CABOT -- Little Rock Central Coach Brian Ross said his team was desperate for a victory.
The Tigers got it Tuesday night, defeating Cabot 48-43 at Panther Arena to snap a three-game losing streak in the 6A-Central Conference.
Senior forward Rajhon McIntosh led the Tigers (11-5, 1-3) with 13 points.
Central started 0-3 in the 6A-Central with a 67-63 overtime loss at North Little Rock, a 46-44 home loss to Fort Smith Northside and a 59-47 setback at Bryant. On Tuesday, the Tigers found a way to earn their first league victory of the season.
"When you're 0-3, you either quit or you work a little extra harder," said Ross, who is in his first season at Central after leading Baptist Prep to three consecutive Class 4A state championships. "These guys dug down deep. They're a competitive group of guys. I'm real proud of them."
The Tigers led 34-30 entering the fourth quarter and went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 45-35 with 3:00 remaining.
Cabot cut the lead to 47-43 with 25.6 seconds left on junior guard Seth Vance's three-pointer. Vance led the Panthers (14-3, 2-2) with a game-high 16 points, including four three-pointers.
After senior guard Jakaylyn Jackson missed two free throws, Cabot had an opportunity to pull closer. But McIntosh drew an offensive foul against Cabot junior guard Jackson Muse with 14.9 seconds left as Muse attempted to make a layup.
Sophomore guard Corey Camper made one of two free throws with 11.9 seconds left to make it a five-point lead for the Tigers. Vance missed a three-point attempt, and the Tigers held on to hand Cabot its second consecutive loss.
Cabot Coach Chris Meseke was disappointed with his team's effort.
"I didn't think we played with a lot of energy or a lot of passion tonight," Meseke said. "I thought we did at the end. But we didn't have that bounce in our step. It got us."
Junior forward Jacob Hudson finished with 14 points for Cabot.
Sports on 01/16/2019