FC Mustangs, Lady Mustangs double up on Trumann Wildcats

Looking more and more like a
state tournament team each time
out on the floor this season, the
Forrest City Mustangs ran their
overall season mark to 19-2
Friday night turning back the
visiting Trumann Wildcats 85-31
to run their season game winning
streak to 14 games and tying the
2013-14 Mustang team that won
14 straight games under then
head coach Dwight Lofton and
landed themselves in 10th place
in Sunday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Overall Top 10 Boys
rankings, the lone 4A-6 team to
be included in that poll.
The Mustangs are still ranked
in the Class 4A top six teams,
remaining in the No. 2 slot behind
Little Rock Mills.
The big question now, posed
by ADG sportswriter Erick Taylor
in Sunday’s edition is “Does
anyone really want to play the
Forrest City Mustangs in the
upcoming post season schedule?”
The current Mustangs’ win
streak began on Dec. 12, 2024,
with a win over Farmington. The
Mustangs have not looked back
since nor have they slowed down.
The Mustangs, led by 31 points
from Jarvis Palmer Jr., 17 by
Marcus Britt Jr., and an even
dozen by E.J Morris, the trio
combined for 60 of the Mustangs’
85 points in Friday’s home win
over Trumann. Palmer put up 19
first half points and added 12
more in the second half.
Kendrick Patterson, Monsieur
Gaines and Deangelo Hodges
helped the cause, combining for
14 total points.
Off to a quick start, the
Mustangs led 23-10 after the
opening quarter and pushed their
advantage to 54-13 at the half,
using coast-to-coast layups and
nine, three pointers, seven of that
total in the first half and dropping
in six of their 10 free throw
chances.
With Friday’s loss, Trumann,
which began the conference
season with seven consecutive
losses, drops to 3-14 overall and
0-1 in the 4A-6 conference
standings at 1-4 and in fifth place
in the six-team roster. The
Mustangs are holding the top
spot in the conference standings
followed by Stuttgart in second
place and Lonoke resting in third.
The Wildcats have five season
conference games remaining on
their schedule, Southside
Batesville, Stuttgart, Wynne,
Lonoke and Forrest City on Feb.
21.
•••••
The Forrest City Lady
Mustangs, prior to the boys game,
shut down the Trumann Lady
Wildcats with a 66-41 conference
win at Dwight Lofton Mustang
Arena.
Avienne Applewhite and
Kassidy Smith led the Lady
Mustangs with 19 points each
while Kylei Bailey helped with 12
points.
Applewhite also came away
with five steals while Smith
grabbed 10 rebounds for her
double-double and dropped in
seven of eight free throw
opportunities. Bailey also finished
the game with a double-double,
scoring the 12 points, and
grabbing 14 rebounds, 11 of those
of the offensive variety.
Trumann tied the Lady
Mustangs at 25-25 with just over
13 seconds remining in the
opening quarter before the Lady
Mustangs broke that tie to lead
26-25 at the half. The two teams
tied again in third quarter at 30-
30 before the Lady Mustangs
assumed the lead and pushed it
to 46-36 with less than one
minute remaining in the first half.
The final quarter belonged to
the Lady Mustangs, leading 56-36
with just over three minutes to
play in the final frame to secure
the 66-36 win over the Lady
Wildcats.
Forrest City improves to 16-6
overall for the year and 4-1 in the
4A-6 conference, keeping them
in a tie for first place with
Southside Batesville, both 4-1.
and keeping them lodged in the
ADG Girls Super Six poll in fifth
place, just ahead of Watson
Chapel and just behind
Highland.
On an extended note, from
Friday’s Lady Mustangs win, the
game looks to have ended after
the third quarter, which
prompted head coach Canonica
Randle Williams to say she had
just noticed that as she was
preparing game stats.
“Trumann gave us a run for
our money until halftime,”
Williams added.
•••••
The Palestine-Wheatley
Patriots improved to 12-11
overall Friday with a 61-46 win
over Des Arc Friday night and 7-6
in the conference standings.
With the win, the Patriots are
riding a three-game win streak
with three regular season games
remaining on the schedule, at
KIPP Delta, and home against
McCrory and Hazen.
The Lady Patriots got past
Hazen 46-26 in a conference
game played Thursday to
improve to 6-13 overall and 2-6
in the conference.
The P-W girls have three
games remaining as well on the
season schedule with KIPP Delta,
McCrory and Hazen.