PULASKI ACADEMY 54, LITTLE ROCK HALL 52
Pulaski Academy did not score until there was 4:10 left in the first quarter but finally got going to nab a 54-52 road victory over Little Rock Hall at Cirks Arena on Tuesday night.
"I'm proud of the way our team played tonight against a much bigger team," Pulaski Academy Coach Roger Franks said. "We got behind there at the end, but some rebounds and turnovers by Hall gave us the edge."
Ke'Von Cooper and Jared Smith led the Warriors (11-5, 0-2 6A/5A-4) early, each scoring six points in the fast-paced first quarter for a 16-12 lead.
Griffin Newby came alive for the Bruins (8-4, 2-1) in the second quarter, going inside for their only four field goals of the quarter.
A technical foul against Hall's Jonathan Coleman early in the quarter gave the Bruins a lift, and Zach Fischer sank both free throws. He later added three more points from the free-throw line when he was fouled on a missed three-pointer.
On the strength of Newby's field goals and the free throws, the Bruins had a 27-26 edge at the half.
In the second half, rebounds by the Bruins put them in position for the victory.
Leading 53-52 with less than a minute to play, Pulaski Academy played keep-away from the Warriors. EJ Anderson was fouled with 0.9 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, then Franks called a timeout.
"When we made the first free throw, the decision was to miss the second because we didn't think they had the time to get a shot off," Franks said.
Tra Johnson led the Bruins with 20 points and Newby added 12. Greg Johnson led the Warriors with 20 while Cooper accounted for 15.
Sports on 01/10/2018