CONWAY — Conway freshman Adrian Moore scored a game-high 22 points in his debut, leading the Wampus Cats to a 64-44 victory over the Cabot Panthers on Tuesday.
Moore, a left-handed guard, showed a competent all-court game, making jumpers and penetrating to the basket. He provides a solid scoring option to complement veteran Tim Boyd, a three-year starter.
“[Moore] was very under control,” Conway Coach James Bates said. “He hit some jump shots and attacked the rim. It was a very good start to his career. Overall, I thought our defensive energy created a lot of offense. That energy is important for us.”
Cabot trailed 8-7 midway through the first quarter after Michael Smith’s three-point play, but Conway scored the next 13 points to pull away. Boyd’s 12-footer off a Cabot turnover made it 17-7. Moore’s 15-footer from the baseline early in the second quarter capped the run for a 21-7 lead.
After a free throw and a three-pointer by Ryan Stafford broke the skid for Cabot, Conway used another run for a 30-11 lead. Moore’s driving basket made it a 15-point game, and he followed that up with a three-point play. James Grubbs’ basket made it 28-11, and Moore followed with two free throws.
Conway (1-0) led 37-22 at halftime, but Stafford opened the second half with a basket for Cabot. Conway scored the next 14 points as the Panthers went more than four minutes without a point. Dominic Taylor passed to Moore for a slick basket to punctuate the third-quarter surge.
The Wampus Cats’ lead swelled to as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter.
Cabot (0-1) was led by Smith with 11 points.
Sports, Pages 24 on 11/21/2012