After missing five free throws in the game's final 1:58, things did not sit well Malica Monk. But then the 5-6 senior guard went for a drive.
Monk drove the length of the court and completed a three-point play with 15 seconds remaining, allowing top-ranked North Little Rock to escape with a 71-68 victory over No. 3 Little Rock Central Friday night at the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats Arena.
North Little Rock (19-1, 7-0) never trailed but when Bre'Amber Scott's putback of a missed three-pointer went through the nets with 20 seconds left, Central (18-2, 6-1) had erased a 17-point deficit and forged a 68-68 tie.
After a timeout, Monk took the inbounds pass, sped through the middle of the court and banked in a shot while getting fouled. After missing five of her six previous attempts from the line, Monk's final free throw gave her a 20-point scoring performance.
"I'm not scared of tall people because I know I can finish," Monk said of her winning drive.
"She missed a few free throws, took an ill-advised shot and then had a rebound where [Central] stole it," North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple said. "That's not like her at all. But she's a senior and we gave the ball to her.. ... She just went and scored."
Central never got off another shot. After a timeout with :09 left, North Little Rock's Halley Hill stepped in front of Lady Tigers' pass and the ball eventually wound up in the hands of Monk, who dribbled out the clock.
"It came down to making plays," Central Coach Michael Green said. "They made 'em; we didn't. We tied the game up, but then we broke down defensively. The one player we knew would get the ball and we let her fly down the court. ... We had a chance to tie, but we didn't execute"
Kyra Collier led North Little Rock with 25 points, but she fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. Freshman Amber Hawkins added nine points.
Senior Kamry Orr hit 3 three-pointers and finished with 23 points for the Lady Tigers. Alaysia Ready added 15 and Scott 14. Kiara Williams was held to seven points, but she did have a game-high 14 rebounds.
CENTRAL (68)
Allen 1 0-0 3, Orr 7 6-7 23, Brown 0 0-0 0, Ready 5 4-6 15, Perry 0 0-0 0, Williams 1 5-8 7, Scott 2 10-12 14, S. Williams 1 1-2 3, Jackson 1 1-1 3. Totals 18 27-36 68.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK (71)
Neasley 0 0-0 0, Hawkins 4 0-0 9, Monk 5 10-15 20, Hill 1 2-2 5, Morris 1 3-4 5, Collier 10 2-4 25, McDaniel 1 0-0 3, Jones 0 2-2 2, Ewing 0 2-4 2. Totals 22 21-31 71.
Central;16; 6;18;28 -- 68
North Little Rock;20;15;17;19 -- 71
Three-point goals -- Central 5 (Orr 3, Allen, Ready). NLR 6 (Collier 3, McDaniel, Hill, Hawkins). Total fouls -- Central 23, NLR 22. Fouled out -- Collier.
Sports on 01/31/2015