The 7-4A and 8-4A regular season conference champions, the Mena Bearcats and the Magnolia Panthers, met in the opening round of the 4A South Regional Tournament Wednesday night at the Union Bank Center. Magnolia pulled away for a 62-46 victory, ending Mena’s season.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the opening quarter to serve notice that they had come to play. However, Magnolia ended the opening quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 15-14. Daniel Davis had six points to get the Bearcats off to a fast start. The game was tied at 19 midway through the second quarter when Magnolia went on a 9-0 spurt. The Panthers outscored Mena 19-12 in the second quarter to take a 34-26 lead into the locker room at half. After the Bearcats cut the deficit to 37-36 midway through the third quarter, Magnolia answered with an 8-0 run. That last Magnolia run seemed to take the wind out of Mena’s sails. The Panthers led 47-38 after three quarters, and won by a final score of 62-46.
Davis led the Bearcats with 15 points. Mena finishes the season with a 19-9 record.
Coach Thomas Powell will miss his five senior starters: Daniel Davis, Connor Harvey, Zeb Wilson, Nick Myers, and Brock Strother. It’ll be a memorable season for Mena, as the Bearcats won their first outright regular season conference championship since 2005.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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