Mohawks fall to late Marmaduke rally

For over three quarters the Piggott Mohawks looked poised to upset the top-seeded Marmaduke Greyhounds at the NEA Tournament in Jonesboro last Wednesday. But down the stretch the Hounds posted a fourth-quarter rally and pulled out a 50-43 win to advance. With the win the Greyhounds were slated to take on the Salem Greyhounds in Thursday evening's nightcap. Salem advanced earlier in the day Wednesday with a 75-60 win over the Brookland Bearcats.

Last year the Mohawks were the top-seed in the 3A bracket, and were upset by the Greyhounds. This year the Piggott squad hasn't played up to its potential, and came into the tournament as a nine seed with little chance of beating the Hounds. After dispatching the Brinkley Tigers by 16 the Mohawks confidence was high, and the early going on Wednesday's game was a good indication of the raw (and sometimes untapped) talent the Tribe brings to the table.

As the contest got underway the Mohawks jumped out to the early lead, though it was a small one. As the game progressed the stubborn Tribe refused to relinquish that lead, as they continued to get big baskets when they needed them. At the end of the first quarter Piggott was up 10-6, they extended the lead to five at the halftime break as the score stood at 21-16 and the Mohawk lead was four going into the final frame as they enjoyed a 30-26 advantage.

But the Greyhounds never quit, as top-scorer Trent Smith notched eight of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. Marmaduke pulled back to tie the game with 5:45 to play and by the 3:00 mark of the fourth quarter had taken a five point lead. Despite several big late-game baskets by the Mohawks the Greyhounds held-on for the seven point win.

Leading the way for the Tribe was Chuck Rice with 17 points, including two three-pointers and three-of-four from the free-throw line. Rob Rice had nine, Sam Yates finished with six, Tyler Grubb had five and Ethan Midkiff finished with four. As a team the Mohawks were 7 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Top scorers for the Greyhounds were Smith with 25 points while Chris Forsythe finished with nine. As a team the Hounds were 15 of 22 from the charity stripe.

With the loss the Mohawks fell to 5-9 on the season, which is not indicative of the team's talent level. They'll remain idle until after the New Year's holiday and will be back in action this Friday, Jan. 4 when they travel to Marmaduke to get another shot at the 'Hounds. The following Tuesday, Jan. 8 they'll host the Manila Lions at PHS.