A fast start was what Little Rock Central needed to snap its three-game 6A-Central Conference losing streak as the Tigers earned a 58-46 victory over Cabot on Tuesday night at Boone-Fitzpatrick Fieldhouse in Little Rock.
Little Rock Central (8-9, 1-3 6A-Central) lost its first three conference games to North Little Rock, Fort Smith Northside and Bryant, but the Tigers got three-pointers in the first quarter from junior Corey Camper, and seniors Jeremiah Jones and CJ Price to take a 13-3 lead and didn't trail the rest of the game.
"Everything looks better when you shoot it better," Tigers Coach Brian Ross said. "I'm proud of my kids. When you go 0-3 in the conference, it's easy to get your head down, but they didn't lose their confidence. They came out playing hard. Tonight, more shots went down."
Camper was one of three Tigers to score at least 10 points, finishing with 20 points. Kiyler Hudson, also a junior, scored 12 points. Price added 10.
Central led 13-6 after the first quarter, and Hudson's basket made it 23-10 midway through the second quarter. The Tigers led by 14 points on three different occasions in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 32-18 advantage. Camper had 12 of his 20 points in the first half.
Camper's slam dunk with 2:00 left in the third quarter gave Central a 42-25 lead, and the Tigers led 43-27 at the end of the quarter.
Cabot got back in the game in the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run as senior Seth Vance's steal and three-pointer and a layup from senior Jordan Rainey pulled the Panthers within 45-38 with 4:00 remaining.
The Tigers pushed the lead back to double digits on Camper's layup, giving him 20 points and a 53-41 advantage.
The Panthers' slow start cost them Tuesday night, interim coach Logan Bailey said.
"We couldn't find a rhythm early on," he said. "Part of that is on me. I've got to run some stuff to get some guys better looks. I need to help these guys get going a little bit. But we can't have a lull like that at the beginning of the game."
Senior Jacob Hudson led Cabot (12-5, 2-2) with 14 points. Vance had 12 points for the Panthers, who have lost two consecutive games since a 2-0 start in the 6A-Central.
Central travels to Conway on Friday, and Ross hopes Tuesday's victory can jump-start his team.
"We need to get on a run now and get back to .500 and build from there," Ross said. "Now, maybe those shots will start falling like they did in nonconference play."
GIRLS
CABOT 44, LR CENTRAL 33 Shy Christopher and Izzy Arnold each had 11 points to lead Cabot (15-2, 3-1 6A-Central) past host Little Rock Central (4-9, 0-4).
The Lady Panthers led 25-17 at halftime, then used a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 34-21 with 3:20 left in the third quarter. Lauryn Pendleton led the Lady Tigers with a game-high 18 points, while Jordyn Head added 10.
Sports on 01/22/2020