Maumelle Charter secures victory late
MAUMELLE CHARTER 64, CUTTER MORNING STAR 63
Maumelle Charter got another crack at knocking off one of the top teams in Class 2A, and the Falcons took full advantage this time around.
Sophomore guard Caleb Ross scored a team-high 19 points as host Maumelle Charter withstood some tight moments down the stretch to upset Cutter Morning Star 6463 on Thursday night at the Falcons Nest.
Jarkell Lovelace, a sophomore forward, had 13 points and 17 rebounds, while senior forward Schwan Bowman added 11 points for Maumelle Charter (9-15, 4-6 2A-5 South), which came within a hair of beating defending state champion and Class 2A No. 3-ranked England on the road Tuesday before rebounding to take down the No. 4 Eagles at home.
“I’ve got such a young team, but we’re finally starting to understand how to play in big-time games,” Maumelle Charter Coach Josh Sensabaugh said. “We led all the way until about the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter against England before losing 67-66. But [Thursday] we were able to stick it out and hold on for dear life to get a big win that we really needed.”
Senior guard Ryan Brown scored 25 of his game-high 33 points in the second half for Cutter Morning Star (183, 8-2), which shot 24 of 59 (40.6%) from the field but had a hard time getting out of its own way. The Eagles turned the ball over 16 times, with many of those miscues unforced.
“I knew [Maumelle Charter] was going to take the fight to us and play well on their home floor,” Cutter Morning Star Coach Matt Carter said. “They just played England’s butt off the other night, and we didn’t come out ready or with any juice. We did a lot of things that were uncharacteristic of what we usually do. That hurt us throughout the game.”
In spite of their mistakes, the Eagles still had a chance to win in the final seconds. Senior guard Colby Heaton was fouled on a putback attempt with 1.1 seconds remaining but missed the ensuing two free throws. He got a reprieve on the second one after a lane violation on the Falcons. Heaton, however, hit the back on the rim on the third attempt, and Maumelle Charter was able to corral the rebound and win.
“We’re growing up,” Sensabaugh explained. “Confidence wise, this is huge for us. We’ve struggled, and our record is not great, but that record also doesn’t indicate how good we can be. Over the last two games, we’ve really figured it out, and it’s paying off.
“Getting over the hump and getting this win is everything right now.”
The Falcons staged an 8-0 run halfway through the second quarter to help establish a 29-25 lead at halftime, then engineered an 11-2 spurt in the third to lead by as much as 46-33 by the 3:10 mark. The Eagles, though, didn’t fold.
Brown scored six points during an 8-2 rally to finish out the period, enabling Cutter Morning Star to climb within 48-41. Maumelle Charter, which made just two baskets in the fourth quarter but went 12 of 20 from the foul line over the last eight minutes, still led 63-54 with 1:45 to go until Brown drilled backto-back three-pointers to start a 9-1 flurry and set the stage for a tense final few seconds.
The Falcons finished the game 20 of 39 (51.2%) from the field and held a slim 32-31 advantage on the boards.
GIRLS CUTTER MORNING STAR 41, MAUMELLE CHARTER 32
Senior forward C.J. Burks had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals to carry Cutter Morning Star (10-10, 5-5 2A-5 South) to victory.
Kara Kinkaid, another senior forward, added 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Eagles, who trailed 19-18 at the half but scored nine of the first 11 points of the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Seniors Emily and Kaylee Walsh had eight points apiece for Maumelle Charter (3-19, 1-9). Junior forward McKenzi Tucker contributed 6 points and 15 rebounds.