CLASS 3A

Eagles bust loose in 4th quarter

CHARLESTON - A handful of defensive hiccups didn’t keep Mayflower off course for long Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles withstood a series of Drew Central rallies in the first three quarters and then pulled away late to win 85-62 in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament at the Tiger Center.

Mayflower (24-7) had four players combine for all but two of its points. Junior JP Perry scored 27 points, including 16 in the second half, and juniors Drew Duncan and Hayden Long added 22 each.

The Pirates (13-17) pulled to within 32-26 with 2:16 left in the first half before Mayflower closed the second period on 10-0 run. Drew Central used a 9-3 spurt to open the second half and was within 45-35 when the Eagles responded again with a 16-7 run and led 61-42 with 28 seconds left in the third period.

“When [Drew Central] hit shots we were lucky that we came down and executed and made shots,” Mayflower Coach Brent Stallings said. “I’m a little disappointed in our defense. I thought we should have held them down some more, but give them credit, they made some big shots and kept us worried for a while.”

Perry and Long scored eight points each in a 24-point fourth quarter to keep a sizable difference and help the Eagles advance to Monday’s quarterfinals against tournament host Charleston.

“We’ve got some weapons on offense,” Stallings said. “We made some plays today, and that’s the key this time of the year. “We are going to have to continue to make those kind of plays because Charleston isn’t going to let us play defense like we did today. They’ll take it to us.”

Sophomore Edmond Hunter scored 16 second-half points to lead Drew Central. Senior Jerald Binns added 13.

BENTON HARMONY GROVE 55, FORDYCE 43

Benton Harmony Grove (24-7) outscored Fordyce 10-0 in the first quarter en route to the opening-round victory.

Junior Drake Wilks scored 16 to lead the Cardinals, which led 28-17 at the half. Sophomore Jake Scoggins added 14 and senior Mitch Scoggins had 12 for Harmony Grove, which advances to play Earle in Monday’s quarterfinals.

Senior Devonte Moore and junior Ariyon Sumler scored 14 each to lead the Redbugs (15-9).

EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE 85, RIVERCREST 55

Sophomore Kelvin Robinson scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds and junior Mahlon Martin finished with 26 points and five three-pointers as the Wildcats (27-3) advanced with a victory over the Colts (21-8)

Senior William Pollock added 19 points, including five three-pointers for Episcopal, which moves on to play Cedarville or McGehee in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Wildcats led 33-25 at the half but outscored the Colts 52-30 in the second half, including 25-8 in the fourth period.

Junior Marquez Chew scored 21 points, 12 in the third period, to lead Rivercrest.

Sports, Pages 24 on 03/09/2014

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