CABOT -- Cabot Coach Jerry Bridges said he was glad his team picked up a 57-55 victory Tuesday night over Little Rock Central at Panther Arena, but he wasn't pleased with how his team completed it.
Cabot (13-1, 3-0 7A-Central) led 40-30 going into the fourth quarter, but was outscored 25-17 in the final eight minutes, to the displeasure of Bridges.
"We have to do a better job," Bridges said. "In the first quarter, we did a poor job on transition defense. I thought in the fourth quarter, we did a poor job on transition defense. That's why they got back in the game.
"I would've liked to have won by more than two, but we're going to take it. A win is a win right now. In this 7A-Central, you'll take every one you'll get, because it ain't going to get easier on Friday [at Bryant]."
The Panthers were led by Jalen Brown's 14 points. Bobby Joe Duncan had 13 points and Jarrod Barnes added nine. Cabot made eight three-pointers, with Brown and Duncan each hitting three.
Central (8-6, 1-2) lost its second consecutive game, also losing to Maumelle on Saturday in the MLK Showcase in Little Rock. Cameron Johnson led the Tigers with 16 points. Raekwon Rogers had 12 points, but fouled out with 29.7 seconds left.
Tigers Coach Oliver Fitzpatrick said he was proud of his team's ability to come back Tuesday, but it could never get a lead against the defending Class 7A state champions.
"It was an uphill battle," Fitzpatrick said. "But that's the 7A defending state champion. We had our chance to beat them. It just didn't quite work out for us. You have to give them credit."
Cabot led 51-41 with 3:38 remaining after a layup by Barnes. But Central cut the lead to three points on three occasions, with Henry Dudley knocking down a three-pointer to pull the Tigers within 56-53 with 10 seconds left. Brown made one of two free throws for Cabot to make it 57-53 with 6.5 seconds left. Jacobia Platt's layup with a second remaining cut the lead to 57-55, but Cabot was able to run the clock out.
Cabot jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2:05 with two three-pointers by Brown and a layup by Matt Stanley. Central pulled within 13-12 before the end of the first quarter, but Jared Vance hit the Panthers' fourth three-pointer of the quarter to give his team a 16-12 lead going into the second quarter.
The Panthers extended their lead to 25-14 in the second quarter on Duncan's three-pointer. Cabot led 31-21 at halftime, with six of its nine field goals coming from three-point range.
LR CENTRAL (55)
Rogers 6 0-0 12, Moore 2 3-3 7, Richardson 2 2-4 6, Platt 2 1-2 5, Johnson 5 6-7 16, Dudley 2 0-0 6, Williams 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 12-16 55.
CABOT (57)
Duncan 4 2-3 13, Barnes 4 0-0 9, Brown 4 3-4 14, Gilbertson 2 2-4 6, Stanley 1 2-2 4, Vance 1 0-0 3, Allgood 3 2-2 8. Totals 19 11-15 57.
LR Central (8-5) 12 9 9 25 -- 55
Cabot (13-1) 16 15 9 17 -- 57
Three-point goals -- LR Central 3 (Dudley 2, Williams); Cabot 8 (Brown 3, Duncan 3, Barnes, Vance). Team fouls -- LR Central 16, Cabot 16. Fouled out -- Rogers, Stanley.
Sports on 01/18/2017