LR Central runs away from Bryant
6A-CENTRAL GIRLS
LR CENTRAL 66, BRYANT 50
Little Rock Central had amassed all the lead it would need at home Tuesday night against Bryant by the time the first-quarter buzzer sounded.
The Tigers raced out to a 12-0 lead, taking a 22-5 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter. They spent the next three quarters looking to maintain their lead and did just that, winning 66-50 at Boone-Fitzpatrick Fieldhouse.
“That was one of the best games [we’ve played] this year,” Central Coach Marlon Williams said. “We’re trying to get ready for that time of year, playoff time, so they were focused and locked in, and they played that way.”
Williams said Central (149, 5-2 6A-Central) was all too familiar with what could happen if the Tigers let up. It’s exactly what happened to Bryant the last time the team squared off on Jan. 10.
The Tigers clawed their way back into that initial meeting, winning 52-48, and refused to let the Hornets (148, 3-5) do the same Tuesday.
“That was our number one motivation in that; we’ve been on both sides of it,” Williams said. “It was a goal of ours to jump out early, and it was a goal of ours to not let them back in, and we completed that task.”
Jordan Marshall and Taylor Day-Davis were a large part of that early run, scoring nine points each in the first quarter and combining for 25 at halftime to give Central a 38-17 lead at the break.
Marshall led all scorers with 23 points, hitting double figures in both halves with 11 in the first and 12 in the second. Marshall did most of her work around the rim either with drives of her own or cuts and passes from teammates.
“Her versatility was on full display tonight,” Williams said. “We challenged her to keep being a complete player, and she’s working her tail off to be that.”
To bolster Marshall’s scoring, Day-Davis had 16 points, Ashlyn Kimble had 10 points and Kiaya had 8 points.
Bryant chipped away at Central’s lead, outsourcing the home team 18-16 in the third quarter and 15-12 in the fourth. Lauren Lain led the Hornets with 21 points, including 12 of their 17 in the first half. Austyn Oholendt finished with nine points and Brilynn Finley had eight points.
Tuesday’s win was Central’s fourth in-a-row, its longest streak of the season dating back to a Jan. 17 win over Conway. Having gone 6-7 in the 13 games prior to that, Williams said his team is using those battle scars for good.
“We’ve been through a little of everything [this season],” Williams said. “So we’re battle-tested. We’ve pretty much played everybody in the upper echelon of our state, so there’s nothing we aint seen. We’re just putting it together now, and our kids are growing up and figuring it out.”
BRYANT 47,
LR CENTRAL 46
The Bryant boys went back-and-forth with Little Rock Central in the nightcap, holding off a late comeback attempt to take down the No. 4 overall team in the state.
Bryant (18-8, 3-5 6A-Central) looked overmatched in the first quarter, scoring seven total points. But the Hornets leaned on their defense to hold Central (20-5, 5-2) to 12 points in the same quarter.
The Hornets evened up the score at halftime thanks to four points from each of Drake Fowler and Camarion Bead in the second quarter to make it 18-18.
Fowler and Bead replicated that performance in the third quarter, combining for another eight points, and RJ Young added six to put Bryant on top 36-34 heading into the final frame.
The back-and-forth battle didn’t stop in the fourth quarter as Central narrowly outscored Bryant 12-11. Fowler hounded Central guard RJ Lee down the court for the final few seconds and forced a miss to secure the win.
Fowler and Bead each scored 12 points for the Hornets. Annor Boateng led all scorers with 14 points for Central, followed by Daniel Culberson’s 10 points.