Hot start allows Warriors to repeat
HOT SPRINGS — Little Rock Christian got off to a hot start Thursday and never really cooled off.
As a result, the Warriors found themselves celebrating a second consecutive state championship.
Little Rock Christian hit five early three-pointers to take a 15-point lead after the first quarter and stormed past Farmington 71-56 in the Class 4A boys state championship at Bank OZK Arena.
The win marks back-toback Class 4A titles for the Warriors (28-7), who defeated Blytheville here a year ago.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group of young men,” Little Rock Christian Coach Kyle Pennington said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our seniors. … You see the joy that these kids play with. I mean absolute joy, smile on their face, picking their teammate up. It’s just fun to be a part of. It’s unbelievable.
“And for some reason when they get in Hot Springs Convention Center, they play their best game of the year, and they did it again tonight.”
JaShawn “J.J.” Andrews was named the Most Valuable Player after scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Landren Blocker had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jameel Wesley hit four of the Warriors’ nine three-pointers and scored 14 points.
Andrews, who was serenaded with happy birthday chants by the Little Rock Christian student section late in the game, said the MVP award could have gone to a number of people.
“It definitely could have gone to anybody on this team,” Andrews said. “We all stick together. We all got each other’s position to just win the game. We stuck together like coach always tells us to do and we have fun.”
Tristian Watson hit Little Rock Christian’s opening basket — a three-pointer — fueling a 10-0 run to start the game. Wesley had a three in that run as well. JoJo Holloway, Andrews and Mitchell Morris all hit three-pointers in the first quarter as the Warriors led 19-4 after the first quarter.
“As a coach I should have burned through more timeouts before we spotted them 15,” Farmington Coach Johnny Taylor said.
Meanwhile, Little Rock Christian held Farmington to just 2 of 10 from the floor in the first quarter and 0 for 5 on three-point shots.
“I thought our defense is what did that,” Pennington said of the early advantage. “Don’t get me wrong, we made shots early, two quick three balls. … Defensively our guys have been locked in, holding people to low scoring.”
Farmington senior Layne Taylor scored 13 of his game-high 40 points in the first half to try and keep the Cardinals within striking distance. Farmington did pull within 26-17 on a layup from Sam Kirkman after a Little Rock Christian turnover. But Andrews answered with an easy basket inside and Blocker added a basket for a 30-17 lead.
Andrews and Layne Taylor matched three-point plays for a 33-22 lead, but Wesley rolled off a screen with 5 seconds left before half and nailed a three-pointer for a 36-22 lead at halftime.
Little Rock Christian opened up a 21-point lead in the third quarter, but Farmington cut it to 10 with 1:39 left in the game when Taylor was fouled on a three and hit all three foul shots.
The Warriors hit 6 of 8 free throws and Blocker had a windmill dunk in the final seconds to put the exclamation point on the Warriors’ third state championship overall.
“Just really proud of our guys,” Pennington said. “It was hard this year. Back to back is very hard to do.”
Little Rock Christian hit 25 of 48 shots from the floor and 9 of 26 from long range. The Warriors sank 12 of 16 from the free-throw line and outrebounded Farmington 34-25.
Farmington (35-3), meanwhile hit 23 of 56 shots but only 5 of 26 from three-point range.
Layne Taylor hit 16 of 33 overall but went 3 of 12 from behind the three-point line with a Warrior defender in his face most of the night. He was the only Cardinal in double figures.
“We’re going to be disappointed we didn’t win a state championship, but I told these guys when we get here, there’s 48 4A teams,” Johnny Taylor said. “We’re a finalist. We’re one of two. They’re going to forever be that. I know nobody remembers second place, but we will celebrate that and try and use that to catapult our program even further.”