By CHAD MACHETT
Special to The Leader
Jacksonville didn’t waste any time showing Texarkana who the better team was in the first round of the Class 6A State Tournament at Marion.
The Red Devils scored the first 10 points of the game on the way to a 74-50 victory over the Razorbacks on Thursday.
Texarkana managed to battle back and stay within striking distance for most of the first half thanks to Alvin Morris and Tevin Tosh. Morris had seven rebounds in the first quarter, while Tosh had four steals and eight points in the second quarter.
In fewer than five seconds Jacksonville turned a 10-point lead into a 39-24 lead by halftime. Justin McCleary drove the lane for a layup, then turned around, stole the inbounds pass and completed a three-point play at the buzzer to send the Razorbacks reeling into the lockerroom.
“A win is a win in the state tournament,” Jacksonville coach Victor Joyner said. “We were a little flat, but that first game is always so hard with all the anticipation and adrenaline in these kids.”
The Razorbacks never came back with a game plan, choosing to rely solely on their speed on offense. Neither team shot well from the outside, but Jacksonville won the battle in the lane with controlled drives and the Red Devils took advantage of the Razorbacks’ repeated failure to block out rebounders.
“Those guys were just pinning their ears back and running to the lane and we were letting them get through there,” Joyner said. “We adjusted to what they were doing and had a little more success.”
Senior guard Raheem Appleby led Jacksonville with 18 points while McCleary scored 16.
Texarkana’s Tosh led all scorers with 20 points, while Morris had 16 and 13 rebounds.
Searcy 46, Fair 36
Ole Miss signee Jamal Jones and Casey Wilmath were too much for Little Rock Fair on Thursday night.
The inside-outside duo combined for 37 of the Lions’ points. Jones scored 22 and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Wilmath made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points.
All of Wilmath’s points came in the first half.
“I didn’t think we were real sharp, but we found a way to win,” Searcy coach Jim Summers said. “Fair is so methodical and tough on defense that it is hard to get into any kind of a rhythm.”
Searcy advanced to Friday night’s quarterfinal game against fellow 6A-East member Jacksonville while 6A-East member Marion knocked off top seed Van Buren.
“Playing in the East prepares us for anything we might see from anybody else in the state,” Summers said. “But the bad thing is that now we’re back around to playing East teams.
“We have to hope Jacksonville’s perimeter game is off and that we can match their physical play down low. We didn’t do that in the regular season.”
Girls
El Dorado 64, Jacksonville 45
The Lady Red Devils saw their season come to an end against the 6A South’s top seed.
The Lady Devils fell behind 16-5 in the first quarter before coming alive in the second. Jacksonville outscored El Dorado 18-14 in the period thanks to Jessica Jackson scoring 11 points, as she went 7 for 8 at the free-throw line.
Jackson capped her season with a 23-point night. Lady Red Devils sophomore Melissa Miller added eight points.
El Dorado’s Whitney Frazier led all scorers with 27 points.
LR Parkview 57, Searcy 22
Little Rock Parvkiew was dominant on both ends of the court as it denied Searcy a return trip to the state final.
Sophomore guard Roshunda Johnson made four three pointers as she scored all of her game-high 21 points in the first half. Erin Peoples added 18 points for Parkview, doing her damage from the lane while turning in a 12-point third quarter.
Parkview’s non-stop press forced Searcy (16-13) into 27 turnovers.
“I’ve never seen them shoot so well,” Searcy coach Michelle Birdsong said.
“Their pressure makes it so tough just to get it across half court, and once you’re there you can’t get an open shot because they’re so quick and recover so well in transition.”
Freshman guard Brittnee Broadway led the Lady Lions with seven points, all in the first half.
Searcy hung around for most of the first half, but two quick three-pointers by Johnson helped Parkview to a 34-15 lead at halftime.
The Lady Patriots’ run in the third gave them a 50-17 lead entering the final period.
