Speed kills Cabot as NLR surges to victory

It was competitive through the first three minutes of the second quarter, when the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats surged away to take command and an eventual 65-47 victory over the Cabot Panthers at North Little Rock High Gymnasium on Friday night.

“Speed kills,” said Cabot Coach Jerry Bridges to North Little Rock scoreboard operator Gary Stevens as he walked with his team from the dressing room for the start of the second half.

Bridges later explained.

“Man, we were right there, and then they got us playing so fast,” he said. “They just had five players out there. I kept counting, but I think my guys thought they had eight or nine. We did do some good things, but they’re solid. Their pressure is strong. It was strong tonight and did what it needed for them.”

Cabot senior guard Hunter York hit a three-pointer to tie the score a 14-14 with 5:38 left in the second quarter. From then until halftime, beginning with two free throws by sophomore guard Adrian Moore, North Little Rock outscored Cabot 23-4.

North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice said his team is at times vulnerable to half court sets, which Cabot was able to direct at the start. Then his players grabbed the lever.

North Little Rock’s speed led to fast-break points on eight consecutive possessions, capped by senior guard Anton Beard’s layup that gave the Charging Wildcats (11-1, 1-0 7A/6A East) a 30-15 lead with 2:32 left in the half.

“I think our defensive intensity picked up at that stretch,” Rice said. “We were able to get up and down the floor a little bit.”

Junior guard Kevaughn Allen led North Little Rock with 19 points. Senior guard Anton Beard scored 15, junior guard K.J. Hill 13 and Moore 10.

Sophomore forward Hunter Southerland scored 12points to lead Cabot (9-4, 0-1).

“We’re not where we need to be yet,” Rice said. “We have a lot of scorers, a lot of people who can make things happen. We just gotta figure when’s the best time to do it. But that’s a good problem to have, when you have a lot of guys who can score.”

North Little Rock won the Class 7A state basketball championship last season, and Rice said that has made his team a target. He said it was evident as Cabot took a 7-0 lead to start the game. North Little Rock trailed through the first six minutes.

“Last year, we hadn’t won it in 42 years and we were kind of under the radar,” Rice said. “This year, we’re everybody’s Super Bowl. Everybody’s got us circled on the calendar.”