Parkview adds some offense to defense

Little Rock Parkview Patriots Coach Al Flanigan said his basketball teams have always started with defense.

Perhaps so, but Parkview's offense caught up at Ripley Arena on Friday night in the Patriots' 72-36 victory over El Dorado.

Parkview (14-3, 5-0 6A-South) shot 57.4 percent from the field, and four players scored 12 or more points, led by junior guard Ryan Pippins with 18 points. Senior guard Braelon Walker scored 16, including 11 in the first quarter as Parkview took control.

"I always say that defense wins championships," Flanigan said. "We don't even work that much on offense. I try to give them some freedom so that these guys don't put too much pressure on themselves. But they don't have a choice about defense. They have to play defense."

"We had called around, and I had about three game films on [Parkview], and the thing that they didn't do, they'd never shot it like they did tonight," El Dorado Coach Gary Simmons said. "And a lot of those shots they hit, we were right up in their face. We came out and got some looks, and just couldn't put it in the hole tonight."

El Dorado (13-4, 3-2) missed its first eight shots from the field and shot 28.9 percent for the game.

"It's hard for us to get down like that and come back against a team as athletic as this one," Simmons said. "We won't see a team this athletic again.

"Their defense is even better than their offense. They shot it well tonight, but they countered everything that we tried to do offensively. We had some good looks, but they are so hard up in you with their pressure. That's the first time we've seen something like that."

Parkview led 40-21 at halftime and scored 25 points in the third quarter to take a 65-29 lead. Pippins scored 14 in the third, and hit 3 three-pointers -- his final with eight seconds left.

Senior guard Jaylen Franklin scored 15 points for Parkview and sophomore forward Javon Franklin scored 12.

"This is probably the best we've looked on offense this year," Flanigan said. "And I could see it coming. Everybody just stepped it up a little. This is the best we've looked with four or five guys stepping up and scoring for us."

El Dorado (36)

Stewart 1 0-0 2, Unice 4 0-0 10, Jefferson 0 0-0 0, Hicks 1 0-0 2, Willis 1 0-0 2, Simmons 0 0-0 0, Manning 0 2-2 2, Ford 2 2-2 7, Gifford 2 0-2 4, Perry 3 1-1 7. Totals 11 5-7 36

LR Parkview (72)

Walker 5 3-5 16, Bush 1 0-0 2, Jay. Franklin 6 3-6 15, Pippins 6 2-2 18, Jav. Franklin 5 2-2 12, Garland 4 0-0 8, Milner 0 1-2 1. Totals 27 11-17 72

El Dorado (13-4); 6 15 8 7 -- 36

LR Parkview (14-3); 19 21 25 7 -- 72

Three-point shots -- El Dorado 3 (Unice 2, Ford 1); LR Parkview 7 (Pippins 4, Walker 3). Total fouls -- El Dorado 10; LR Parkview 11. Technical fouls -- El Dorado, bench

Sports on 01/24/2015

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