Moody, Moore kick-start NLR
NORTH LITTLE ROCK 66, BENTONVILLE WEST 41
North Little Rock put its firepower to work early Friday night.
Collin Moore and Moses Moody combined for 18 first-quarter points as the Charging Wildcats downed Bentonville West 66-41 in the Class 7A state tournament quarterfinals at the North Little Rock High School arena.
North Little Rock (25-5) scored 18 consecutive points, held a 22-9 lead after one quarter, survived a second-quarter lull, then coasted in the second half for its sixth consecutive victory.
“We’ve had bursts like that this season, but that was exactly what we wanted to do,” North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice said. “We didn’t want to play half-court. They’re bigger than we are. We didn’t want them to run a bunch of sets. We wanted to disrupt all of that.”
Moore and Moody did exactly that. Moody scored North Little Rock’s first 11 points; Moore put in the next five.
“I just fed off of what [Moody] was doing,” said Moore, a 6-4 junior who finished with a game-high 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. “Moses gave us great energy.”
Gabe Hornsby gave West a 2-0 lead 12 seconds into the contest with an 8-footer from the center of the lane, but Moody responded with a three-pointer from the right corner, a layup, another three and finally a three-point play.
North Little Rock hit 9 of 16 shots and made 6 steals in the first quarter. By the time North Little Rock’s early flurry had reached its peak, the ’Cats were holding a 22-4 advantage.
West (19-10) rallied in the second quarter and got as close as eight, but in the second half after back-to-back three-point plays from Moore and Moody, North Little Rock was back in control.
“We got impatient on offense and then we got impatient on defense,” Rice said. “We got too handsy, and we didn’t adjust. But we didn’t quit playing hard, and I’m proud of us for not doing that.”
After his torrid start with 11 points in the game’s first three minutes, Moody finished with 15 points. Neither Moody nor Moore played during the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Otis Jordan handed out three assists and made four steals for the ‘Cats. North Little Rock played 12 players, and nine of them scored.
North Little Rock was 23-of-42 shooting with 23 rebounds and 15 steals. West was 15-of-29 shooting with 22 rebounds and 4 steals.
Hornsby, a 6-4 senior, led the Wolverines with 10 points.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 53, ROGERS HERITAGE 50
Tylor Perry beat the clock, hitting a 28-footer as time expired, to give the Wildcats (23-6) a victory over the War Eagles (18-11) in the late game.
It was the fourth three-pointer of the game for Perry, a junior who finished with a team-high 18 points.
The teams were tied at 28-28 entering the fourth quarter, and they exchanged leads seven times in the final eight minutes. Har-Ber had a last-second opportunity to win it in regulation, but Tyler Garrett’s 30-footer hit the front of the rim and fell off as the horn sounded.
Heritage senior Seth Stanley scored a game-high 21 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 48-48 at the end of regulation. Perry hit two free throws with 2:11 left in overtime to give the Wildcats a 50-48 advantage. Heritage tied it up 20 seconds later when Dawson Peek (10 points) hit a short jumper.
Har-Ber held the ball for the game’s final 1:04 before Perry’s game-winner.
Garrett finished with 14 points, and sophomore Nick Buchanan added 10.
Heritage was 21 of 27 from the freethrow line, including 14 of 15 in the fourth quarter. Har-Ber was 10 of 15 from the line.