FORT SMITH -- Make it a three-game 6A-Central Conference winning streak for the Little Rock Central Tigers.
Central used a big second quarter to take control of the game then was able to hold on down the stretch for a 54-49 victory against Fort Smith Southside in a 6A-Central Conference matchup at Southside Gym.
"It's tough to go on the road and win," Central coach Brian Ross said. "We are happy to be able to do it. I'm proud of the guys bouncing back to give us the win."
Central (13-5, 3-3 6A Central) was led by A.J. Williams scoring a team-high 17 points. Ray McIntosh added 14, while Ky'lyn Arnett also had 10 for the Tigers.
Central opened with league losses to North Little Rock, Fort Smith Northside and Bryant but bounced back now with wins against Cabot, Conway and now Southside.
"We got our confidence back when we won the game against Cabot and have played really well since then," Ross said. "We only had one bad game in that stretch. We lost two really close ones. Every night in this league is tough."
Southside (4-14, 0-6) jumped out to a 15-8 lead after the first quarter of the game taking advantage of 10 turnovers from Central early in the game.
Central was able to bounce back after that, outscoring Southside 23-4 in a key second quarter to take a 31-19 lead into the break. The Tigers used a 16-0 run to head into the break with the big lead.
Central found good shots in the first quarter, making four of seven from the field, but the turnovers limited the offense early to the lowest scoring quarter of the game.
"When you turn the ball over that much, it is hard to find any rhythm," Ross said. "We don't turn it over in the second quarter and good things happened. I'm proud of the adjustments the guys made."
Southside used the 3-point line often in the third quarter to cut the Central lead to 40-33 heading into the final quarter.
The Mavericks were able to get four shots behind the arc to fall with Mykale Franks hitting two while Tyrese Soloman and Elijah York each had one.
Southside was able to cut the Central lead to 45-40 with a pair of free throw from Soloman with 2:49 left to play but couldn't get any closer after that.
The Tigers made just one of eight shots in the final quarter but were able to make 12 of 17 free-throw attempts to help secure the road victory.
The huge second quarter for the Tigers was needed, as the Mavericks were able to outscore the Tigers 30-23 in the second half.
"We got just the margin we needed in that second quarter," Ross said. "I'm proud of the way the guys played down the stretch making the shots we needed to win."
Southside was led by Soloman's team-high 11 points. Dalton Thomas added 11, while Taye Gatewood finished with 10 for the Mavericks.
Central 8 23 9 14 -- 54
Southside 15 4 14 16 -- 49
Central (13-5, 3-3): Williams 17, Mclntosh 14, Arnett 10, Camper 9, Jones 2, Etim 2.
Southside (4-14, 0-6): Soloman 13, Thomas 11, Gatewood 10, York 6, Franks 6, Coleman 2, McBride 1.
Girls
Little Rock Central 53, Fort Smith Southside 47
Little Rock Central senior guard Ariyanna Hall stepped up for the Lady Tigers when it was needed most Tuesday night at Southside Gym.
Hall scored a game-high 28 points, including 18 fourth-quarter points, to help lead the way without leading scorer Lauryn Pendleton, who was out because of injury.
Fort Smith Southside (0-16, 0-6 6A-Central) held a 40-30 lead heading into the final quarter. Hall then scored nine consecutive points for Central to cut the lead to 49-39 in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter.
"She is a senior and that's what she is supposed to do," Central coach Michael B. Green said. "I told her sometimes you got to put your team on your back. That's what she did. We needed her scoring."
Central (7-10, 2-4) took a 46-45 lead with points from Hall with 1:44 left in the game. The Lady Tigers then outscored the Lady Mavericks 7-2 after that to put the game away and snap a two-game losing streak.
"A 'W' always looks better than an 'L"," Green said. "I give a lot of credit to Southside. They haven't won a game and they are still battling. They have a good group over there."
Southside was led by a team-high 17 points from Melanie Rice, while teammate Erin Graham added 14 for the Lady Mavericks.
Southside took a 28-24 advantage into the break by scoring the final six points of the second quarter.
Shilo Lareno gave the Lady Mavericks a 26-24 lead with a pair of free throws with nine seconds left, then Graham added to the lead with a basket at the buzzer.
Rice was a big part of the offense in the first half, scoring 14 points before the break including 10 second-quarter points.
Central held a 14-13 lead after the initial quarter of the game and pushed it out to a 20-16 lead early in the second quarter with a 6-0 run.
Central 14 10 6 23 -- 53
Southside 13 15 12 7 -- 47
Central (7-10, 2-4): Hall 28, Johnson 8, Linwood 6, Greenwood 6, Peyton 2, Woods 2, Lewis 1.
Southside (0-16, 0-6): Rice 17, E. Graham 14, Fon-Coupon 9, Lareno 4, R. Graham. 3
Preps Sports on 01/23/2019