LR Parkview displays urgency

LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW 56, LAKE HAMILTON 47

RUSSELLVILLE — A strong second-half performance has put Little Rock Parkview in the Class 5A girls state basketball tournament quarterfinals.

Jordyn Williams finished with 12 points, including four three-pointers, and Little Rock Parkview, the No. 4 seed from the 5A-Central Conference, defeated 5A-South Conference champion Lake Hamilton 56-47 on Tuesday in the first round at Cyclone Arena.

Parkview Coach Lahoma Howard said the Lady Patriots had a sense of urgency going into the state tournament.

“We were talking about leaving it all out on the court,” Howard said. “It’s do or die right now in the state tournament. You win, you can stay a little bit longer, or if you lose, you go home.

“We wanted to finish those easy baskets.”

Parkview (13-12) will play West Memphis or Little Rock Christian in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. Friday.

Jordan Gregory had 12 points for Parkview. Jasmine Davis scored 11 points, while Dynasty McGraw added 10. Davis also had nine assists and seven rebounds.

Parkview trailed 26-24 at halftime, but the Lady Patriots outscored the Lady Wolves 32-21 to advance.

“Give Parkview credit,” said Lake Hamilton Coach Blake Condley, whose team’s 14-game winning streak was snapped. “They were guarding us really well. They were frustrating us a little bit. Their girls stepped up and made big shots.”

Gregory knocked down two three-pointers in the final two minutes of the third quarter to give the Lady Patriots a 40-37 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Lake Hamilton cut the lead to 42-41 with 4:28 left to play on Aspen Thornton’s two free throws, but Davis hit a pull-up jumper for a 44-41 Parkview lead with 4:08 remaining.

Gregory’s fourth three-pointer extended the lead to 51-44 with 2:00 left to play.

“We made some key baskets down the stretch,” Howard said. “We needed those.

Those were confidence boosters. I’m glad they made them at crucial times.”

Thornton had 19 points to lead Lake Hamilton (226). Hayleigh Wyrick finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

(The Sentinel-Record/James Leigh) Little Rock Parkview’s Deanna Kamanga (12) takes a shot between two Lake Hamilton defenders Tuesday during the Lady Patriots 56-47 victory over the Lady Wolves at the Class 5A girls state tournament in Russellville.