Little Rock Parkview carved up Benton 66-44 on Friday night in Ripley Gymnasium to remain perched atop the 6A-South Conference standings.
The Patriots made 10 three-pointers, including six from Ryan Pippins. Sophomore C.J. White added four 3-pointers, and Parkview (18-3, 7-1) hit 10 of its first 14 from beyond the arc before emptying the bench in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots finished 62.5 percent from three-point range and shot 63.2 percent (24 of 38) overall.
Parkview Coach Al Flanigan had a succinct explanation for his team's accuracy.
"We can't shoot the ball; that was all luck," Flanigan said. "We haven't shot that good in years."
After a brief chuckle at his own bluntness, he followed with some praise for his team, which has now won two consecutive games by more than 20 points after losing to Little Rock Hall last week.
"I guess I'm going to give them a little credit," he said. "I'm pretty pleased."
Benton (11-9, 3-5) started 4 of 12 from the field in the first quarter and trailed 19-12 after eight minutes. The Panthers stayed within range until halftime -- Parkview led 34-22 at the break -- but the host team's hot shooting eventually turned the game into a rout.
Westin Riddick opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to bring Benton to within nine, but it never got any closer. Parkview scored on 10 of its 14 possessions in the quarter to put the game away. Pippins, who finished with 18 points, went 3 of 3 on contested long-range shots in the third, and the Patriots closed it with a 12-3 run to move ahead 54-33.
"I've watched a lot of film on Parkview," Benton Coach Dexter Hendrix said. "Anytime they shoot the ball like that from the three-point line, it brings a whole new set of challenges. That's what they did. You've got to give them credit, they made some tough shots.
"When they're making shots like that, and can score in transition and can score inside, that's a whole new set of challenges for us."
Riddick had 15 points on five three-pointers, but Benton shot just 34 percent from the field and didn't register enough stops on defense.
"I thought we handled pressure well, but when they're scoring like that, it has an effect on the whole game," Hendrix said.
White, who had 23 against Pine Bluff on Tuesday, finished with 12 points for Parkview. Khalil Garland scored 15, and Javon Franklin added 12.
For Benton, Shaheed Halk scored 11 points. Arkansas State signee Jake Scoggins managed just five points.
Sports on 02/06/2016