CONWAY -- Little Rock Central had too much of an inside presence for Springdale Har-Ber on Saturday.
Forwards Raekwon Rogers and Tyler Moore combined for 24 points and 15 rebounds as the Tigers topped the Wildcats 69-50 in the John Stanton Classic at Buzz Bolding Arena.
Central Coach Oliver Fitzpatrick said he thought his team played better after having to rally for a 12-point victory over Fayetteville on Friday.
"I think we cleaned up some stuff from last night, especially in the first half," Fitzpatrick said. "I think we got our big guys going a little bit earlier. We did a better job on the defensive end, but we still let their shooters get loose on us."
Har-Ber (5-4) knocked down 7 of 12 three-point attempts, but the Wildcats were no match for the Tigers' inside game. Central (6-2) enjoyed a 36-21 advantage on the boards, and the Tigers scored 22 points on shots taken inside the paint and another 20 points on free throws.
"We did not come out and compete like we needed to, and they are a very good team," Har-Ber Coach Scott Bowlin said. "When your margin of error is not very big, you can't come out and be a passive team. They came out and attacked the rim, and we kept settling for outside shots."
Senior Cameron Johnson led Central with 16 points, but it was Rogers and Moore who made the difference early. Rogers finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds, scoring 6 points in the first quarter as the Tigers got off to a 16-8 start. Moore scored 10 points and had 6 rebounds, including 4 points and 3 rebounds in the opening eight minutes.
"Cam is a very unselfish player," Fitzpatrick said. "He's not all about himself. He tries to get his teammates involved. And when we have games where others can carry the scoring load, he's more than willing to allow that to happen. But we know we always have him in the bag when we need him."
Har-Ber guard Tylor Perry led all scorers with 18 points, but no other Wildcat had more than nine points.
CENTRAL (69)
Dudley 2 0-0 5, C. Johnson 6 4-7 16, Platt 2 2-4 7, G. Johnson 0 1-2 1, Moore 3 4-5 10, Arnett 2 1-3 5, Murray 1 0-0 2, Rogers 5 4-7 14, Collins-Finley 0 0-0 0, Brewer 0 2-2 2, Richardson 2 2-4 7. Totals 23 20-34 69.
HAR-BER (50)
T. Perry 5 6-8 18, King 2 0-2 5, T. Garrett 3 2-3 9, Williams 1 0-0 2, A. Garrett 2 1-5 5, Taylor 2 0-0 6, Kaunity 1 0-0 3, Ragsdale 0 0-0 0, Mason 0 2-2 2, Broadway 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 11-20 50.
Central (6-2) 16 17 20 16 -- 69
Har-Ber (5-4) 8 12 14 16 -- 50
Three-point goals -- Central 3 (Dudley, Platt, Richardson); Har-Ber 7 (T. Perry 2, Taylor 2, King, Garrett, Kaunity). Team fouls -- Central 16, Har-Ber 22. Fouled out -- King.
Sports on 12/18/2016