The Town Crier: Sports

Lions win 70-69 thriller over Parkers Chapel (03/09/10)
Manila's bid for a state championship almost ended before it even got started in Thursday afternoon's first round battle against underdog Parkers Chapel in Jessieville. After blowing a 13 point lead, the Lions found themselves down three in the waning seconds of regulation, but junior Kam Ashabranner saved Manila's season when he threw in a desperation three pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.. ...

James Boness earns top bowling honors (03/09/10)
James Boness, Riverside sophomore, earned top honors in high school bowling making the All Region team and All State. He was named the high school state champion in the individual boys division. Boness has been bowling for several years. The regional tournament was held in Jonesboro and the state tournament was held in Little Rock on Thursday, Feb. 25...

BIC girls fall short in first round of state tourney (03/09/10)
The Buffalo Island girls gave a very talented Conway Christian a real challenge before finally falling, 70-56, in Thursday's first round of the Class 2A State Tournament at Carlisle. The Lady Eagles, one of the state's top-ranked teams, held the upper hand throughout most of the game, but the Lady Mustangs cut the...

Lions Roar! Earn ticket to state championship game (03/09/10)
J.J. Helton and Blake Wheeler nailed back to back three pointers late in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's state semifinal matchup at Jessieville, propelling Manila to a thrilling 53-47 come from behind victory over Riverview...

Lions declaw Wildcats 57-46 to advance to state semifinals (03/09/10)
Manila drilled six straight three pointers in the second half, breaking open a close game to advance to the semifinals of the Class 3A State Tournament with a 57-46 victory over Harding Academy Friday night at Jessieville...

Riverside girls end season with loss to Melbourne (03/03/10)
Riverside's girls ended their season Wednesday afternoon, falling 80-37 to Melbourne in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A-North Regional Tournament at Midland. Melbourne, top seed from District 2-2A, got off to a hot start and never allowed the Lady Rebels to gain traction...

BIC girls advance to state tournament (03/03/10)
The Buffalo Island Central girls met their number one goal in 2A-North regional basketball action last week, advancing to the state tournament this week at Carlisle. The Lady Mustangs finished third in the regional and will face a tough Conway Christian team at 4 p.m. Thursday. Their opponent is second-seeded from the 2A-East regional and also ranks as one of the top teams in the state...

Lady Lions fall short of state tournament bid (03/03/10)
Cave City used their superior size advantage and a cold shooting night from the Lady Lions to take a 68-46 win over Manila in first round action of the Region 3A-3 Tournament Thursday night at Manila...

Manila breaks 17-year state tourney drought (03/03/10)
Earle managed to do something no other team had accomplished this season by defeating the Lions on their home floor with a come-from-behind 65-55 victory to claim the 3A-3 Regional Tournament Championship Saturday night at Manila...

Mustang District Tournament Roundup (02/26/10)
East Poinsett County put on a furious second half rally to post a 59-56 victory over Buffalo Island Central in the semifinals of the 2A-3 District Tournament Wednesday night, Feb. 17, at Rector. The top seeded Mustangs held a commanding 33-18 lead at intermission, but were outscored 41-23 in the second half to rally for the victory. ...

Lady Rebels overtake Turrell to advance to regionals (02/26/10)
Riverside's Kyley Campbell scored 13 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to fuel the Lady Rebels to a 64-59 come-from-behind victory over Turrell Tuesday night, Feb. 16, in 2A-3 district tournament action at Rector. The win propels Riverside into this week's regional tournament at Midland...

NEA Ballhogs win Conway tourney (02/26/10)
The NEA Ballhog fourth grade team won the Hoopfestusa basketball tournament in Conway held Feb. 13-14. The team finished 3-0 for the weekend and outscored their opponents 112 to 53 beating the Cabot Lakers in the finals...

Greyhounds send Rebels home with 53-44 victory in district tournament (02/26/10)
Marmaduke raced past Riverside in the second half of Tuesday night's 2A-3 district tournament at Rector to post a 53-44 victory, ending the Rebel's season while sending the Greyhounds to next week's regional tournament at Midland...

