Greg Johnson came alive in the fourth quarter, helping Little Rock Hall fend off rival Little Rock Parkview in a key 5A-Central showdown Friday night.
Johnson scored 10 of his 17 points in the final 7:54 as the Warriors earned a 69-65 victory at George Cirks Arena to gain sole possession of second place in the league standings behind Pine Bluff.
"This is always our biggest game," Johnson said. "Every time we play each other you want to win no matter what."
Hall (12-6, 5-1) went 9 of 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Kevon Cooper's two free throws with 4.3 seconds to play ensured the Warriors' victory, but until then, the teams were locked in a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 lead changes, all in the second half.
"We knew it was going to be a long ballgame," Parkview Coach Al Flanigan said. "They were going to spread us out. But we weren't smart. We reached in too much, and they'll call that on you every time."
Auburn signee Allen Flanigan -- who finished with a game-high 23 points and 6 assists -- drilled a 21-footer with 7:38 left that put the Patriots (12-6, 4-2) ahead 49-48. Hall responded with three consecutive point-blank shots for a 54-49 advantage, and the Warriors never lost the lead again.
Parkview played without Airion Simmons for the majority of the first half. The 6-8 senior picked up a personal and technical foul at the 3:57 mark of the first quarter. From there, Coach Flanigan considered leaving Simmons on the bench for the remainder of the game.
"I owe it to him because he's a senior," Flanigan said. "He knew he made a mistake, but he wanted to make it up to his teammates."
Simmons sparked Parkview in the third quarter, scoring 9 of his 13 points and grabbing 4 of his 5 rebounds.
Hall got an unexpected charge from reserve senior Cameron Dismuke, who scored 21 points on 2 three-pointers and 5 two-pointers while going 5 for 5 from the line.
"I had no idea he did that, but that's great," Hall Coach Jon Coleman said. "Cameron, in my mind, is a starter but we need a punch coming off the bench. Tonight he gave us a jab."
Parkview's chances of a comeback were hurt from the free-throw line. The Patriots hit only 9 of 23 while Hall connected on 14 of 21.
"You can't beat anybody shooting like that," Flanigan said.
Parkview hit 24 of 47 field-goal attempts. Hall was 25 of 38. Parkview held a 23-22 advantage on the boards, but the Patriots committed 14 turnovers to the Warriors' 10.
Hall senior guard Jonathan Coleman hit 3 three-pointers and finished with 16 points. Parkview guard Keylon Harris added 10 points.
Sports on 01/26/2019