NLR remains unbeaten at home
CLASS 6A NORTH LITTLE ROCK 61, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 48
The first time around was sweet for North Little Rock, but the second one was much sweeter.
Madison Hatley and Jocelyn Tate combined for 23 points after halftime to power the Lady Charging Wildcats to a 61-48 home victory over Springdale Har-Ber during the second round of the Class 6A girls state tournament.
North Little Rock (28-4) beat the Lady Wildcats 4637 when the teams met Dec. 8 during the Bulldog Classic in Fayetteville, but the stakes were a bit higher in the rematch at Charging Wildcat Arena.
“They are so hard to keep off the free-throw line, a really scrappy bunch,” North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple said of Har-Ber. “We finally settled down a bit there in the fourth when we got everybody back on the floor because we got in foul trouble. But we made some big shots down the stretch, made some free throws, got some defensive stops.
“I think we got in [HarBer] legs a little bit, too. … we just showed a little bit of moxie there towards the end.”
Tate scored 15 points, including 12 in the second half, and Hadley had 13 points, with 11 coming over the final two quarters for North Little Rock, which moved to 10-0 on its homecourt this season. Hadley also had 14 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Katie Fimple chipped in with 14 points.
Jazmine McCarther had 17 points, Delaney Roller tossed in 15 points and Makenlie Campbell collected 12 points for Har-Ber.
Har-Ber (21-10), which beat Jonesboro 56-39 in the first round Tuesday, missed its first 10 shots and didn’t make its initial field goal until Campbell connected on a runner with two seconds left in the opening period. By that time, the Lady Wildcats had dug themselves a 12-2 hole.
North Little Rock scored the first seven points of the second quarter but hit only one of its last nine attempts. That drought left the door open for Har-Ber to close its deficit to 22-13 by halftime.
The second half was a different story for the hosts, particularly in the third quarter. North Little Rock hit four consecutive shots during a 12-3 rally that allowed it to open the game up. Tate and Hadley teamed for nine points in the run.
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 66, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 60
Jordan Marshall finished with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks as Central (17-12) upset the top-seeded Lady Bears during a tight second-round battle.
Aven Sasser added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Tigers, who were behind by as much as nine points in the first half until streaking back to get within 36-35 by halftime. Central finally ran down Northside (26-4) during its first possession of the third quarter on a basket from Alivia Montgomery and never surrendered that lead for the rest of the game.
The Lady Bears tied the game twice in the fourth quarter – the latter coming with 4:16 to play when Erianna Gooden’s leaner knotted it at 49-49. But Marshall completed a three-point play moments later to begin a 9-2 run for the Central, which also hit 9 of 11 free throws over the final four minutes to close it out.
Gooden scored 27 points for the Lady Bears, who’d won 14 consecutive games going in. Hazley Grotjohn had 19 points but fouled out with just over three minutes left in the game.