Tremont Robinson was an effective closer for the Maumelle Hornets on Tuesday night.
Robinson, a 6-2 senior guard, scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and provided the Hornets with key momentum swings the entire game to pace Maumelle to an 80-72 victory over host Little Rock Christian in the 6A/5A-4 Conference opener for both teams.
Robinson scored the Hornets' final six points of the first quarter and finished Maumelle's 6-0 outburst to end the first half with an emphatic dunk. He also scored seven of his team's final 14 points, ensuring the Hornets' lead never dropped below six in the final quarter.
"Every time we got it close, Robinson would either get a rebound or beat the press and go coast to coast," Little Rock Christian Coach Clarence Finley said. "We couldn't stop the ball in transition. ... When we would get to within three or five points, he would go straight to the basket."
Little Rock Christian (8-2) scored the first six points of the third quarter to tie the game at 35, but the Hornets took the lead for good when Robinson responded with a 25-footer.
"He played big for us," Maumelle Coach Michael Shook said. "Everybody knows he's kind of our closer. We're going to try to put the ball in his hands."
Maumelle (11-2) built as much as a 14-point lead in the third quarter, taking a 55-41 advantage on back-to-back three-pointers from Pat Greene and Quan Richardson. The Hornets' lead grew to as much as 16 points -- 61-45 -- with 6:30 left in the contest.
Little Rock Christian hit 5 of 8 three-point attempts in the fourth quarter and drew to within 78-72 with 11.8 seconds remaining. However, Hornets' guard Darius Tate -- who came off the bench to score 16 points -- hit six consecutive free throws in the final 45.1 seconds to keep the Warriors from making a serious bid at a comeback.
"This is a tough place to play," Shook said. "It's a fun environment ... but anytime you can get a road victory in conference play, it's big."
Sophomore Mykal Moore scored 18 points and collected eight rebounds for the Warriors. Sophomore Justice Hill, a University of Arkansas commitment, added 15 points, and senior Alex North was good for 14 points.
Maumelle outrebounded Little Rock Christian 39-32 and committed five fewer turnovers (19-14). The Hornets were 26 of 59 from the floor while the Warriors were 25 of 56.
"I thought we didn't handle the press very well," Finley said. "My guards were a little shaky versus the press. I thought the referees let them play, so we weren't strong with the ball. We just didn't handle the pressure very well."
MAUMELLE (80)
Robinson 9 11-19 30, Fuller 2 0-0 4, Lindsey 2 0-3 4, Greene 2 0-0 6, Ali 2 1-2 5, Richardson 2 0-0 5, Hamilton 0 0-0 0, Curtis 0 0-0 0, Barnes 0 0-0 0, Word 0 2-2 2, Tate 4 6-7 16, Kutz 3 2-4 8. Totals 26 22-37 80.
LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN (72)
Strickland 1 4-6 6, Abell 0 0-0 0, Hill 6 2-4 15, Claxton 3 1-1 8, Hightower 4 1-2 9, Moore 6 4-4 18, Finley 0 0-0 0, North 4 3-6 14, Chapple 1 0-0 2, Bennett 0 0-1 0, Linwood 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 15-24 72.
Maumelle (11-2) 17 18 20 25 -- 80
LR Christian (8-3) 14 15 16 27 -- 72
Three-point goals -- Maumelle 6 (Tate 2, Greene 2, Richardson, Robinson); LR Christian 7 (North 3, Moore 2, Claxton, Hill). Team fouls -- Maumelle 17, LR Christian 23. Fouled out -- Fuller; Strickland, Moore.
Sports on 01/04/2017