LR Parkview overwhelms Lake Hamilton

Coaches around the 6A-South Conference know what to expect when it comes to playing Little Rock Parkview.

They are going to face a stifling defense and a high-flying offense, both fueled by uncommon athletic ability and strength.

All of that was on full display Tuesday night in Parkview’s 52-27 victory over the Lake Hamilton Wolves at Ripley Arena.

“Not only are they athletic, but they’re extremely physical,” Lake Hamilton Coach Scotty Pennington said. “And they’re well-coached. They can do so many things.”

Lake Hamilton hit enough shots early to take an 8-6 lead on senior forward Quan Gibson’s layup with 1:25 left in the first quarter, but it went scoreless for the next five minutes. Parkview (20-2, 10-0 6A-South) scored the next 12 points and took an 18-6 lead on sophomore forward Javon Franklin’s fast-break layup midway through the second quarter.

Lake Hamilton (16-7, 6-4) shot 27.3 percent over the last 10 minutes of the first half.

“You have to make your shots,” Pennington said. “To beat Parkview, you have to shoot a really high percentage, and we didn’t make our shots.”

Parkview Coach Al Flanigan agreed with Pennington’s assessment.

“That’s the key,” Flanigan said. “If they’re not making their shots, they’re wasting their time.”

Franklin led Parkview with 14 points. Junior guard Ryan Pippins scored 11, while sophomore guard Khalil Garland and senior forward Jaylen Franklin added 10 each.

Lake Hamilton managed to cut Parkview’s lead to 22-15 after a layup by senior center Jeremiah Ballard with 1:18 left in the second quarter, but Parkview countered with a three-point shot by Pippins and led 25-15 at halftime.

Parkview held Lake Hamilton to nine third-quarter points as it took a 38-24 lead, then started the fourth quarter with a nine-point run to put the game out of reach.

“Nobody can simulate their athleticism in practice,” Pennington said. “You can do the best you can. You can tell your JV guys to work their tails off, but you just can’t simulate it.”