CHARLESTON 72, JUNCTION CITY 44
BALD KNOB -- Charleston Coach B.J. Ross knew his second-seeded Tigers needed their "A" game to get past third-seeded Junction City in Wednesday's Class 3A state tournament at Bulldog Arena.
Ross' Tigers not only gave him their "A" game, they ended the game under the Arkansas Activities Association's 30-point "mercy rule," winning 72-44.
Charleston invoked the rule in the first minute of the fourth quarter after hitting a three-pointer, one of six for the game, and going up 70-40.
"We really haven't played Junction City but we knew they were athletic," Ross said. "We had to be patient and we needed to get the ball in the hands of the right guy."
The right guy for the Tigers was senior Brandon Fenner, who made five three-pointers and finished with 34 points to lead all scorers. Fenner made 25 points of those points in the first half.
Teammate Michael Green added 12 points and Chase Ewing added 10.
Charleston led 21-8 after one quarter and 52-27 at the half.
The Tigers scored their points in bunches, including runs of 8-0 twice, 6-0 and 7-0 in the decisive second quarter.
It was more of the same in the third quarter as the Tigers outscored the Dragons 13 to 10 to lead 65-37 to start the final frame.
Charleston, besides being deadly from the field, dropped in 15 free throws as well.
Seven different players scored for Junction City, but no one finished in double figures. Lajuan Hill led the Dragons with nine points, while Jalen Davis had eight.
Charleston will take on top-seeded Riverside at 8:30 p.m. today in the second-round game. Riverside defeated KIPP Delta in Tuesday's opener.
JESSIEVILLE 55, CENTERPOINT 49
The No. 4-seeded Jessieville Lions punched their ticket into the second round of the Class 3A state tournament Wednesday, knocking off the top-seeded Centerpoint Knights 55-49. Jessieville held off a furious Centerpoint rally late in the fourth quarter and will come back Friday to face either Tuckerman or Marshall in the 8:30 game. Centerpoint led 37-36 to start the fourth quarter but fell behind after the Lions forced a 44-44 tie with 2:59 left and were unable to regain the lead. Jessieville led by three with 40 seconds to play and 53-49 with 18 seconds remaining. Jessieville got 18 points from Braxton Shifflett and 13 points from Payton Burnett in the victory while Centerpoint was led by Parker Sutton’s 23 points. Jessieville led 16-14 after one quarter and 27-24 at the half.
Sports on 03/02/2017