LR PARKVIEW 64, LR FAIR 34
Little Rock Parkview relied on a tried-and-true method to topple Little Rock Fair for a third time this season: Defense.
The Patriots (21-5, 11-2 6A/5A-4) harassed the War Eagles (15-10, 6-7) into shooting 10 of 25 (40 percent) from the field, while also forcing 15 turnovers to cruise to a 64-34 victory Tuesday night at Parkview's Charles Ripley Arena.
"The past few weeks, we've been trying to kind of cover up on that end of the floor," Parkview Coach Al Flanigan said of his team's defense. "We've been playing a lot of zone, but tonight we went back to man and that's really our bread and butter."
Five first-quarter turnovers set the tone as the Patriots ran the floor and made 6 of 9 shots from the field in the first eight minutes. The final field goal was a three-pointer by C.J. White that beat the buzzer and allowed the Patriots to lead 17-5 entering the second quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same for Parkview as the Patriots forced five more turnovers and took a 20-point lead when Javon Franklin made another buzzer-beater for a 34-14 halftime advantage.
The lead swelled to 30 points when Parkview center Caleb Stokes converted a three-point play to make it 53-23 with 1:38 left in the third quarter. The Patriots led 55-25 entering the fourth quarter.
Moses Moody copped a steal at halfcourt and scored on a layup to give Parkview its largest lead at 61-29 with less than two minutes remaining.
Parkview had beaten Fair two times already this season: Once at the Jammin' For Jackets championship game in December and in their first conference meeting in January. But Flanigan said he wasn't concerned about his team overlooking the War Eagles.
"Our guys know what time it is and we know that we want to start playing our best this time of year," he said.
Parkview was led by Henderson's 14 points, while Garland added 13 and White had nine.
Fair got 12 from Kris Bankston and 11 from Deveon Bankston.
Sports on 02/15/2017