LR PARKVIEW 52, HOT SPRINGS 39
Al Flanigan doesn't think his Little Rock Parkview team has a "go-get-'em'" mentality just yet, but the Patriots were able to get after Hot Springs from the outset Saturday.
Parkview jumped out to a 15-point, first-quarter lead and silenced two second-half rallies with big shots from senior guard C.J. White to beat the Trojans 52-39 in the semifinals of the Class 5A boys state tournament at Maumelle High School.
White had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the Patriots (24-8), who are heading to the state championship game for the third consecutive season. Senior center Ethan Henderson finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks and junior forward Allen Flanigan added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Patriots won the Class 6A state championship in 2016 and was the runner-up last season, but they'll get a chance to make amends this week when they face rival Mills in an all 5A-Central final. The Comets beat the Patriots in last year's title game 64-61 and have won all three meetings between the two teams this season.
"We've got to go finish this sucka this time," Flanigan said with a smile. "This is just what I wanted, to get back to the finals. And you know who I want."
Parkview couldn't have asked for a better start Saturday.
The Patriots shot 8 of 14 in the first quarter and surged to a 19-4 lead. Parkview also forced five turnovers during that span and used its length and size on defense to disrupt Hot Springs' offensive flow. The smaller Trojans attempted just three shots in the quarter and never got into a rhythm until the third.
"We ran into a blitz," Hot Springs Coach Rodney Echols said. "Parkview got off to a great start, and I can see us being nervous. They've got a good group of kids, a good group of seniors. ... a bunch of college players on the team.
"Their size caused us a lot of problems early, and you can attribute that to me having a bunch of young guys on the floor. They jumped on us."
White scored 17 points in the first half, including four three-pointers, as Parkview led by as many as 18 (29-11). Hot Springs did score the final five points of the second quarter to get within 29-16 at the half.
The Trojans continued to fight back in the third quarter by scoring 11 of the first 14 points. A three-pointer from senior guard Payton Hayes cut Parkview's led to 32-27 at the 4:08 mark, but White's basket quelled the rally and helped the Patriots carry a 39-32 lead into the fourth.
Hot Springs again cut its deficit to five after a lay-up from sophomore guard Deante Sanders with 7:32 left in the game made it 39-34, but White's three-pointer 15 seconds later again gave the Patriots a cushion. Parkview slowly pulled away after there.
"We finally calmed down," Flanigan said. "It's something about these guys. They don't have that killer instinct yet. We started getting out of our modes and taking bad shots.
"But we play good enough on defense to stay in the game.."
Parkview ended the game 16 of 35 from the field and forced 13 turnovers total. Hot Springs was 11-of-26 shooting.
MILLS 60, LR FAIR 51
Senior guard Grehlon Easter fueled a fourth-quarter rally as Mills (28-2) advanced to its second consecutive Class 5A state title game by outlasting Little Rock Fair.
Easter had four steals and scored six points over the final 3:21 as the Comets scored the final 12 points of the game to erase a 51-48 deficit.
Easter finished with 15 points, 7 steals, 5 rebounds and 6 assists for Mills, which shot 21 of 51 in winning its 27th game in a row. Junior forward Kevin Cross had 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Senior forward Mikael Foust had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Fair (24-6), which never trailed until late in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Deaveon Bankston added 9 points and 11 rebounds.
Fair, which was 22 of 55 from the field, led the entire first half by shooting 67 percent (14 of 21) and forcing Mills into nine turnovers. The War Eagles led 31-28 at halftime and pushed that cushion to eight (42-34) after Foust’s three-point play with 4:14 left in the third quarter.
Mills took its first lead of the game, 53-51, on Easter’s two free throws with 1:46 left in the fourth. Easter added another free throw moments later after a Fair technical foul, and later found Cross underneath the basket with 45 seconds left to give the Comets some breathing room.
Sports on 03/04/2018