WARREN, Ark. – The Warren Lumberjacks knocked off the number one undefeated team in the 8-4A, Little Rock-Mills, Thursday night, February 15 by the final score of 75-68 in what is no doubt going to go down as the game of the season in the Conference.
Less than one month ago, the Lumberjacks fell to Mills on the road, suffering a 50-point loss. Although the Jacks came into the game with some really positive momentum, and the January 23rd performance was not up to the standard Warren demands of themselves, it was difficult to see how the orange and black could make up the gulf between the two teams in their first meeting. Over their previous 13 Conference games this season, the Comets have averaged a 33.69 point margin of victory. Their largest margin of victory came over Stuttgart January 31st by the score of 89-38.
Nonetheless, the team Mills encountered Thursday night at Lumberjack Arena was a new beast compared to what they saw at The Galaxy several weeks ago.
Top photo: Warren’s Neon’dre Thomas soars above two Mills defenders for a layup in Thursday’s game at Lumberjack Arena.
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1st Quarter
From the tipoff, Warren was super aggressive. Antonio Jordan got the Jacks off the mark with a move inside and a banked shot off the glass to give Warren the early advantage. He and Warren’s David Jordan were relentless in the first two minutes. They, along with Tramond Miller’s contribution of a three, helped Warren to a 9-0 lead with 6:10 to go in the first quarter. Warren was dominating. By the 3:27 mark, the Jacks were up 17-6 and putting in the best effort of the season. Mills was shaken by the Lumberjack onslaught. Warren led 28-8 after the first.
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2nd Quarter
Warren picked up where they left off. Antonio Jordan opened the second quarter scoring account with a two. Tramond Miller drained another three moments later. However, Mills picked up a bit of steam. They posted 22 points to trail Warren 43-30 at the half.
3rd Quarter
The return from halftime marked a significant turning point. Mills, clearly shocked by the punch to the chin they had taken in the first half, came out with a chip on their shoulder, looking to respond. They rallied to trail just 59-53 by the end of the third. Warren slowed the game down a bit toward the end of the period, but the game became quite physical, and a few turnovers helped the Comets back to life.
4th Quarter
Now in a boxing match, the Jacks needed to get out the scoring drought that plagued them through the later minutes of the third. Mills took the lead at 60-59 after knocking down a three with just under six minutes to play. Warren’s ice-cold guard Tramond Miller responded with a beautiful move in the interior of the paint for two. With four minutes left, Lumberjack Cody Weatherspoon came off the bench and delivered a huge three. Warren saw out the later minutes through another couple of huge Antonio Jordan baskets and some clutch free-throw shooting. The Jacks went on to win by the final score of 75-68, delivering Little Rock-Mills their first Conference loss of the year in the final regular season game.
Coach Correy Muldrew’s post-game thoughts
Speaking exclusively to Saline River Chronicle following the win, Coach Muldrew explained what the final two weeks of the regular season has meant to this team. “Last week was huge for us,” he said. “We went 2-0 on the road.” Muldrew said coming home to face the top two teams in the 8-4A in the last week of the season was a tall task. “We knew we had two tough games at home this week,” he continued, but “Lumberjack Arena is a special place to play,” he said, noting the atmosphere for Thursday’s fan appreciation night. “Going forward we just want to be playing good basketball one game at a time.”
To view the complete photo album and purchase prints or digital copies from this game, CLICK HERE.
Up Next
The Jacks cement their regular season record at 12-4 overall and 11-3 in Conference 8-4A. Warren enters the 4A South Regional Tournament riding a five-game win streak. At the moment, we believe the Lumberjacks will still be the third seed from the 8-4A heading into the Region Tournament next week. Although they sport the same Conference record of 11-3 with Watson Chapel, we think Chapel has the tie-breaker. It appears that Warren will tip off their Regional Tournament hopes next Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m. in Nashville, Arkansas. We’ll update this article when the opponent is confirmed, or if any of the above details are not correct.
Stats
- Antonio Jordan: 31 points, 5 of 5 free throws, 18 rebounds
- David Jordan: 17 points, 3 of 6 free throws, 5 rebounds
- Tramond Miller: 16 points, 2 of 8 free throws, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
- Neon’dre Thomas: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
- Cody Weatherspoon: 3 points
- Colton Steen: 2 points
The above stats and story were recorded by Saline River Chronicle. Any re-publication on a commercial news site or in print is prohibited unless credit is given to Saline River Chronicle.