North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice is dealing with an issue, but it's one he'd gladly accept if his team continues to play the way it did Thursday night at home against Marion.
The Charging Wildcats harassed the Patriots into 19 turnovers and got big offensive outings from Spencer Simes and Bryson Warren to knock off the defending Class 5A state champions 82-74 during the Hoopin' 4 Hoodies Showcase.
"We've got a lot of talent, and that's a good problem to have," Rice said. "That makes our practices competitive, which in turn, makes us better. You don't have to rely on just a couple of guys to carry the load because you've got different guys stepping up.
"In this one, it was the ultimate team win because we competed throughout against one of the best teams in the state and everyone contributed."
Simes and Warren combined to scored 18 second-half points to help North Little Rock (1-0) put a stop to Marion's lengthy winning streak over state teams. Warren, a freshman, had a team-high 19 points while Simes, a senior, scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and collected 5 steals. Junior guard D.J. Smith chimed in with 11 points for the Charging Wildcats.
Senior guard Detrick Reeves finished with 25 points for Marion (1-1), which had won its past 26 games against teams from Arkansas before losing its first major road test of the season. Makyi Boyce, also a senior, had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and his classmate, Johnathan Johnson, ended with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
"They killed us on the glass," said Marion Coach David Clark, who team was outrebounded 43-33. "We haven't gelled yet, though, because we haven't had a lot of practice time with the entire team. I had seven kids that just came out of football.
"But games like this are good for us. North Little Rock is a very good team, and this allows us to see where we're at. We knew it'd be a test, and it was."
Marion led for most of the first half and held a 35-28 advantage with just under three minutes left in the second quarter following a short jumper from Boyce, but a pair of free throws from Simes started an 11-2 run that allowed North Little Rock to take a 39-37 lead into halftime.
The Charging Wildcats continued to stay ahead throughout the third quarter and led 70-62 with 4:55 remaining in the game on a floater by Smith. The Patriots, however, climbed back behind Reeves, who scored eight of his team's next 12 points. His bucket with 1:20 left pulled Marion within 76-74, but Warren slowed the rally by drilling a deep three-pointer with 27 seconds to create the separation North Little Rock needed to hold on.
"[Marion] makes you work," Rice said. "Year in, year out, we try to play the toughest competition that we can. And to see how we responded, especially against that team who has probably the top guard in the state, that was proud to see."
North Little Rock finished 31 of 59 (52.5%) from the field while Marion was 29 of 63 (46%).
CABOT 62,
IZARD COUNTY 60, OT
Senior forward Jacob Hudson scored 20 points, including the go-ahead layup with 1:10 left in the overtime, to power Cabot past the defending Class 1A champions.
Hudson added 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks for the Panthers, who managed to tie the game at 35-35 by halftime and trailed by eight points in the third quarter before battling back. Senior guard Seth Vance had 12 points for Cabot (1-0).
Justus Cooper, a senior, finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks for Izard County (6-1), which led 53-50 late in the fourth but needed a basket in the closing moments of regulation just to send it to overtime. The Cougars were ahead 60-57 with 1:56 remaining in the extra session after a 22-footer from junior reserve Noah Everett until Vance answered with a three-pointer 30 seconds later. Hudson's spinning basket two possessions later gave the Panthers the lead for good.
Sports on 11/22/2019