5A-CENTRAL BOYS

LR Hall chills out, takes out Maumelle

Little Rock Hall lost its cool at times during Tuesday night's game at Maumelle, but the Warriors played it cool long enough to walk away with a victory.

Senior forward Greg Johnson scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as Hall shook off a tense final quarter to swat the Hornets 64-50 in 5A-Central Conference play.

"I say it all the time: Any win on the road is a big win," Hall Coach Jon Coleman said. "We're in a tight conference race right now, and we knew [Maumelle] was going to be keyed up. Hostile environment, great atmosphere, but we just wanted the guys to keep their poise."

Jared Smith, a senior guard, added 11 points and 3 steals, and senior center Kevon Cooper tallied 10 points and 8 rebounds for Hall (11-6, 4-1).

The Warriors, who remained a game behind league leader Pine Bluff, also clamped down on Maumelle leading scorer Brahm Harris when it had to. The senior was held to five points in the first half before getting going in the fourth quarter. He finished with a team-high 15 points. Junior guard Jayvain Menifee added 14 points for Maumelle (10-8, 3-2).

Johnson scored seven points during a 9-0 Warriors' run that gave them a 13-6 lead with 2:51 to go in the opening quarter, but Maumelle forced four turnovers on Hall's next five trips and scored the final eight points of the period to take a one-point lead.

The Warriors scored the first five points of the second quarter but surrendered eight of the next 10, giving the Hornets a 22-20 lead with 2:23 showing.

Menifee scored off another steal shortly thereafter, but a short jumper from Johnson -- coupled with back-to-back putbacks from Dylon Session -- helped the Warriors grab a 26-24 lead at halftime.

Hall began to distance itself in the third quarter. The Warriors forced the Hornets into misses on nine of their first 10 shot attempts. Hall was 5-of-6 shooting in that span to build a 36-26 lead.

The Warriors held a 46-36 advantage when things got chippy. Players had to be separated after diving for a loose ball after a Hornets' possession. Three technical fouls were issued, but the Warriors regained their composure and scored 11 of the last 14 points to put the game away.

Sports on 01/23/2019

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