AHS, Lake Hamilton split
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Conference games at this point are crucial towards the postseason seedings.
Arkansas High fell to Lake Hamilton, 83-27, in their varsity Conference 6A/5A girls game Tuesday night at Razorback Gym, and the Razorbacks defeated the Wolves in the varsity boys game, 62-53.
BOYS
Both teams opened the contest swapping buckets.
Lake Hamilton edged the Hogs at the end of the first because of its second chance shots with offensive rebounding.
The Wolves held a four point edge over the Hogs at the end of the first period, 9-5.
“At halftime, we just talked about what we were capable of,” Arkansas High coach Sam Weaver said. “We weren’t doing what we are capable of doing.
“We changed our defensive scheme. We went from a zone to a man set, so we could get some pressure on those guys.
The Wolves were able to take a double-digit lead in the second quarter with their three-point shooting. Lake Hamilton was 3 of 5 from long range.
AHS clamped down to cut the Wolves lead to seven points at the half, 23-16.
“I’m glad we were able to created some turnovers in the second half,” Weaver said. “Lake Hamilton is a young team, but as you can see, they can really shoot the ball.”
Arkansas High opened the second half with two consecutive baskets, cutting the Wolves lead to five with 5:00 left in the third, 25-20.
Andre Reed stole a Lake Hamilton pass at the half-court line, going the length of the court for the open dunk, slicing the Wolves edge, 25-22. Reed finished with 12 points for the Razorbacks.
Jordan Jones added 15 points for the Hogs during the contest.
AHS’ full-court pressure made a difference for the Hogs to create second shot opportunities.
Reed tied the game for AHS, 29-29, on a open layup off a Lake Hamilton turnover.
Nick Watson gave Arkansas High their first lead of the night, driving baseline for a layup with 40 seconds before the fourth, 31-29. Watson finished with 22 points and six rebounds.
”I knew if we were able to create some turnovers, it would give ourselves an opportunity to take the lead,” Weaver said. “We were able to come back to tie it up then we took the lead. We pretty much held on to it from that point on.
“We have to get a little rest because we played back-to-back. We’re going to get after it on Thursday though.”
Mason Cornelius slashed to the basket for AHS with 4:00 remaining in the game, giving AHS a five point cushion, 39-34. Cornelius finished the game with six points and four rebounds for the Hogs.
AHS held their largest lead of the night after Kyon Young drained both of his shots from the charity stripe, 44-36.
KJ McDaniel hit five treys in a row for a Lake Hamilton in under a minute, cutting AHS lead to six points with 17 seconds left in the game, 59-53. McDaniel finished with 17 points for the Wolves.
The Hogs are back in action on Friday, hosting Pine Bluff.
GIRLS
Lake Hamilton bottled up Arkansas High in the first quarter, 30-4.
Arkansas High begin the period going on a offensive run of their own.
Keniya Bryant drove through the Lady Wolves defense the length of the court for the transition layup for AHS, cutting into the Lake Hamilton advantage with 3:30 left before halftime, 35-12. Bryant finished the contest with six points and four rebounds.
The Lady Backs scored eight points unanswered.
Staijah Taylor stripped a Lake Hamilton player at the top of the key and dashed down the court for a layup with 1:00 left before intermission. Taylor finished the game with four points, a steal and three rebounds.
Lake Hamilton outscored Arkansas High, 31-8 in the third quarter, giving themselves a 52-point cushion, 74-22.
The Sportsmanship Rule was enacted in the fourth quarter.