Third quarter scoring drought dooms Lady Lions in district tournament (02/26/10)
Earle held Manila to only one point in the pivotal third quarter to break open a close game en route to a 69-63 victory in the semifinals of the 3A-3 District Tournament Friday night, Feb. 19, at Earle...

Bulldogs power past Lions 75-57 to claim district title (02/26/10)
Deante Williams poured in 25 points to power Earle to a convincing 75-57 victory over the Manila Lions in the finals of the 3A-3 District Tournament Championship Saturday night, Feb. 20, at Earle. The two teams battled back and forth throughout much of the first half, with the Bulldogs holding a 17-15 edge after the opening period before breaking away late in the second stanza to take a 35-25 halftime lead.. ...

Riverside senior athletes honored (02/26/10)
Riverside senior athletes were recognized Friday night, Feb. 12, during senior night at the last home basketball game of the season. Seniors honored were Ashley Calvert, Michelle Cobb, Blaine McClung and Bryan Poe...

Lions corral Mustangs 70-42 on Senior Night (02/26/10)
Manila tuned up for this week's 3A-3 District Tournament with a 70-42 rout of Buffalo Island Central on senior night Friday, Feb. 12, at Manila. The Lions, who improved to 23-4 on the season, watched BIC take a 17-12 lead after the first period before exploding in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 27-3 to take a 39-20 halftime advantage. ...

Qualls' buzzer beater gives BIC District Championship (02/26/10)
Cassidy Qualls' three pointer at the buzzer lifted Buffalo Island Central to a thrilling 46-43 victory over host Marked Tree Saturday afternoon in the 2A-3 Junior High District Tournament finals. The Lady Mustangs led throughout the entire game, until Marked Tree fought back and tied the score when Gel Burns scored on a driving lay-up with 1:55 left in the game. ...

Lady Lions celebrate Senior Night with victory (02/26/10)
Kimberly Wise celebrated senior night by pouring in a game high 36 points to lead the Lady Lions to a 58-46 win over Rector Friday night, Feb. 12, at Manila. Wise drained five three pointers on the night and was a perfect seven for seven from the free throw line as Manila improved to 18-7 on the year...

Riverside Senior High Basketball Roundup (02/26/10)
Riverside broke the century mark to pick up its 10th win of the season on senior night as they pounded out a 102-82 victory over Brookland Friday, Feb. 12, at Lake City. Sophomore Cole Winford poured in a career high 33 points while pulling down 16 rebounds to lead Riverside's onslaught. ...

Rockets shoot down BIC in Junior District Tournament (02/26/10)
Jammar Sturdivant and Everett Thomas combined for 36 points to lead top seeded Turrell to a 58-37 victory over Buffalo Island Central Wednesday night, Feb. 10, in the 2A-3 Junior High District Tournament at Marked Tree...

Manila junior teams see season's end in 3A-3 District Tournament (02/26/10)
Manila's junior boys and girls teams ended their seasons with losses in the 3A-3 District Tournament at Brookland. The Junior Lions dropped a 58-36 decision to Tuckerman while the Lady Lions lost a tough 25-19 game to Harrisburg, both on Thursday night, Feb. 11...

Junior Rebels fall in 2A-3 district tournament (02/26/10)
Marked Tree proved to be a poor host, ending both Riverside's boys and girls basketball seasons with a pair of victories in the 2A-3 junior high district tournament. The Indians stopped the junior Rebels with a 41-33 win Wednesday night, Feb. 10, while the Lady Indians downed the Lady Rebels 46-35 Thursday night...

BIC senior athletes honored (02/09/10)
Senior basketball players and cheerleaders, along with their parents, were recognized on Tuesday, Feb. 2, during the last Buffalo Island Central home game of the 2009-10 season. Emcee Eddie Dunigan recognized the players and their parents expressing his appreciation for all their dedication and hard work...

Riverside Roundball Wrap-Up (02/09/10)
Riverside got back on the winning track Friday night at Lake City with a 57-35 romp over hapless Cross County in 2A-3 conference action. Jake Love pumped in 19 points while Josh Anderson added 10 more to lead the Rebels, who improved to 9-17 overall and 5-9 in conference play...