First-half charge gets eStem rolling

The eStem Mets extended a five-point lead to 23 in a five-minute run before halftime en route to a 79-71 victory over the Little Rock McClellan Lions at the Arkansas School for the Deaf’s Nutt Athletic Complex in Little Rock on Friday night.

“This is the best game we’ve played in a while,” eStem Coach Josh Hayes said. “We played at a team tonight. Kids today like to make highlight plays, but our guys were very disciplined. They took what the game gave them. We had big runs, and when McClellan would start closing the gap, we’d hold them off. This is a great way to play headed into the playoffs.”

McClellan was within 2015 after junior guard Kendrick Ester’s three-pointer early in the second quarter, but eStem capitalized on a series of McClellan turnovers to run away.

McClellan turned the ball over on five of six possessions and missed a shot from the field on the other as eStem (22-11, 11-5 4A-5) scored 11 consecutive points.

Sophomore forward Shamar Womack’s three-pointer gave eStem a 31-15 lead with 4:20 left in the second quarter.

EStem led 40-17 after senior guard Jacob Sander’s fast-break slam dunk with 1:45 left in the first half, but McClellan at last seized momentum behind senior forward Traevon Darrough, who scored seven points over the final 1:30 to help McClellan (9-17, 8-8) cut eStem’s lead to 42-26 at halftime.

“That would have made it a game if we were mentally in the game,” McClellan Coach Christopher Threatt said. “But we have not played as though we thought we were in a game the last three games, and so we got what we deserved.”

Sanders led eStem with 15 points. Sophomore J.K. Sanders scored 13. Womack and junior guard Jaylon Smith each scored 12.

Darrough and senior guard Eric Woods each scored 16 to lead McClellan.

“When you have as many turnovers as we did, your offense becomes their offense,” Threatt said. “And it’s not that they were jumping passing lanes, it was where they were playing with more energy. I don’t think our players were intentionally selfish. It was just that they wanted to make plays on their own, and you win basketball games as a team.”

EStem is scheduled to begin postseason play Wednesday.

“When our pace is working, we can get a lot of turnovers,” Hayes said. “Then it’s up to us to value our possessions. Tonight, we just did all the things we needed to do to stretch our lead out.”

GIRLS

LITTLE ROCK McCLELLAN 65, eSTEM 55

Sophomore guard Raven Brown scored 21 points to lead Little McClellan.

Senior guard Tyianna Robinson scored 18 points for McClellan (9-13, 7-8 4A-5). Junior forward Takyra Miles scored 11, and sophomore guard Taya Bridgewater scored 10.

Senior Haley Franklin led eStem (1316, 8-8) with 24 points. Junior Trinity Hudson scored 17.