Javion Porter paced Joe T. Robinson in the first half. Cameron Bush did the majority of his work in the fourth quarter. Together, they were too much for the Bauxite Miners.
Porter and Bush combined for 25 points and 14 rebounds as the host Senators defeated Bauxite 55-39 in Thursday's semifinals of the 7-4A Tournament.
While Robinson (18-10) outscored the Miners by a combined 32-16 in the first and final quarters, the game's middle portion was a bit more problematic for the Senators.
After falling behind 24-8 midway through the first half, Bauxite (20-8) scored the final 10 points of the second quarter. The Miners closed the gap to 26-25 early in the third quarter before the Senators recovered.
"[Bauxite] is the hardest team I've ever had to prepare for," Robinson Coach Anwar Hardin said. "They do so much on offense. ... They have so many sets and plays. They're crisp, every cut is hard and it's hard to defend them."
Bauxite hit only 2 of 8 first-quarter shots and had added only two more points in the first five minutes of the second quarter. Three-pointers by Jacob Stroud and Max Chenault helped spark the Miners' rally.
Bauxite was 8 of 16 from the floor in the second and third quarters, but only 14 of 36 overall. Robinson was 22 of 40 overall.
The Miners were still within 35-29 to start the fourth quarter, but a 7-of-8 effort from the floor in the fourth quarter by the Senators put the game away.
"The difference in the game was that in the middle of the game we executed. We worked together. We shared the ball," Bauxite Coach Andy Brakebill said. "We got away from doing those things. ... One little mistake against them leads to a transition layup or an easy shot and it can lead to an avalanche if you're not careful."
Porter finished with 13 points and had six rebounds. Bush added 12 points and eight rebounds. Quincy Johnson added 10 points for the Senators.
Graham Chenault led the Miners with 12 points, Stroud added 11 and Max Chenault 10.
ASHDOWN 37, NASHVILLE 36
Junior Kaiden Hunter hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give the Panthers (18-5) a victory over the Scrappers.
Ashdown trailed for the majority of the contest, but Hunter's three-pointer with 54 seconds left put the Panthers on top 35-34.
Nashville regained the lead 40 seconds later on a short bank shot from senior C.J. Adams, but Hunter set up his game-winning free throws by driving the baseline and drawing the foul. Hunter finished with 10 points.
Ashdown reserve guard Jimmy Dunn led his team with 11 points, 3 steals and 3 assists. Junior Jamarta Gilliam led Nashville (19-7) with 15 points.
Sports on 02/16/2018