7A/6A-EAST BOYS

Hurricane stall, then strike Tigers with bull's-eye attack

Little Rock Central center Raekwon Rogers (52) tries to put up a shot in front of Jonesboro’s Jonathan Adams in the Tigers’ 78-68 loss to the Hurricane in a 7A/6A-East game Tuesday in Little Rock.
Little Rock Central center Raekwon Rogers (52) tries to put up a shot in front of Jonesboro’s Jonathan Adams in the Tigers’ 78-68 loss to the Hurricane in a 7A/6A-East game Tuesday in Little Rock.

It wasn't the dominating performance that Jonesboro unleashed against Little Rock Central a month ago, but it was enough to keep the Hurricane rolling toward an undefeated conference season.

Desi Sills scored 16 points and Ben Harvey added 15 to help Jonesboro overcome a halftime deficit and defeat Central 78-68 on Tuesday night.

The Hurricane (18-2 overall, 9-0 in 7A/6A-East) won with a second-half display of offensive efficiency.

Jonesboro went 9 for 11 from the field in the third quarter to grab the lead for good, then made 9 of 13 in the fourth to pull away.

Sills scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter and was the catalyst when Jonesboro outscored 11-4 to dissolve Central's lead for good. Harvey hit 6 of 7 from the field, including 3 three-pointers.

"Offensively we're starting to find our niche," Jonesboro Coach Wes Swift said. "There for a long time Desi and Ben were kind of sputtering along, not sure what their role was on our team. They've figured it out. They're two of our best scorers."

Central (12-9, 4-5) couldn't keep up with Jonesboro despite 23 points from Cameron Johnson and 18 from Raekwon Rogers, but Central Coach Oliver Fitzpatrick said his team showed dramatic improvement from the first matchup with the Hurricane -- an 80-39 loss in Jonesboro on Jan. 12.

"We had a solid effort out there tonight," Fitzpatrick said. "It's still a loss, but the last time we played them, they beat us 40... That's an indication of how much we've improved.

"They still played a good game, I mean they scored 78 points. But we were able to give them a game."

Jonesboro jumped ahead 10-3, but Central scored the next six to pull within 10-9. From midway through the first quarter until well into the fourth, neither team built a lead greater than five points.

Central's biggest lead was 35-30 after a 10-foot floater from Johnson, but Jonesboro scored the next six points to lead 36-35 at halftime.

Sills scored Jonesboro's first 10 points of the second half, and his fast-break layup gave Jonesboro a 45-43 lead.

"We needed it to be somebody," Swift said. "It's kind of by committee, and we have a number of guys who can do that, and Desi is one of them. He sparked us in the third quarter, no doubt."

The Tigers tied the game once more -- on a Henry Dudley three-pointer late in the third -- but they never led again.

Marquis Eaton's 15-footer a few seconds after Dudley's three-point gave the Hurricane a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Jonesboro led 59-55 lead entering the fourth, and five turnovers in the final six minutes sabotaged Central's chances of a comeback.

Eaton finished with 10 points and Jonathan Adams added nine in victory. Dudley had nine points on 3 three-pointers for Central.

JONESBORO (78)

Wilson 1 1-2 3, Sills 6 1-3 16, Walker 4 0-0 8, Harvey 6 0-0 15, Adams 4 1-2 9, Eaton 3 4-4 10, Hutson 1 0-2 2, Lane 1 0-0 3, Landon 3 0-0 6, Hunter 2 2-4 6. Totals 31 9-17 78.

LR CENTRAL (68)

Johnson 10 2-7 23, Platt 0 2-2 2, Rogers 6 6-8 18, Richardson 4 0-0 10, Means 1 1-2 3, Dudley 3 0-0 9, R. Jackson 0 0-0 0, J. Jackson 0 0-0 0, Brewer 1 1-1 3. Totals 25 12-20 68.

Jonesboro (18-2); 21;14;24;19 -- 78

Central (12-9);22;14;19;13 -- 68

Three-point goals -- Jonesboro 7 (Sills 3, Harvey 3, Lane). Central 6 (Dudley 3, Richardson 2, Johnson). Team fouls -- Jonesboro 19, Central 16. Fouled out -- none.

Sports on 02/10/2016

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