Wampus Cats down East Poinsett County to claim Rumble on the Ridge title
FORREST CITY — The Conway basketball team is no doubt hoping to end its season with a trophy.
Saturday night gave the Wampus Cats an early taste, as Conway used a strong fourth quarter to defeat East Poinsett County 66-46 in the championship game of the Rumble at the Ridge at Mustang Arena.
“That’s the biggest trophy I’ve ever seen,” Cats coach James Bates said.
But a Class 7A state championship trophy, something Conway (3-0) has come close to claiming the past two seasons, is what the ultimate goal is. Still, knocking off the teams the Cats faced during the tournament isn’t too shabby.
“This is one of the more prestigious tournaments around,” Bates said. “It’s a really good feeling to see how you stack up against some of the top teams.”
Saturday’s championship game marked the first time in tournament history two Arkansas teams played for the title. Conway became only the third Arkansas school to win the tournament.
“It’s really neat to be part of history,” Bates said.
With the Cats ahead just 46-37 after the third quarter, Conway outscored EPC 20-9 in the final quarter to go on for the win. Much of that came as a result of containing Ky Madden, who has already been offered by Arkansas.
“Our defense did a good job of shutting him down in the fourth quarter,” Bates said. “We kind of took away some of their 3-point shooting they had in the earlier rounds.”
Madden led EPC with 21 points. However, that was not enough to overcome a strong Conway trio.
Kenyon McNeaill, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, also scored 21 to lead the Cats. Micah Delph added 17 points, while Preston Purifoy finished with 14.
“We got the Big 3 involved and it was kind of hard from them to figure out which one eto guard,” Bates said. “We got a good balance out of the bench. We’re trying to add depth there, and you do that by getting some of those guys experience. We were glad to get to do that.”
Delph and Purifoy were selected on the all-tournament team.
Getting continued production from that trio and strong play from the bench is something Bates is hoping can continue as the season goes on and the Cats look to make that last step.
“It’s the beginning of something bigger, and it’s something to build on,” Bates said.
Conway returns to action Tuesday at Jacksonville.
The triplets
There were possibly four players on the court that will be major D1 players. The triplets from Conway and Madden from EPC. This was a fun game to watch and Cway will be a major force this year. They have to be the favorite to win state. Go catch a game this year this is a very good team.