It didn't take long for North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice to sum up the difference between the first quarter Saturday night and the rest of the game.
The North Little Rock Charging Wildcats rebounded from a 10-point deficit early in the second quarter for a 62-51 victory over the Memphis Mitchell Tigers in the Battle of the Border at North Little Rock High School Gymnasium.
"It's all about effort," Rice said. "That's it. ... That's all it takes is effort. We really put out a lot of effort in the second half."
Mitchell's strength stood out early. With 1:30 left in the first quarter, it had a possession that lasted almost a full minute and included five offensive rebounds. It was completed by forward Mike Tofana's layup that gave Mitchell a 17-9 lead.
North Little Rock (4-1) began to chip away at the deficit in the second quarter and was within 21-20 after junior guard Adrian Moore's three-point play with 5:45 left.
A three-pointer by Phillips gave Mitchell (2-3) a 27-21 lead, but another by North Little Rock junior guard Morris Talbert with 32 seconds left pulled the Charging Wildcats to within 27-24 going into halftime.
Senior guard Kevaughn Allen led North Little Rock with 14 points. Senior guard K.J. Hill scored 12.
Mitchell led by 36-28 with 4:26 left in the third quarter, then went 14 consecutive possessions without scoring.
North Little Rock took the lead during Mitchell's cold steak and built it to 45-36 on free throws by senior forward Kambrion Dickerson with 5:59 left in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell Coach Faragi Phillips said fouls called against his team were the most significant difference. Mitchell was called for its 10th team foul early in fourth quarter.
"It was tough on our kids' psyche," Phillips said. "We got to play in the first half, but in the second we could never get any momentum. They just wouldn't let us play our game. That's not to take anything away from North Little Rock. They have a very good team."
North Little Rock has won the past two Class 7A state championships. Mitchell was Tennessee's Class A state champion last season.
Sports on 12/07/2014