FS SOUTHSIDE 58 LR CATHOLIC 38
Fort Smith Southside took advantage of its speed and defense in the fourth quarter, outscoring Little Rock Catholic 18-8 and pulling way to a 58-38 victory Friday night in Little Rock.
The Mavericks (14-13, 5-7 7A-Central) hit several wide-open shots and made fastbreak points, while the Rockets (7-17, 1-11) had foul trouble in the final three minutes to suffer their 11th consecutive loss.
"That's the way we've got to play," Southside Coach Charles Cooper said. "We're small, we're quick and we've got to play up and down, get some turnovers and we finally got a few after a slow start."
Catholic's night began to go downhill at the 6:06 mark when Phillips Allison, a 6-3 senior forward, went down awkwardly after catching a pass, suffering an apparent knee injury. Catholic Coach Todd Ezzi said he thinks Allison is going to be out for the year. Allison was on crutches with his right knee iced after the game.
"It's unfortunate something like that happens," Cooper said. "He's a senior, a great post guy. You hate to see anyone in his senior year, just two games to go, hurt his knee like that. I hope he has a good recovery."
The Mavericks started fast, taking a 6-0 lead before Catholic's Jordan Eddington hit a three-pointer with 3;57 left in the first quarter. The Rockets added another three by Charles Daniel, but Southside got two three-pointers from senior Ike Moore. Daniel hit a field goal with 5 seconds left, cutting the lead to 13-9.
Four field goals and a free throw by Dillon Hamilton pushed the Mavericks to a 29-17 halftime lead.
Catholic trimmed the margin a little in the third quarter, but still faced a 40-30 deficit entering the final quarter.
The Rockets were trailing 50-38 when they were whistled for a three-second lane violation with 3:53 left and did not score again. Southside added two wide-open layups and four free throws for the final margin.
Moore had a game-high 17 points for Southside, while Taye Gatewood had 11 and Hamilton 10. Daniel led the Rockets with 14.
Sports on 02/17/2018