 Mansfield and unfortunately for the Lady Elks, the Lady Tigers were only warming up. Mansfield was able to stay focused while keeping the same momentum they had at the start of the game. Alyson Edwards was a defensive warrior as she snagged and grabbed the ball from Elkins every time they tried to get into the game. Edwards ended the night with nine total rebounds and seven points.
Natalie Allison
The game ended with a final score of 45-29 Mansfield and upgraded the Lady Tigers to a 9-2 season record. Natalie Allison saw a great game offensively as well as she put up a total of 10 points and four rebounds on the board. Skylynn Harris brought in seven points and five rebounds. Kynslee Ward obtained six points in the game. And Seven Sanderson scored one point and three rebounds.
Seven Sanderson
The Jr High Lady Tigers still have two big games ahead of them to finish out the week. On Thursday, January 8, Mansfield will travel to Lavaca to take on the Lady Arrows and then get back in the ring the next night on Friday to face-off with the Lady Pirates in Greenland at 4 p.m.
One of the first items of business during the Greenwood City Council meeting on Monday, January 6, was the recognition of a young man, Xander Molina, 11, for his outstanding efforts and conduct.
“He is an asset to his community, his neighborhood and the City of Greenwood…we appreciate everything you do,” stated Mayor Doug Kinslow. Adding that Molina takes pride in caring for both his, and his grandmother’s yard.
Kinslow praised Molina for his meticulously manicured lawn, landscaping and his Christmas light display.
“If we could all be like this, we would be much better off,” shared Kinslow. Molina was then awarded a plaque on behalf of the city, declaring January 6, 2020 as Xander Molina Day. Additionally, Molina was presented a pin with the City of Greenwood’s motto, “Feels Like Home,” and a key to the city. Kinslow concluded that the reason Greenwood feels like home to so many is because of people like Molina. “Doing for others, especially those who can’t, is very commendable.”
Congratulations to Molina and to his parents on this outstanding honor!
