North Little Rock was without two of its top players Saturday night against Van Buren, but sophomore Moses Moody ensured the Charging Wildcats wouldn't miss a beat on their home floor.
Moody finished with 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to power the Charging Wildcats to a 68-43 victory over the Pointers in the North Little Rock Showcase.
Sophomore guard Otis Jordan added 11 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds for North Little Rock (2-0), which used a 15-3 run at the start of the third quarter to turn a competitive game into a rout.
"This is good for us," North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice said. "[Van Buren] has a lot of kids back, and it's good to play a team that wants to slow it down, which is a different style than what we've seen so far. And to get contributions from different people was big, and that'll make us better down the road."
North Little Rock (2-0), which never trailed and led by as many as 28 points, shot 52 percent (27 of 52) and outrebounded its opponent 29-23, but Rice noted his team can be ever better, particularly when junior guards Collin Moore and Shawn Fudge return. Moore is dealing with a broken foot and could return at some point during conference play while Fudge hasn't been medically cleared to resume playing because of a heart issue.
"Collin will actually go in for X-rays maybe by the end of next week, and then we'll have a better time frame on it," Rice said. "If we get those guys back, I think we'll be much better in February and March. It's definitely tough playing without them, though."
Rice does have Moody, and he delivered when it mattered against the Pointers. North Little Rock led 29-20 early in the third quarter before Moody, a 6-4 transfer from Little Rock Parkview, scored 15 of the game's next 18 points. His three-pointer gave the Charging Wildcats a 37-20 lead at the 3:47 mark, and his floater one minute later pushed North Little Rock's cushion to 44-23.
Van Buren (1-2) closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to pull within 46-35, but the Pointers didn't notch their first basket of the fourth quarter until 1:47 remained. North Little Rock outscored Van Buren 17-1 during that stretch, with Moody scoring seven, to pull away.
Senior guard Jordan West had 12 points for Van Buren, which finished 15 of 37 from the field.
PINE BLUFF 60, CONWAY 58
Jaylon Fulton's three-pointer at the buzzer came up short as Pine Bluff battled back to beat Conway at the North Little Rock Showcase at Charging Wildcat Arena.
Kendrick Thorn scored a game-high 22 points for Pine Bluff (2-0), which scored 12 of the game's final 15 points to erase a seven-point deficit. Kaleb Higgins had 10 points and Kezaron Washington added 9 points and 12 rebounds for the Zebras.
Ja'Kylin Kaiser had 16 points for Conway (1-2) while Caleb London and Terry Clardy each ended with 13.
Conway held a 24-22 cushion at halftime but led by as many as eight points (50-42) early in the fourth quarter. The Wampus Cats still held a 55-48 advantage after Clardy' three-point play with 2:58 left in the game. But Pine Bluff's Justin Tillar nailed a three-pointer to ignite a 10-0 run and give the Zebras a 58-55 lead.
London hit a three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining to tie the game at 58-58, but Higgins' two free throws with 19.4 seconds left served as the game-winning points for Pine Bluff.
The Zebras finished 15-of-35 shooting, hit 23 of 34 free-throw attempts and forced 21 turnovers. The Wampus Cats, who held a 26-23 rebounding advantage, were 22 of 43 from the floor and 10 of 14 from the foul line.
Sports on 11/26/2017