Rebels vs. Patriots • Hickory Flat sweeps Marshall


Thursday, January 14, 2010
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Rebels vs. Patriots
• Hickory Flat sweeps Marshall

By BARRY BURLESON
Editor

Photo by Ronnie Day

All covered up

Pressuring Lady Rebel Shalonda Reynolds (4) in basketball action Saturday night are Lady Patriots (from left) Callie Clanton, Emily Burk and Emma Elgin.

It was all Hickory Flat in Rebel country Saturday night.

The girls and boys from neighboring Benton County saddled Marshall Academy teams with losses in the public school versus private matchups.

The cold-shooting Lady Patriots fell 49-45 to a scrappy and inspired bunch of Lady Rebels.

Marshall Academy’s season mark went to 10-11. The Hickory Flat girls improved to 6-10.

“Lethargic – that’s about all I can say about that effort – just not a lot of heart,” said Craig Dailey, Marshall head coach.

“Hickory Flat just wanted it a whole lot more than we did. They played extremely hard and well. We got nowhere near their intensity.

“Luckily it was not district. That’s this week. We will see if we find some heart.”

The Marshall girls went up 4-0 early on Callie Clanton’s length-of-the-court drive. But three minutes later, Hickory Flat’s Kayla Kolivas sank a second three-pointer and the the home team led 10-6.

Hickory Flat was on top 14-10 after one quarter and stretched that advantage in the second period. The margin was 26-15 at the half-way point.

The Lady Pats cut it to five on Chelsey Gilliam’s basket with 4:44 to go in the third. But a couple of shots by Kolivas gave the Lady Rebels their biggest lead at 36-23 when the quarter ended.

But MA did not quit. The Lady Patriots made a game of it, largely due to the efforts of sophomore Emma Elgin. She scored 11 of her team-best 13 points in the fourth quarter, including two threes.

But Hickory Flat’s Kolivas, Courtney Martin and Shalonda Reynolds sank some free throws down the stretch to preserve the four-point win.

Callie Clanton added 12 for Marshall. Gilliam scored eight.

For the Lady Rebs, Kolivas was the top gun with 18. Martin added 15 and Reynolds nine.

The Marshall boys saw their deficit get bigger as the game went along. They lost 67-41 to a fired-up Hickory Flat team.

Photos by Ronnie Day

Surrounded

Marshall Academy’s John Tomlinson and Caleb Byrd (back) trap Hickory Flat’s Logan Thompson (24).

MA dropped to 13-6. The Rebels improved their record to 14-4.

“A tail-kicking,” Dailey said. “We got taken to the woodshed.

“Hickory Flat is a great group, and they really came out with a lot more intensity than I saw when I scouted them.”

MA’s only lead came early when Jordan Wyke hit a three at the 5:06 mark.

But Hickory Flat’s Anthony Tucker scored eight of his game-high 20 points in the first and the Rebels surged ahead 14-5 after the opening quarter.

Zavion Adams provided much of Hickory Flat’s spark in the second quarter. He scored five straight points over a two-minute stretch. The home team was up 28-10 at the half.

Van Tassell took over in the third. At the 2:43 mark, his two points increased the margin to 45-16.

It was 46-24 after three, and the Rebels cruised to the 26-point win.

Van Tassell and Adams added 17 and nine, respectively, for Hickory Flat.

Wyke had 15 for MA.

“Hickory Flat has a chance to contend,” Dailey said. “They just have to sell out and listen to Coach (Warner) Bradford. It was great to compete against Coach Bradford. We go way back, and I respect him as a man and a coach tremendously.

“As far as us, we just hit a ‘buzz saw’ and that happens. We will learn from it and come back to our league better.”

It’s a key week for the Lady Pats and Pats. They hosted West Memphis Tuesday. They welcome Indianola Academy to Holly Springs Friday and then go to North Delta Saturday. All are district games.

Making the save

Taylor Maurey (24) of MA saves the basketball from going out of bounds. In back is Anthony Tucker (14) of Hickory Flat.

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