Raekwon Rogers came alive in the second half to help Little Rock Central rally past Conway 54-49 in a 7A-Central game at the Tiger fieldhouse Friday night.
Rogers, a 6-7 senior forward, scored 13 of his 15 points in the final two quarters as Central overcame a 46-41 deficit in the game's final 3:50. Rogers also finished with nine rebounds and three blocks.
"I always have to keep a fire under Raekwon," Central Coach Oliver Fitzpatrick said. "But he had some big rebounds and a really big blocked shot in the fourth quarter. He's a force for us. We've just got to get him to play hard all the time."
Senior guard Cameron Johnson led Central with 17 points, including seven points in the final 2:15. Johnson hit a three-pointer with 2:15 left that tied the game at 46-46. Rogers followed with a two-pointer 20 seconds later and the Tigers (12-6, 2-2) never trailed again.
Conway guard Carson Petrucelli hit a three-pointer with 1:10 remaining to bring the Wampus Cats (9-8, 1-3) to within 50-49, but two free throws by Johnson with 42.5 seconds left and another by junior guard Donald Richardson secured Central's victory.
Petrucelli scored 15 points, while Gentrall Taylor and Kendarious Smith each had nine points for Conway, which led 40-38 heading into the final quarter.
The game featured nine lead changes. Conway hit 19 of 43 shots while Central was 18 of 40 from the floor.
CONWAY (49)
Petrucelli 5 2-2 15, Taylor 4 1-1 9, Smith 3 1-2 9, Bradshaw 2 0-0 4, O'Bannon 2 0-0 4, Milton 2 0-0 4, Ashby 0 0-0 0, Lowe 0 0-0 0, Maull 0 1-2 1, Williams 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 5-7 49.
CENTRAL (54)
C. Johnson 4 6-9 17, Richardson 3 1-3 7, Platt 1 2-4 4, Rogers 5 5-7 15, Moore 0 0-0 0, Jackson 3 0-0 6, Dudley 1 0-0 3, G. Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 14-23 54.
Conway (9-8) 14 11 15 9 -- 49
Central (12-6) 11 11 16 16 -- 54
Three-point goals -- Conway 6 (Petrucelli 3, Smith 2, Williams); Central 4 (C. Johnson 3, Dudley). Team fouls -- Conway 20, Central 10. Technicals -- Petrucelli; C. Johnson. Fouled out -- Bradshaw.
Sports on 01/21/2017