CABOT — Little Rock Central had too much defense and too much Kiara Williams in the second half for Cabot to handle in the Lady Tigers’ 51-42 victory over the Lady Panthers in 7A/6A-East play Tuesday night.
Little Rock Central (19-4, 11-0) trailed 29-21 at halftime, but came roaring back in the second half.
“We’ve only been down like that twice in conference this season, and both times the girls got even more focused,” Central Coach Michael Green said. “They got down, but they just refuse to lose.”
Williams was dominant in the second half for the Lady Tigers, scoring nine pointsand pulling down 10 rebounds in the half.
Cabot (13-8, 6-5) didn’t need an inside presence in the first half as the Lady Panthers hit 5 of 5 three-pointers. Jaylin Bridges scored all 12 of her points in the first half on four three-pointers.
The Lady Tigers played much tighter perimeter defense in the second half while wearing down the Lady Panthers.
Little Rock Central committed just four turnovers in the second half compared to 16 for Cabot. The Lady Tigers held the Lady Panthers without a field goal from the 2:30 mark in the third quarter untilthe game’s final seconds.
The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Panthers 21-5 during that stretch.
“Defense is where we hang our hat,” Green said. “In the preseason, they hated us making them get out there and run on that track every single day. But they’re seeing the payoff in the fourth quarter now.”
Taylor Lewis made two three-pointers during the Lady Tigers’ run and led all scorers with 16 points. Elliot Taylor led Cabot with 13 points.
Sports, Pages 28 on 02/13/2013