Boateng shines in final home game for Central
LR CENTRAL 62, JONESBORO 40
University of Missouri commit Annor Boateng poured in a game-high 23 points as Little Rock Central dominated from start to finish as it cruised to a 6240 victory over Jonesboro in 6A-Central Conference action Friday night at Central High School.
Junior Luke Moore knocked down a trio of three-pointers and finished with 12 points for the Tigers, while senior Daniel Culberson added 10 points.
In his final home game in a Central uniform, Boateng displayed his full array of skills on both ends of the floor. Central Coach Brian Ross talked about what Boateng has meant to the program following the game.
“He is not a guy that comes along every year and so (it’s awesome) for him to play that well in his final home game,” Ross said. “He’s obviously had a special career and is one of the all-time greats of Central High School, which is really saying something. I’m just happy for him. He deserves it. He’s worked extremely hard and he’s a great kid.”
Central (24-6, 9-3) used its physicality to jump out to an early lead. Boateng scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Tigers took a 23-10 lead. Jonesboro (15-13, 5-7) cut the lead to 23-15 early in the second quarter, but the Hurricane got into foul trouble as the size of Central created matchup issues inside for the visitors.
A three-pointer from Culberson with just under two minutes left in the first half extended the Tigers lead to 36-21. A technical foul on Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift with 4.5 seconds left in the half gave the Tigers a chance to create even more separation, but Moore was unable to convert on the free throw attempts and the game went to halftime with Central leading 39-23.
“We were just playing with really good pace on the offensive end from the start and guys were confident,” Ross said. “Even on nights when we don’t shoot it well, we try to hit the offensive boards really hard and we’re really good at it. Even though we shot it well, when we did miss, we got a fair number of those misses ourselves.”
Jonesboro came out of the break playing with a sense of urgency, scoring the first four points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 39-27 and forcing a Central timeout. Senior Chris Stacy finished the game with 11 points to lead the Hurricane and junior Kelen Smith added nine points.
Both offenses struggled throughout most of the third, but a three-pointer from Boateng with 1:46 left in the period pushed the lead up to 46-29. The game moved to the fourth quarter with the Tigers holding onto a 48-32 advantage.
Another three-pointer from Boateng in the opening minute of the fourth made the score 51-32. Back-to-back three-pointers from Moore and sophomore Clay Blair extended the lead to 59-35 at the 3:00 mark and put the game out of reach for the Hurricane.
“With it being Senior Night, guys were fired up and they wanted to play their best,” Ross said. “Rebounding from a loss on Tuesday (at North Little Rock), we had probably the two best practices that we’ve had the entire season the last two days, so I wasn’t surprised that we played well. It helps when shots go in from the outside, but I just thought our intensity was great. Our focus was great.”
GIRLS LR CENTRAL 46, JONESBORO 31
Following a tightly-contested first half, Little Rock Central outscored Jonesboro 26-14 in the second half to pull away for a victory.
Seniors Aven Sasser and Jordan Marshall scored 10 points apiece to lead Central (15-12, 5-6) in the final home game of their high school careers.
Jonesboro (12-18, 2-10) was led by senior Jimaria Jackson and junior Allannah Orsby who finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Hurricane.
“He is not a guy that comes along every year and so (it’s awesome) for him to play that well in his final home game,” Ross said. “He’s obviously had a special career and is one of the all-time greats of Central High School, which is really saying something. I’m just happy for him. He deserves it. He’s worked extremely hard and he’s a great kid.”
Little Rock Central Coach Brian Ross on University of Missouri commit Annor Boateng