Mills tops Hall
MILLS 48, LITTLE ROCK HALL 39
Mills was far from efficient offensively Friday, but the Comets offset a dismal night shooting by harassing Little Rock Hall into 24 turnovers to pull away for a 48-39 victory.
Mills was far from efficient offensively Friday night, but it didn’t need to be the way its defense played.
The Comets offset a dismal night shooting by harassing Little Rock Hall into 24 turnovers to pull away for a 48-39 victory in the semifinals of the Jammin’ for Jackets tournament at Cirks Arena in Little Rock.
“It wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch, but defense is what we’re hanging our hat on,” Mills Coach Raymond Cooper said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well at all, neither team did, but we stuck to what we do. I’m proud of the guys because they’re doing what we’re telling them to do.
“They’re staying focused and playing really hard on the defensive end, and it’s paying off.”
After shooting nearly 68 percent in a 20-point victory over Little Rock Central in Thursday’s first-round game, Mills was 16 of 45 (35.6 percent) from the floor against Hall. But the Comets never let up defensively from the opening tip. That constant pressure resulted in several rushed shots and miscues by Hall, which had 10 turnovers and 11 points in the first half. The Warriors finished 12-of40 shooting (30 percent) and never led.
Senior guard Branton McCrary scored a team-high 11 points, while sophomore guard Madison Peaster added 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks for Mills (4-3). Seniors Robert Shelton and Kevin Cross scored nine and eight points, respectively. Cross also had 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Montavious Dismuke poured in a gamehigh 18 points for Hall (4-2).
The Comets, who had 15 turnovers, led 23-11 at halftime despite hitting 6 of 20 (30 percent) field-goal attempts. Mills missed seven of its first eight shots in the second half but never allowed Hall to settle into an offensive flow. The Warriors went through a nearly four-minute stretch in the half where they misfired on eight consecutive shots while throwing the ball away on seven possessions.
The Comets eventually built a 15-point lead (44-29) after Cross’ 8-footer in the lane with just under three minutes to play before two Mills technical fouls helped spur a late Hall rally.
Dismuke’s three-pointer capped an 8-0 run to pull the Warriors within 44-37 with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter, but McCrary rolled in a layup on the following possession to allow the Comets to re-establish control.
“We just kept grinding and found a way to get it done,” Cooper said. “We’ve got to be able to do it again, though. [We’ve] got to know Parkview real well over the years so we’ll lock it up with them one more time and see what happens.”