Hornets take sting out of Panthers' offense

CABOT -- The Bryant Hornets were running wild Friday night, using a 19-2 spurt in the second half to get past Cabot 49-33 at Panther Arena.

With Friday's victory, Bryant (20-4, 11-1 6A-Central Conference) won its 11th consecutive game. The Hornets have not lost since Jan. 4, when they fell to Fort Smith Northside at home in their conference opener.

"They're playing good defense and they're following adjustments as needed really well," Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. "I like that we have been able to win in different ways. I like that, because you never know what you're going to need down the road.

"I like where we're at. But we have to stay focused and get ready for Tuesday. Enjoy it tonight, but like I told the guys, tomorrow, we have to move on and get ready for the next one."

Junior guard Treylon Payne led the Hornets with 18 points. Senior guard Rodney Lambert finished with 11 points for Bryant, which shot 15 of 27 from the floor and 16 of 20 from the free-throw line.

Bryant trailed 23-22 with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter after Cabot junior guard Seth Vance hit a three-pointer.

The Hornets responded, as sophomore guard Camren Hunter made a layup to give Bryant a 24-23 lead with 2:34 left in the third quarter, beginning a quarter-ending 9-0 run.

Lambert knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to extend Bryant's lead to 31-23.

"That three at the end was big," Abrahamson said.

Bryant stretched its lead to 39-25 with 4:12 left. Vance's three-pointer with 2:48 left to play snapped a field goal drought of 7:33 for Cabot, which pulled within 41-28.

Hunter came right back for the Hornets, as his basket made it 43-28, ending any opportunity for Cabot to get back into the game.

Cabot (17-8, 5-7) was held to 10-of-28 shooting.

"Like I told our guys after the game, if you want to know what a state championship defensive team looks like, you just played against it," Cabot Coach Chris Meseke said. "They just clamped us down in every which way. They took Jacob [Hudson] out of the game. They kept Jackson [Muse] at bay. They did a great job defensively, from start to finish."

Vance led the Panthers with 15 points, including 3 three-pointers. Junior forward Jacob Hudson, who leads the Panthers in scoring with 14.4 points per game, was limited to five points.

Cabot led 15-14 at halftime. Both teams struggled from the floor in the first two quarters, with Bryant shooting 4 of 12 and Cabot 5 of 13.

The Panthers were scoreless for the final 5:35 of the first half. Bryant didn't score for the final 5:27.

Bryant led 11-7 after one quarter, but sophomore guard Brayden Roberts hit a three-pointer for Cabot to tie the game at 13-13 with 5:47 left in the second quarter. Vance's two free throws gave the Panthers a 15-13 lead at the 5:35 mark.

Sports on 02/16/2019

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