LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock Hall guard Tyler Scaife scored a number of ways during Friday night’s 7A/6A-Central showdown with Greenwood, but it was her free-throw shooting late in the game that helped keep the Lady Warriors undefeated in league play.

Scaife scored a game-high 28 points and hit 5 of 6 free throws over the final 1:15 to lift Hall to a 52-45 victory.

“It was a good win for us against a good team but we didn’t play nearly as hard as we could have,” Hall Coach Selita Farr said. “We’ve got to do a better job on the defensive end.

“I’m pleased that we kept fighting and fighting, but I know we can play harder than what we did.”

Greenwood (14-3, 1-2) trailed by as many as seven in the fourth quarter before pulling within striking distance. Jallisa Cole’s bucket gave the Lady Warriors a 47-40 lead with 3:34 left in the game, but a long three-pointer by Haleigh Henson and a layup from Lundon Williams pulled the Lady Bulldogs within two with 1:32 remaining.

Scaife, who added six rebounds and five assists, knocked down two free throws on the ensuing possession, then hit 1 of 2 on Hall’s next trip after being intentionally fouled. Scaife tacked on two more free throws in the final seconds to close out the victory.

Tiarra Coffey added 15 points and nine rebounds for Hall (15-2, 3-0). Williams finished with 17 points to lead Greenwood, which pulled within two on separate occasions in the fourth quarter. Allie Barnes added 11 points.

Hall trailed in the game’s opening moments but quickly found itself leading by 10 midway through the quarter behind Scaife and Coffey as the two combined to score 13 of the Lady Warriors’ first 16 points. Greenwood managed to slice its deficit in half before Coffey scored on back-to-back baskets near the end of the period to give Hall a 20-11 lead.

The Lady Bulldogs fought back in the second quarter. Greenwood used dribble penetration to draw fouls that resulted in free-throw opportunities. The Lady Bulldogs used a 12-2 run to tie the game at 24-24 and had a chance to retake the lead after a turnover by Hall, but Scaife came up with consecutive steals and layups to help send the Lady Warriors into halftime with a 31-26 lead.

Sports, Pages 23 on 01/12/2013