Championship brackets set for final day of 86th Dual State Tournament
By Jacob Pumphrey
Dragon Sports Network
JUNCTION CITY, Ark. – Thursday’s action at the 86th Dual State Tournament consisted of a trio of consolation bracket contests and resulted in the Warren and Smackover boys and Warren girls recording victories inside Dragon Arena to advance to the final day of the tournament.
In the first men’s consolation bracket semifinal game, Warren outlasted Bearden 54-53 to claim a spot in Friday’s third-place contest. Thursday’s opener was a back and forth affair for four periods that saw the Bears stake a seven-point lead three times in the second half, before the Lumberjacks fought back late for the victory. For the third straight night, Javion Robinson scored 17 points to lead the Lumberjacks offensively, while Marcus Miller followed with 16 points. Sontania Lawson and Devarious Hughes scored 14 points apiece for Bearden in the loss.
The lone women’s contest of the three-game set featured Warren and Bearden. The Lady Jacks cruised to a 50-21 victory behind 15 points from Dixie Puterbaugh. Bearden’s Te’a Scott led the Lady Bears in scoring with eight points.
Thursday night’s finale saw the Smackover boys clinch a spot in Friday’s third-place game with a hard fought 52-48 win over Fordyce. Bryce Lockhart delivered 21 points for the Buckaroos, while Keon Jacobs led the Redbugs in scoring with 11 points.
The final day of action in the 86th edition of the Dual State Tournament will consist of a consolation final and championship game in both the men’s and women’s bracket. The Hermitage and Warren girls tip-off at 3 p.m. in the third-place game, while the Smackover and Warren boys will follow in the consolation final on the men’s side at 4:15 p.m.
The championship tilts on Friday evening will feature both Junction City teams as the Lady Dragons will battle Smackover at 5:30 p.m. in the women’s title game. Off to one of the best starts in school history at 9-1, the Lady Dragons will look to capture their first Dual State Tournament Championship since 1959. The tournament final on the guy’s side matches two of the region’s best in Nashville and Junction City. The Scrappers have rolled in two games so far in the tournament winning by 32 and 26 points, while the Dragons have looked impressive in victories over Hermitage and 6-3A foe Fordyce. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
All-Tournament teams will be announced tomorrow at the conclusion of each championship game.
Live streaming of all the tournament action can be found exclusively on the Dragon Sports Network: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jc-dragons-football?utm_source=crowd-live-backend&utm_medium=visit-channel&utm_campaign=notifications.