Lions get technical, win by KO
HOT SPRINGS — Little Rock McClellan was called for a technical foul late in the opening quarter when the Crimson Lions had only four players on the court during play.
It was about the only time McClellan gave Maumelle a chance Saturday.
Keith Hayes and Andre Jones combined for 50 points as McClellan cruised by the Hornets, 82-73, in the Class 5A boys state championship game at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
McClellan (24-6) hit six of its first eight shots and its first five three-pointers on its way to claiming its first state title since 2010.
McClellan’s lead was never under eight points after the first four minutes, and one of the few early mistakes by the Lions came with 2:18 in the first quarter when they had only four players on the court.
“I’ve never had that happen,” McClellan Coach Chris Threatt said. “I told the official ‘I know you can get a technical for having too many people, but you told him to step off the floor.’ … I just had to own that one for not thinking.”
The technical was the only hiccup to McClellan’s great start. The Lions scored 16 of the game’s first 19 points. Hayes connected on three consecutive three-pointers midway through the first quarter.
“Coach is always giving us a good pep talk before every game,” Hayes said. “He tells us not to take any team lightly. We just encourage each other and keep pushing and punching.”
Maumelle (22-9) came back from 10-point plus deficits to defeat Jacksonville and Hot Springs earlier in the state tournament, but the Hornets had no such magic left for the Lions.
“They made shots,” Maumelle Coach Michael Shook said of the Lions. “They were 61 percent in the first half, 63 from three-point range. It’s tough to beat somebody when they shoot like that.”
The Hornets trailed 26-16 after the first quarter and 4635, at the half. A three-point play at the start of the second half pulled the Hornets to within eight, but McClellan responded by scoring the next nine points.
McClellan’s advantage had swelled to 67-51 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Hayes finished with 26 points on 8 of 16 shooting. He was 4 of 6 on three-pointers — all in the first half — and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Jones scored 24 points, which included 10 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Jones also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
Junior forward Demarian Johnson led the Hornets with 21 points, Blake Conner added 17 points and grabbed a teamhigh 12 rebounds. Senior guard J.B. Minix finished with 11.
McClellan started the season by winning only six of their first 11 games. The Lions finished by winning 18 of their final 19.
The Lions hit 26 of 45 field-goal attempts Saturday, including 7 of 11 from threepoint range.
McClellan had nine players score. The Lions got nine points from junior Karson Hayes and seven from sophomore Pierre Strong.
“We grew over the course of the season from one who I did not think was a playoff team to one who I thought played ultimate team basketball,” Threatt said. “I told them I was so proud of them because they bought into the team aspect and that the team was so much bigger than any one individual.”