Mothballed for 73 years, the Fredonia and Frances basketball rivalry was renewed Saturday — even if just for one, special night.
The Caldwell County Tigers and Crittenden County Rockets revived the Fredonia Yellow Jackets and the Frances Bulldogs for a throwback contest at Fredonia Gym, which is now owned by First Baptist Church in Fredonia.
With the Tigers wearing black and gold and playing the role of the Yellow Jackets, Demaurius Thompson scored 19 points and Jaydarius Wilson added 18 as Fredonia beat Frances 70-52.
The Yellow Jackets bolted to an 18-6 lead after one quarter in the Havoc at the Hive and led 34-21 at halftime as Caldwell and Crittenden battled in a spirited preseason scrimmage in front of 365 fans in a nearly-packed house.
Fredonia led 50-38 through three quarters as Frances struggled to make a run in the second half.
Collin Whittington added 10 points for the Yellow Jackets while Jack Roach had seven and Carter Whittington six. Fredonia also got four points from Ryan Hammett and two each from Jaden Boyd, Luke Maddox and Luke Parker.
Travis Champion pumped in 24 points for the red-and-white clad Frances Bulldogs. Bryson Walker added eight points while Jay Stevenson and Kaiden Travis each had five. Turner Walker scored four points. Gabe Keller, Ethan Rhodes and Brayden Poindexter had two points apiece.
The contest was the first high school basketball game played in Fredonia Gym since 1972. Frances became part of Crittenden County High School in 1950.
The Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs were big rivals back in the day, with the communities of Fredonia and Frances located only about 6 miles apart.
Havoc at the Hive was a fundraiser for the basketball programs at both Caldwell County and Crittenden County.
