VAN BUREN — North Little Rock set up its schedule for situations like the one it faced Saturday.
The Lady Charging Wildcats overcame a hot hand by Jamilyn Kinney to defeat Van Buren 45-38 in the semifinals of the Class 7A state tournament at Clair Bates Arena. North Little Rock will go for its second consecutive state championship to pair with last year’s 75-65 victory over Conway.
“We played in different states and didn’t play a home game until Jan. 6 just for atmospheres like that,” North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple said. “Our kids continue to amaze me with their effort and how tough they are.”
Three North Little Rock players scored 10 or more points to offset a 22-point performance by Kinney, a junior guard for Van Buren. Amber Hawkison led the way with 12 points while Yo’Myris Morris and Mackenzie Tillman added 10 points each.
Morris, a 6-0 center, had 17 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds, to lead the Lady Charging Wildcats.
“They’re a handful to keep off the boards,” Van Buren Coach Chris Bryant said. “We saw early on they were going to get a lot of opportunities and that our chances would be few and far between.”
Van Buren fed off the energy of a large home crowd and led for much of the first half, but North Little Rock hit two three-pointers to take a 19-17 halftime lead. The Lady Charging Wildcats stretched the advantage to 32-27 after three quarters.
Kinney kept Van Buren close with seven points in the third quarter and a three-pointer to cut the North Little Rock lead to 32-30 to begin the fourth quarter, but the Lady Pointers could not overtake North Little Rock, which made 13 of 18 free throws and outrebounded Van Buren 39-23.
Morris scored three times after rebounding missed shots by her teammates.
“We got a lot of second shots,” Fimple said. “[Morris] does stuff you can’t teach. We knew they would have problems with her, and I thought our guards did a good job of getting the basketball to her.”
FAYETTEVILLE 49,
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 40
A one-year absence from the Class 7A girls state championship game was long enough for Coach Vic Rimmer and Fayetteville.
Freshman Sasha Goforth led Fayetteville with 14 points, and junior Jasmine Franklin scored 13 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a victory over Little Rock Central. It will be Rimmer’s fifth finals trip as a coach, and the second for his senior class.
“Physically, we were tough tonight, but mentally we were tough being able to handle the ball,” Rimmer said. “It’s so hard to rebound against them, so hard to score. The kids, these seniors, understand what it takes to win a game like that.”
The Lady Bulldogs rebounded 48.9 percent of their missed shots, led by Franklin’s 11 offensive boards.
“It’s incredible, but I’m not surprised, actually,” Fayetteville guard Ashley Breathitt said of Franklin. “She worked her butt off from the first to the fourth quarter. I knew if I missed my shots she was going to rebound them.”
Fayetteville grabbed a 25-18 lead in the third quarter, but Central responded with a 12-0 spurt to take a 30-25 edge.
Fayetteville swung back in the fourth quarter behind Goforth’s six points.
“She bailed us out on several plays,” Rimmer said of Goforth. “She got us going scoring-wise, and these girls trust her and try to get her the basketball.”
Fayetteville’s defense was stout, holding Central to 14 of 53 (26 percent) from the floor. The Lady Bulldogs held Central’s trio of Bre’Amber Scott, Erynn Barnum and Abigayle Jackson to 10-of-45 shooting.