Mustangs take Kameron Hale Basketball Tournament title

At 14-2 overall, the Forrest City Mustangs find themselves on the 2024-25 season basketball journey so far this season, mostly a nonconference trip, but a good trip, nonetheless. Last Thursday, the Mustangs polished off their 12th win of the season, a 65-53 win over Magnolia in the three-day Kamron Hale basketball tournament being played at Hot Springs Lakeside. The Mustangs followed that win with a 70-56 Friday victory over Sylvan Hills which set up Saturday's final game of the tournament, Lake Hamilton in the championship game. Jarvis Palmer Jr. led the Mustangs against Sylvan Hills with 22 points, including three, threes, while Jamarian Morris finished with 18 points. Monsieur Gaines added 12 points and Marcus Britt Jr. both finished with 10 points each for the Mustangs. Against Sylvan Hills, the Mustangs dropped in 8 of their 10 free throw opportunities. Next up for the Mustangs, an 11-game consecutive conference stretch, all on the road. Asked about a reason for the upcoming stretch and just a little madness to go round, Britt offered his reasoning. "I want my players to face adversity," Britt said. "Playing and winning at home is okay and great but playing on the road can be brutal at times, especially, when there is nobody there cheering for you, which means the guys have to come together as a team and play for the win. That is a major reason that this team is on a winning roll right now. They have come together; they are playing together, and it is a good thing to see that and enjoy that right now." Especially for Britt's starting five, for now, made up of Jamarian Morris, Britt's son, Marcus Jr., Jarvis Palmer Jr., O'Neal Winfrey and Monsieur Gaines. Britt is also utilizing Dalyn Washington, Tadavian Wright and Kendrick Patterson off the bench. Following Saturday's win over Lake Hamilton, a 64-52 victory at the Kamron Hale tournament, the Mustangs will open 4A-6 conference play by playing at Southside Batesville on Jan 17, followed by a Jan. 21 conference matchup at Wynne. From there the Mustangs will play six consecutive conference games, all at Dwight Lofton Mustang Arena. "That will be a good time to get back home and a good way to begin the conference battles," Britt added. "You know, to be back home in front of the fans and making it good for the kids." ••••• Looking back at the 27th annual Rumble on the Ridge basketball tournament played over the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Mustangs played their way into the tournament finals and the championship game with victories over Marianna and Power Christian Academy against defending Rumble champion Jonesboro, falling to Jonesboro by two points "I was looking forward to taking the Rumble on the Ridge title," Forrest City coach Marcus Britt said when asked about it. Forrest City owns just one Rumble on the Ridge title, having won their tournament in 2014. The Mustangs are also enjoying being in good company with the top six 4A teams in the state and ranked second in overall Class 4A. Looking ahead at the upcoming second half of the season and the upcoming conference wars, Britt intends to stay with the starting five and the role playing from the bench. "Right now, I'm going to stick with what we used so far, it has been effective and like the old saying, 'If it ain't broke don't go trying to fix it. The guys have been successful, and we have been going about our game plan and at this moment, I'm not going to switch anything. ••••• The Forrest City Lady Mustangs are sitting at 11-5 through their Jan. 3 game and 63-36 victory over Warren. The Lady Mustangs will host Barton on Thursday, Jan. 9 in a nonconference matchup and a nonconference match up on Jan. 14, when they host Lake Hamilton. Preceding the win over Warren, the Lady Mustangs have participated in six tournaments, including their own Rumble on the Ridge, taking that championship with a 69-39 win over Russellville in the girls title game. Conference play begins Jan. 17 for the Lady Mustangs, a visit to Southside in Batesville. They will follow that game at Wynne on Jan. 21, by hosting five consecutive conference games, all set for Dwight Lofton Mustang Arena. ••••• The Palestine-Wheatley Lady Patriots improved to 3-9 overall on Friday by taking a 38-26 win over Des Arc in a game played at P-W. After dropping the first five games of the new season, the Lady Patriots picked up a win over Marianna Lee County and Kipp Delta, before falling short against DeWitt and Carlisle. Presently the Lady Patriots are sitting in sixth place in the conference behind the top three of Barton, England and Des Arc. The P-W Patriots moved to 8- 8 for the year with a Friday 55- 34 win over Des Arc.

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