CONWAY -- Junior guard Khalen Robinson is more than a closer, but when a game is on the line, he is easy to find.
Robinson scored 31 points to lead the Bryant Hornets to a 67-64 overtime victory over the Conway Wampus Cats at Bolding Arena on Friday night.
"I think Robinson's the best closer in our conference," Conway Coach Brian "Salty" Longing said. "When the game's on the line, he's going to have the ball in his hands, and what makes him tough is that he has such good players around him."
Conway has a few closers of its own.
Sophomore guard Camren Hunter hit one of two free-throw attempts to give Bryant a 59-56 lead with 14.7 seconds left in regulation. Conway, after two timeouts, found senior guard Christian Williams on the perimeter, and he responded with a three-point shot with 2.3 seconds left.
Bryant (22-4, 13-1 6A-Central) turned the ball over on its final possession of regulation but held off Conway through the four-minute overtime period.
"This was definitely a state-tournament atmosphere," Bryant Coach Michael Abrahamson said.
Two free throws by Robinson gave Bryant a 62-61 lead with 1:38 left. Bryant's lead was 66-61 with 38 seconds left, but Conway pulled within 66-64 after Williams hit three free-throw attempts with 27.6 seconds left.
A free throw by Robinson gave Bryant a 67-64 lead six seconds later, but Conway missed four three-point shots on its final possession.
Senior guard Kylen Milton led Conway with 17 points. Senior forward Jakilyn Kaiser scored 13.
Conway controlled the scoring early in the game and led 11-5 on a fast-break slam dunk by Milton with 3:18 left in the first quarter.
After a timeout by Bryant, Robinson hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to pull Bryant within 18-16 early in the second quarter. His three-pointer at 4:32 gave Bryant its first lead since the game's first minute at 19-18.
"He is a good closer, but he's also good at the start of the game and in the middle of games," Abrahamson said.
Robinson's two free throws gave Bryant a 25-20 lead with 2:17 left in the second quarter.
After a layup by Conway junior guard Caleb London, Bryant led at halftime 25-22.
Sports on 02/23/2019