Friday's matchup between Conway and Little Rock Central was long overdue -- 10 months overdue, in fact.
No, it wasn't going to make up for the 6A state title game that was ultimately called off due to covid-19 concerns, but perhaps it felt like an opportunity for the 19-time state champion Tigers to fully assert themselves as one of the favorites to formally grab title No. 20 this time around.
In a comprehensive performance, Little Rock Central routed the Wampus Cats 70-46 at home, led by 20 points from sophomore Bryson Warren, who also added 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. The Tigers also picked 16 points from Hudson Likens, 12 from Annor Boateng and 11 from Cody Robinson.
In all, Central Coach Brian Ross called Friday night "the best we've played all season."
"Great intensity on the defensive end got us started, early and often," Ross said. "We shared the ball really well, we shot the ball really well and we were great on the defensive end, too."
The Tigers didn't wait long to grab control of the contest. Within the first 80 seconds, Central raced out to an 8-0 lead and an and-one triple from Warren forced a quick timeout from Conway Coach Salty Longing.
But things didn't get much better for the visitors. After the Wampus Cats closed to 17-10 -- the closest the game would be the rest of the night -- the Tigers ripped off five consecutive points en route to leading 24-9 after a quarter.
By halftime, Little Rock Central (14-3, 6-0 6A-Central) had stretched its advantage to 24, shooting 17 of 29 from the floor.
And a big chunk of that early scoring came from Likens. The 6-2 senior drilled 3 three-pointers before the break, surpassing 1,000-points for his career.
"It just feels really good," Likens said of the milestone. "Being in the gym all summer these last four years...just really shows that if you put your mind to something, it'll pay off."
Although the Tigers made things look easy against Conway (4-7, 3-3), both Ross and Likens were quick to point out the Wampus Cats were only a few possessions from entering the night 5-0 in conference play. Three of their previous six losses had come by a combined nine points, losing 52-50 against Fort Smith Northside just a week ago.
That was not the case this time around. The Wampus Cats shot just 18 of 38 from the floor, with Ole Miss football signee Jayden Williams scoring 11 points while adding nine rebounds.
For Central, the halfway point of conference play has nearly come, and the Tigers look even better than last year when they reached the title game.
"It makes us a hard defensive matchup," Ross said. "What we've gotten really good at is seeing what the defense is trying to take away and be unselfish and take what they're leaving open, and we have a lot of guys who are capable of doing that at a high level."
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
CONWAY 75,
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 47
The Lady Wampus Cats responded from a narrow midweek defeat at Fort Smith Northside with a dominant showing against the Tigers.
Sophomore center Savannah Scott dominated the paint for Conway (13-3, 5-1 6A-Central), logging a game-high 24 points, while classmate Chloe Clardy added 21 of her own to go along with 10 rebounds and 3 assists.
Using their 1-3-1 zone, the Lady Wampus Cats made life miserable for Central (7-8, 2-3), forcing 25 turnovers and never looking back after grabbing a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes.
Freshman Jordan Marshall led all Tigers with 17 points and senior Lauryn Pendleton scored 13.