Bryant, Robinson trip up NLR
6A-CENTRAL BOYS
BRYANT 64, NORTH LITTLE ROCK 53
BRYANT — Kellen Robinson didn’t have to hit late free throws to push No. 2 Bryant past No. 5 North Little Rock this time around, but that doesn’t mean his contributions for the Hornets weren’t needed.
The junior scored a gamehigh 33 points as Bryant tightened up defensively in the fourth quarter to streak past the Charging Wildcats 64-53 at Hornet Arena.
Robinson scored 16 of his points in the second half, with many coming at critical junctures, to help Bryant (20-2, 4-0 6A-Central) keep North Little Rock at bay, particularly when things got close.
“I really don’t know what else to say about him,” Bryant Coach Mike Abraham- son said about the 6-3 guard. “He’s awesome, he’s amazing. And as good of a player as he is, he’s every bit as good of a young man. He’s easy to coach, he’s a leader, and he wants to make the right play.
“[Robinson’s] a scorer, but he really wants to make the right play, and he does.”
Robinson made play after play for the second time this season against the Charging Wildcats.
The two teams also met
Vilonia takes over first place in the 5A-Central
Vilonia’s girls took over sole possession of first place in the 5A-Central Conference with a dominant performance Tuesday.
Sidni Middleton finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists as the Lady Eagles blasted Little Rock Parkview 61-29 at Charles Ripley Arena in Little Rock.
Alexis Heston had 10 points, Maddie Mannion scored nine, and Brooklyn Burnham collected eight for Vilonia (13-5, 6-0 5A-Central), which led 41-16 at halftime.
Kirsten Johnson led Parkview (812, 5-1) with nine points.
In the boys game, Dashun Spence had 34 points in a 70-53 win for Vilonia (14-5, 5-0 5A-Central). Josh Lawrence scored 14 points, and Ethan Dietz had nine points for the Eagles.
Dallas Thomas paced Parkview (10-10, 4-2) with 25 points. Corbin Page chipped in with 11 points. during the final of the Holiday Classic in Fort Smith on Dec. 30. In that game, the Hornets stung back from a 60-49 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 65-64 when Robinson made two free throws with 3 seconds left to polish off a 24-point night.
Free throws were still a huge part of Robinson’s arsenal Tuesday. He made 13 of 14 from the line, and all of them seemingly came at the right time for Bryant, which won its 20th straight game.
R.J. Young chipped in with 11 points and Camarion Bead added 10.
Ja’Kory Withers scored 20 points and Braylon Frazier had 19 for North Little Rock (13-5, 3-1).
Bryant made seven of its first eight shots and closed the first quarter on an 11-4 run to take a 22-14 lead. Robinson would get going early in the second quarter by scoring seven of the Hornets’ initial nine points. His putback with just over four minutes left gave Bryant a 31-18 lead, its biggest of the game.
But North Little Rock was far from done. A three-pointer from Frazier started a 9-0 rally that got the Charging Wildcats within 31-27. Bead, who missed much of the first half because of foul trouble, scored inside to stop North Little Rock’s charge, but Andre Barnes responded with a basket shortly thereafter to cut the Hornets’ lead to 33-29 by halftime.
“[North Little Rock] is just so hard to guard,” Abrahamson said. “They’re so good at getting you out of your stance and making you react to them, and we weren’t as disciplined as we should’ve been. But that’s a credit to them for that because they’re just really hard to guard.”
It was nip and tuck throughout the first 11 minutes of the second half. North Little Rock trimmed its deficit to 53-49 with 5:15 remaining in the game after a runner by Frazier. But Bryant got buckets from Kaden Benson on backto-back possessions to start a final 11-4 surge — one that saw the Hornets hold the Charging Wildcats without a field goal over the final five minutes.
“He has come so far since he’s got here,” Abrahamson said of Benson, who transferred in from Texas last year. “He helps us so much and is the ultimate teammate. Kaden doesn’t get a lot of notoriety, but he’s very important to our team and our success. Just really happy for him.”
GIRLS
NORTH LITTLE ROCK 64, BRYANT 34
Top-ranked North Little Rock ran out to a 14-0 lead and was never seriously challenged from that point as it rolled on the road.
Madison Hatley scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half for the Lady Charging Wildcats. The senior also added 11 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals for North Little Rock (20-2, 3-0 6A-Central), which led 31-13 at halftime and continued to dominate over the final two quarters.
Katie Fimple had 13 points and Lauren Brewster had 10 points for the Lady Charging Wildcats. Jocelyn Tate and Kinley contributed eight points apiece as well.
Austin Oholendt led Bryant (14-9, 2-2) with 12 points. The Lady Hornets turned the ball over 16 times and were outrebounded 32-24. Brilynn Findley had nine points.