Blue Devils outpace Lions

Blue Devils outpace Lions

West Memphis sweeps Searcy

WM School District

Larry Bray doesn't know his team's record, and he insists you not tell him.

Surely folks have taken notice of late, with Bray's Blue Devils playing their best basketball of the season after Tuesday night's 40-21 victory over Searcy at Lehr Arena.

It was the team's fourth straight victory, which is a season-best.

'I don't keep up with it,' Bray said with a laugh.

'It's just one at a time. I take a look at it at the end of the year.'

The Blue Devils (13-9 overall, 6-3 in the 7A/6AEast Conference) will take that momentum into Friday night's crucial game at Cabot, where a West Memphis win will in all likelihood clinch a state tournament berth.

Searcy (4-16, 0-9) was totally outmanned and the Lions certainly played like it. They held the ball on offense as usual, but the Blue Devils played it cool and waited for the visitors

Photo by Billy Woods

Darius Hall (14) shoots in the lane against Searcy. LADY DEVILS

4) had every opportunity to close it out in the final stanza. The hosts led 34-24 with 7:30 left in the third quarter and then led 39-33 with 3:11 to play in the game after two free throws by LaShala Saine, who scored a season-high 17 points to lead the Lady Devils.

That's when Searcy outside ace Allie Brown, who hit four three-pointers on the night and led all scorers with 18 points, lit it up.

Brown's two free throws with 2:49 to lay in the game cut West Memphis' lead to 39-35 and that led to a layup and a three- pointer by Keke Broadway to give Searcy its first lead since a brief one-point lead early in the second quarter. Broadway later hit two free throws to stretch the Searcy lead to three.

West Memphis' final whack at tying the game came up short on three- point attempts from Anquanetta Chatt and Niyah Townsend.

Kayla Churchwell of Searcy then ended all hopes for a Lady Devils win when she drained two foul shots with 2.3 seconds to play.

Only four players scored

Photo by Billy Woods

Anqueanetta Chatt (10) runs the baseline against Searcy last night.

By Billy Woods