SPRINGDALE -- Little Rock Central stuck to its usual plan Sunday as it took advantage of its bulk and brawn to advance to the semifinals of the Class 7A girls basketball state tournament.
Little Rock Central, the top seed from the 7A-East Conference, entered its quarterfinal matchup against Bryant with a decided size advantage in the front court, and right from the outset it attacked inside as it set the tone for its 56-41 victory at Wildcat Arena in Springdale Har-Ber.
Little Rock Central (24-3) will play Fayetteville at 3:30 p.m. today in the semifinals.
"That's what we've tried to specialize in all season is being tough around the basket, all nine of our players," Little Rock Central Coach Michael B. Green said. "We play tough man-to-man defense and we press and rebound well, and that's what we've been about."
Bryant (15-13) remained neck and neck with the Lady Tigers over the first eight minutes by attacking the goal and getting to the free-throw line. That plan continued to work into the second quarter, but the Lady Hornets were limited to only three made field goals for the entire first half and trailed 33-19 going into halftime.
"I thought if we could get it down to five or six there, it's a state tournament and crazy things happen," Bryant Coach Brad Matthews said. "I didn't do a good job getting us good looks."
Bre'Amber Scott led Little Rock Central with 14 points and Kamry Orr added 11. Lauren Carroll paced Bryant with 16 points.
"Central's a really talented team," Matthews said. "Their strength is something that we've struggled with all year long."
Little Central and Fayetteville met in December at the Fayetteville Bulldog Classic, with Central winning 59-33.
"That was a long time ago," Green said. "We can go back and look at that game, but we're different teams. [Fayetteville] is a lot better now, and hopefully we're playing a lot better."
FAYETTEVILLE 67, VAN BUREN 50
Fayetteville (22-6) shut down Van Buren's offense and scored 16 consecutive points to break open the game early as the Lady Bulldog cruised int the semifinals.
Maya Mayberry made a three-pointer to end the first quarter, setting off the 16-0 run over a 4:18 stretch as Fayetteville took control of the game. Van Buren missed all eight of its field-goal attempts and had three turnovers during that stretch, while Fayetteville converted on 5 of 6 attempts from the floor.
Fayetteville's DaShundra Morgan scored eight points in the first quarter and finished with a team-high 20, and Mayberry added 15.
Jamilyn Kinney led Van Buren (15-13) with a game-high 25.
Fayetteville, the No. 2 seed from the 7A-West, will face Little Rock Central, the top seed from the 7A-East, at 3:30 p.m. today.
Sports on 03/09/2015