Bre'Amber Scott scored all eight of her fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line, helping Little Rock Central rally for a 63-59 victory over Fayetteville on Saturday at the Turkey Crossover Classic at Pulaski Academy.
Scott, a 5-10 senior forward and Mississippi State signee, finished with a game-high 20 points despite not playing most of the second quarter while in foul trouble. She sealed the Lady Tigers' victory with two free throws with :03 remaining after Central had trailed by as many as eight points late in the third quarter.
Central Coach Michael Green said he was concerned that Scott picked up three fouls in the game's first 10 minutes simply because Scott has rarely been in that situation.
"But then again, Bre's a smart a player and I knew she'd figure it out," Green said. "She did, and once we got to the fourth quarter and she still had three fouls, I knew it was smooth sailing from that point on."
Fayetteville (1-1) led 46-41 entering the final quarter but went 2 of 12 from the floor, including 0 of 5 on three-pointers in the final eight minutes.
"Little Rock Central just played better than we did in the second half," Fayetteville Coach Vic Rimmer said. "They got the ball where they wanted it in the second half. They shot a lot of free throws because they were attacking the rim. They just outplayed us in the second half."
Central (5-0) was 28 of 39 from the line, including a 13 of 15 effort in the fourth quarter. Fayetteville was 14 of 25 from the line for the game, 9 of 12 in the final quarter.
Senior Abigayle Jackson scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Central. She also blocked three shots.
"She was awesome," Green said of the 6-3 Jackson. "She challenged shots. She dove on the floor. She did everything you can ask out of for a big."
Sophomore Jordan Greenwood added 13 points and junior Erynn Barnum added 10 points, including completing a three-point play with 3:13 remaining to put the Lady Tigers on top for good.
"There's not anyone as big as Central, and their length bothered us around the rim," Rimmer said. "But in the first half, we were finishing around the rim and were getting to the free-throw line. We made shots. We made some perimeter shots. The real difference was that they were way more aggressive in the second half and they executed better in the second half. ... We're even teams. I think we're different, but I think we're even."
Freshman guard Sasha Goforth led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points, but she was limited to one point and one rebound in the fourth quarter. Senior Lauren Holmes, who hit a layup with six seconds left to pull Fayetteville to within 61-59, added 16 points. Junior Jasmine Franklin kept Fayetteville in the game in the final quarter, hitting 5 of 6 free throws and grabbing 3 offensive rebounds.
EARLE 59, LR HALL 42
Sophomore Roshala Scott scored 23 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 3 assists in beating the Lady Warriors.
Scott led Earle to the Class 2A state title in March, earning MVP honors as a freshman. On Saturday, Scott scored nine points in the opening quarter as the Lady Bulldogs staked themselves to an 18-9 lead.
Earle (3-1) was 19 of 43 from the floor and outrebounded Hall 38-24. Hall (2-3) was 13 of 38 from the floor and was guilty of 26 turnovers.
Amber Brooks, who hit four three-pointers, and Alaysia Kelly each scored 12 points to lead Hall. Allexias Adams added eight points. Alexis Burns led the Lady Warriors in rebounds with 10 and steals with four.
HOT SPRINGS 69,
JACKSONVILLE 42
Senior post player Keke Hunter scored 25 points in leading the Lady Trojans (3-0) over the Titans (4-3).
Hot Springs jumped out to a 26-12 lead after the first quarter, thanks to an 11-point output from junior Ariana Guinn, who finished with 17 points. The Lady Trojans expanded that lead to 44-22 by halftime.
Junior point guard Imani Honey added 16 for Hot Springs. Jacksonville guard Josie Starr hit four three-pointers and finished with a team-high 13 points.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 64,
FORREST CITY 26
Anabel Weber and Khanni Shannon each scored 12 points and the Lady Wildcats (2-0) outscored the Lady Mustangs 24-4 in the third quarter.
Har-Ber led 24-16 at the half and limited Forrest City (0-5) to 10 points in the final two quarters. Maci Mains added 11 points for Har-Ber.
CONWAY 65, HORN LAKE, Miss. 37
Senior forward Futra Banks scored nine of her 23 points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as the Lady Wampus Cats (5-1) defeated Horn Lake (3-2).
Conway led 42-35 at the start of the fourth quarter and put the game away by scoring the next 17 points. Banks also had three steals in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Savannah Lowe added 15 points for Conway, which led 29-22 at the half. Horn Lake got as close as 36-34 in the third quarter.
Both Jacie Higgins and Maggie Evans had five assists and four steals for Conway.
PULASKI ACADEMY 47, eSTEM 33
Morgan Wallace and Mattie Hatcher each scored 15 points as the Lady Bruins (1-1) bounced the Lady Mets (7-5).
Pulaski Academy led 13-12 after one quarter, then held eStem to a combined 10 points in the second and third quarters.
Carly Clement hit four three-pointers for eStem for a team-high 12 points.
Sports on 11/27/2016