Parkview hits high gear in second half
5A-CENTRAL BOYS LR PARKVIEW 64, LR CHRISTIAN 49
It was a slow burn Tuesday night inside Warrior Arena.
Despite leading by just nine at halftime, Little Rock Parkview was in control, managing the tempo and taking advantage of Little Rock Christian’s foul trouble.
But they needed to turn on the afterburners, so Patriots Coach Scotty Thurman turned to his lone starting senior. Keylon Harris took care of the rest.
Harris scored Parkview’s first seven points of the second half, sparking a 12-6 burst as the Patriots put away the Warriors for a 64-49 road victory. After scoring two points in the first half, Harris shot 4 of 7 from the field in the third and fourth quarters, finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds.
“That’s what being a senior is,” Thurman said of Harris. “He’s a guy who spearheaded our team last year, he’s going to spearhead our team this year, and he’s somebody that if we put the ball in his hands, he’s going to make good decisions for us.”
The Warriors never could get back within single digits.
JK Sanders and Cameron Wallace — who finished with 17 and 14 points, respectively — drilled back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to stretch the Patriots’ lead to 20, and the outcome was clear.
“I felt like we could’ve taken advantage of transition opportunities when we got stops [early],” Thurman said. “We didn’t really get out and run like we should have, but in the third quarter, that changed.”
Little Rock Christian found itself in trouble 61 seconds into the game. Junior big man Creed Williamson picked up a pair of fouls and headed to the bench for the remainder of the half.
Parkview (15-2, 8-1 5A-Central) jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the first quarter.
Thurman utilized the same 2-3 matchup zone that helped the Patriots earn a victory two weeks ago at Sylvan Hills, and the Warriors (12-7, 2-5) scuffled from beyond the arc. Little Rock Christian hit just one of its three-point tries in the first half, then didn’t make a single one on six attempts after the break.
Parkview knocked down a pair of first-quarter three-pointers and stretched the Little Rock Christian defense that was missing its interior presence in Williamson.
“We worked on getting back in transition,” Warriors Coach Clarence Finley said. “They pushed the pace …and we tried to guard them [outside], but we just didn’t get into any of our offense at all.”
A Collin Cooper steal and layup in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter gave Little Rock Christian some momentum heading into the locker room.
The Patriots made sure it didn’t last.
“We know they’re a good team, so they weren’t going to quit,” Harris said of the Warriors. “Our goal in the second half was to come out with even more power and just put them away.”
Warriors senior guard Trey Jones scored a dozen of his game-high 18 points after intermission.
Parkview hasn’t lost in more than a month and looks ready to contend for the program’s 15th state title.
“We’re trying to make sure we continue to do what it is we set out to do,” Thurman said. “Our goal is pretty simple: Win a state championship.”
GIRLS LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN 56, LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW 25
The Lady Warriors rolled to their 13th consecutive victory, using a 26-0 run spanning the second and third quarters to blow past the Lady Patriots.
Parkview (5-7, 1-3 5A-Central) shot just 12 of 47 from the field, and Little Rock Christian (18-1, 9-0) closed the second quarter on a 10-0 burst and just kept its foot on the gas pedal.
West Virginia commitment Wynter Rogers posted a game-high 17 points to go along with 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Sheridan Cross contributed 13 points, including 3 three-pointers.
Tyra Robinson led the Lady Patriots with nine points and five rebounds.