Jordyn Neal didn’t score in the first 51 minutes Friday night, but it would be an error to say the 5-5 junior guard did not contribute.
Neal all but sealed North Little Rock’s 80-74, five-overtime victory over Fort Smith Northside by hitting two free throws with 14.6 seconds left to give the Lady Charging Wildcats a 78-73 advantage.
She also handed out seven assists as North Little Rock rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit.
“Our minds will be somewhere else, and then we’ll figure it out,” Neal said while trying to explain the Lady Charging Wildcats’ slow start. “We’re tough. We know what we have to do and how to come back from stuff like that.”
North Little Rock scored only three points in the second quarter and hit only 7 of 24 (29 percent) from the floor in the first half. By the end, the Lady Charging Wildcats were 24-of-67 (35.8 percent) shooting, including a 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) effort from three-point range.
“North Little Rock hit a lot of big threes,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said. “We were daring them to shoot from the perimeter because we were in foul trouble and couldn’t match up inside. But they hit some huge threes down the stretch.”
Northside hit 26 of 63
(41.3 percent) of its shots and held a 55-27 advantage on the boards. North Little Rock countered its rebounding deficit with a 19-4 advantage on steals.
Lady Bears junior Sara Bershers scored 27 points before fouling out with 1:21 left in the fifth overtime. Sophomore Tracey Bershers had 17 rebounds.
CONWAY BOYS
Big play Cats
Conway had one of its worst first halves of the 2017-2018 season Friday night against Little Rock Central.
The Wampus Cats scored seven points in the first two quarters and trailed 17-7 at halftime. But they outscored the Tigers 36-22 in the second half to earn a 43-39 victory at Buzz Bolding Arena in Conway.
Sophomore guard Caleb London scored 14 points to lead the Wampus Cats (12-4, 3-1 7A-Central).
Conway Coach Brian “Salty” Longing credited Little Rock Central for its zone defense in the first half.
“There wasn’t a whole lot to say at halftime,” Longing said. “Central did a fantastic job in their zone. We were frustrated. You could see the body language.
“We just needed somebody to make a shot.”
Longing got his wish in the third quarter.
London’s three-pointer with 1:24 remaining in the quarter gave Conway its first lead of the game, 23-22. His shot was part of Conway’s quarter-ending 11-2 run over the final four minutes as it took a 25-24 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“It just spurred us,” Longing said of London’s shot.
Senior guard Donald Richardson’s layup pulled the Tigers within 42-39 with 10.8 seconds left. After a Conway turnover, Little Rock Central had an opportunity to tie the game.
But Richardson’s inbounds pass was tipped by Conway senior guard Stuart Lowe and junior guard Lerome Thompson got the steal and was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. Thompson made one of two free throws for a 43-39 lead and the victory.
WALDRON BOYS
All in the family
Payton Brown fell two points shy of tying a school record with his 56-point effort against Subiaco Academy on Jan. 12.
The Waldron record-holder is Payton’s father — Jason Brown, who scored 58 points during a triple-overtime game during the 1992-1993 season.
“Payton is a special player,” said Waldron Coach Joshua Brown, who is not related to the Bulldogs’ sophomore point guard. “He’s 6-4. He’s strong. He’s physical. He can shoot, and he can get to the rim and finish. He’s a next-level kid for sure.”
Brown is averaging 30.6 points a game for the Bulldogs (8-9). He also has had two 42-point games this season.
In the 73-70 victory over Subiaco, Brown made 13 of 26 field-goal attempts and 23 of 26 free throws.
“He had his [shooting] stroke that night, and you may not believe this with as many points as we gave up, but we defended our tails off,” Coach Brown said.
Payton Brown followed the 56-point game with a 29-point effort in a one-point loss to Cedarville on Tuesday. Coach Brown said Payton Brown played most of the game in foul trouble.
NORFORK GIRLS
Nearing the century mark
The seniors on Norfork’s roster have won a combined 99 games in the past four years. The Lady Panthers would obviously like to add a state championship to that impressive resume.
As freshmen, they won four games after they were moved up to the varsity team at the end of the 2015 season. They have compiled a 95-14 record for the Class 1A program since they were sophomores.
“I think that’s a pretty interesting tidbit,” Norfork Coach Josh Laymon said. “These girls have a chance to do something very special.”
Norfork is averaging 64.4 points per game this season while giving up 37.3. The Lady Panthers’ lone loss came against North Little Rock in the final of the Mountain Home tournament.
Laymon said Marleigh Dodson, a 6-2 senior who is scoring 15 ppg, is approaching the 2,000-point mark for her career. Senior guard Ivy McGowan recently topped the 1,000-point mark and is scoring 14 ppg.
Juniors Macy Dillard and Kinley Stowers are averaging 10 points each.
The Lady Panthers finished 41-2 last season but suffered a 54-47 loss to Wonderview in the semifinals of the state tournament.
“I have some very competitive kids who love to play the game,” Laymon said. “Every day they show their intensity in practice.
“Were they unhappy about last year? Of course they were, but they were just as competitive and intense last year. That hasn’t changed.”
On Thursday, Norfork beat Salem 63-24, scoring the game’s final 25 points. Salem entered that contest riding a 10-game winning streak.
“The girls were zoned in,” Laymon said. “The game plan that we laid out for them, they performed to their very best. We did get into some early foul trouble, but we had fresher legs for the end of the game.”
SACRED HEART
Noteworthy efforts
Sacred Heart coaches Kyle Duvall and Aaron Duvall will be prominent footnotes in the career of Guy-Perkins Coach John Hutchcraft.
Kyle Duvall’s Lady Rebels kept Hutchcraft from earning victory No. 2,000 when Sacred Heart rallied for an 88-85 overtime victory. Hutchcraft wound up earning the milestone victory when his Thunderbirds held off Aaron Duvall’s Rebels, 88-75, in the boys game.
Aaron and Kyle are brothers who both played for Sacred Heart.
“I didn’t want to be the footnote on that record,” laughed Kyle between games on Tuesday night when Hutchcraft reached his landmark victory.
Thanks to sophomore Madeline Bottoms, the Lady Rebels coach can say he kept the Guy-Perkins coach at 1,999. Bottoms scored 40 points, including eight points in the overtime. She also grabbed 11 rebounds. Earlier in the season, Bottoms posted a 39-point game against the Lady Thunderbirds.
The coach said Bottoms is averaging 14 points a game.
“Her two games against Guy-Perkins have been her best,” Kyle Duvall said. “She’s the type of player who can attack the rim really well. She’s done a lot of good things for us.”
Two other Lady Rebels — senior Emily Tipton and junior Jenna Chadek — scored 24 and 19 points, respectively. Tipton secured 16 rebounds in Tuesday’s game.
Guy-Perkins senior Gracey Acre scored 43 points, collected 7 rebounds and made 3 steals in Tuesday’s game.