Braelon Walker turned in his best half of the season Saturday night, leading Little Rock Parkview to a 56-47 victory over Bolton, Tenn., in the Battle of the Border at North Little Rock High School.
Walker, a 6-0 senior guard, scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the Patriots (3-1) rallied from an eight-point, third-quarter deficit.
"We've been trying to get him to play with some confidence and go ahead and play like he's capable of playing," Parkview Coach Al Flanigan said. "Tonight he played, but he waited until the fourth quarter. He can play like that for an entire game if he wants to."
Walker's first-half statistics included one assist and one offensive rebound, but he began to produce midway through the third quarter. Walker was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line, hit 3 two-pointers and 1 three-pointer in the final 12 minutes.
"That was by far my best half of basketball this year," Walker said. "I was just wanting to provide a spark."
Parkview needed all the spark it could get against a team that was almost a mirror-image of the Patriots. The Wildcats (5-2) answered Parkview's early 12-5 lead and eventually took a 27-26 lead into halftime. Bolton, thanks to the play of 6-2 senior guard Jaylen Fisher, led for most of the third quarter, grabbing as much as a 38-30 advantage before Parkview turned to its press.
Fisher finished with 18 points while handing out 5 assists and making 6 steals.
"They were just as quick as we are," Flanigan said. "They're athletic and they're smart. They do a little run-and-jump like we do. That was tough for us ... but it was good for us. Every game we play is a learning experience."
Parkview came up with eight steals in the second half to get back into the game, but the Patriots' shots did not fall with any consistency until the fourth quarter.
"That's been our problem all year," Flanigan said of the Patriots' 3-of-12 effort from the floor in the third quarter. "We're getting the steals, we're just not able to finish the play."
Parkview outrebounded Bolton 35-31, with sophomore Javon Franklin grabbing a team-high 14. The 6-5 Franklin also blocked six shots.
Senior Jaylen Franklin added 11 points and four steals. Junior Ryan Pippins added eight points and three steals.
Sports on 12/07/2014