Second-half surge sends Tigers a win
6A-CENTRAL BOYS
LR CENTRAL 51, CONWAY 43
CONWAY — Conway and Little Rock Central were knotted up 26-26 at halftime Friday at Buzz Bolding Arena.
However, it didn’t take long for the Tigers to break away after intermission. Junior guard Savaughn Smith dunked on an open basket within the first minute of the third quarter, kickstarting a second half that saw Central play faster, get to the free throw line and force turnovers in crucial spots en route to a 51-43 win against No. 9 Conway.
“[I] was really proud of our maturity down the stretch,” Little Rock Central Coach Brian Ross said.
Central (9-8, 2-2 6A-Central) outscored the Wampus Cats 25-17 in the final two quarters, despite having a less efficient half from the floor. The Tigers shot 34% for the game, with an 8-for-22 showing in the first half and a 7-for-22 effort in the second half. However, Central got to the free throw line with ease, and was 9 of 10 in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers finished 17 of 21 from the line, and though the Wampus Cats were 7 of 8 from the free throw line, they only made three trips to the line in the second half.
“That’s huge,” Ross said of the free throws. “That’s how you close out ball games. For a young team to come out and show that maturity in the last four minutes, … that’s what you’ve got to do to win big games.”
Ross highlighted his team’s youth. Two of his five starters, Annor Boateng and Luke Moore, were underclassmen. Boateng and Moore combined for 18 points, with 11 and 7 points, respectively. Junior Gavin Snyder had a game-high 15 points, and was 9 for 10 from the line.
For Conway (12-5, 2-2), the opportunities presented themselves for a late comeback, but the Wampus Cats couldn’t deliver.
With 2:14 left, they had a chance to cut a 46-43 deficit, but senior center Keiron Duncan was called for an offensive foul. Less than a minute later, with the score still 46-43, Conway appeared to have stolen a possession from Central, but guard Paul Harris was called for a block, and the Tigers got two free throw opportunities.
“I’m super pleased with our effort,” Conway Coach Salty Longing said. “I could not be prouder of the effort that our kids gave at the end of the day. We’ve got to cut out a couple of turnovers, clean some things up, execute a little better, and we’ll be fine.”
GIRLS CONWAY 86, LR CENTRAL 29
The Lady Wampus Cats (17-1, 3-0) got off to an impressive start, downing the Lady Tigers (13-4, 2-2) with ease.
Conway’s Chloe Clardy led all scorers with 20 points, which she scored in three quarters. Three other Wampus Cats in Alexis Cox (15), Savannah Scott (10) and Emerie Bohanon (10) finished in double figures.
Jordan Marshall had a team-high 10 points for the Tigers, but Central’s efforts were no match, as they posted more turnovers (41) than they did points.