Bats take part in prep basketball

By Staff
From Staff Reports
Jan. 25, 2002
Basketball teams have had almost no success in trying to beat the Wayne County War Eagles and Lady War Eagles this season, but finally something has at least slowed the Wayne teams down.
Tuesday's games with Quitman were postponed due to an abundance of bats in the WCHS gym.
The games have been rescheduled for Feb. 2 with the girls' contest set for 5 p.m.
The Wayne girls are 23-1 and ranked No. 2 in the state, while the Wayne boys are 20-1 and ranked No. 4.
Marty Stamper
Leake's 46-0 in jeopardy?
When the Leake Academy Rebelettes went 46-0 in the 1998-99 basketball season, they set an MPSA record for wins that most observers felt would stand the test of time, especially with many schools cutting back on the number of games that they play.
Not so fast.
The Delta Academy Lady Raiders improved to 34-0 with a 79-24 rout of DeSoto School of West Helena, Ark., on Tuesday.
Located in Marks, the Lady Raiders have been on the mark thus far as they are the No. 1 team in the Academy girls' poll.
They have won championships in the Delta Girls' Invitational, the MRA Invitational, the Calhoun Academy Invitational, and the Magnolia Heights Invitational.
With five regular season games remaining and a possible 13 postseason games, the Delta girls could play as many as 52 games this season. If they win out, they obviously would not play as many as they would get first-round byes in the state and Overall tournaments.
The unblemished loss column has two major tests before postseason play begins as the Lady Raiders play at Jackson Prep today and at Jackson Academy on Feb. 1.
Delta will host the Academy A state tournament, Feb. 18-23.
Marty Stamper
Lady Tigers reach milestone
With Tuesday night's 72-66 win over Heidelberg, Southeast Lauderdale Head Coach Joe Miller reached another milestone.
The win was the Lady Tigers' 20th of the season. That now makes four straight years the Southeast girls basketball team has won at least 20 games.
The Lady Tigers have also won at least 20 game in nine of the past 10 seasons under Miller.
Miller has compiled an overall record of 273-105 as the Lady Tigers coach. Last year, Southeast won the Class 3A Girls State Championship.
Jeff Byrd
Battles steps down at Biloxi
Biloxi head football coach and athletic director Mike Battles resigned last week. He posted a 17-28 record in four years with the Indians. The 2001 Biloxi team went 6-6 and knocked off Wayne County in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs. The Indians were eliminated by eventual 5A state runner-up Moss Point.
Two of the Indians' losses were by forfeit for the use of ineligible players.
Ken Hall had been recently been named the athletic director, splitting the two positions and Battles didn't like the move.
Marty Stamper
Riverfield coach dies
Riverfield Academy girls' basketball coach Larry Butler suffered a heart attack during his team's game with Bayou Academy on Jan. 18 at Cleveland and died a few hours later at Bolivar Medical Center.
With about five minutes remaining in the girls' contest, Butler collapsed near his team's bench. Medical personnel in attendance and staff members from both schools worked with Butler until EMTs arrived.
Butler was in his first year at the Rayville, La., school after a 36-year stint at Start (La.) School.
The contest was suspended with Bayou leading 26-25. The boys' game that was scheduled to follow was postponed. Both games were Academy 2-AAA contests, but no decision has been made as to whether they will be completed.
Riverfield assistant principal Larry Joe McLendon was on the way back to Rayville with the junior high teams when he received word of Butler's death. He had nothing but praise for the Bayou Academy students and administration for their actions.
Funeral services were held Thursday in Rayville.
Marty Stamper
Save us from Mabus
Strider Academy's Emily Mabus has led the Lady Rams to a 22-5 start in the current basketball season. A 6-foot senior who has signed with Delta State University, Mabus had 26 points in Strider's recent 54-52 loss to Delta Academy, the No. 1 team in the MPSA.
Marty Stamper