5A-CENTRAL GIRLS
LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN 80, BEEBE 50
Leading by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, Little Rock Christian let Beebe narrow the margin to six with 6:29 left in the third quarter before taking control in an 80-50 victory Tuesday night at Warrior Arena in Little Rock.
The Lady Warriors (15-1, 6-0 5A-Central) held a 12-point lead after the first quarter and managed a 42-33 advantage at the half over the Lady Badgers (7-12-1, 2-3-1).
"In the second quarter, I think we were up 17, then we just made some bad decisions," Little Rock Christian Coach Ronald Rogers said. "They got hot on three-pointers and made a run early in the third quarter, then we settled down and were able to increase our lead.
"Once we got our rhythms going, we started getting the ball inside and that started opening things up for the shooters. Then, we started kicking the ball back out, and we finished the quarter strong.
"It's definitely good to get out and get a good lead, but we just have to be better on defense."
Rogers said he was pleased with the way the Lady Warriors played during the first half of the conference season, but strong opponents are ahead the second time around.
"You've got Parkview, Jacksonville and Benton and these are all good teams," Rogers said. "I just want us to take it one game at a time. We've just got to keep getting better and better."
Little Rock Christian got off to a fast start and held a 13-point lead, 21-8, with 1:05 remaining in the opening quarter. Two late free throws by Mia Smith put the Lady Warriors up 23-11 after the first eight minutes.
The scoring kept coming for Little Rock Christian in the second quarter as the Lady Warriors took advantage of some three-pointers to increase the lead to 37-18 with 4:53 left in the first half.
At that point, the Lady Badgers went on a 15-5 run to close the half and trim the Lady Warriors' lead to 42-33 at the break.
With 6:29 left in the third quarter, Beebe had narrowed the deficit to 44-38, but the Lady Warriors scored the next 11 points to nab a 55-38 lead with 3:45 remaining. Thanks to that streak, Little Rock Christian increased its lead to 61-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Warriors opened the final quarter with a 14-2 run, then Katelyn Harris hit a three-pointer giving Little Rock Christian a 78-48 lead with 3:03 left.
Madelyn Atkins led Beebe with 24 points, but 20 of those came in the first half. Mya Bradley chipped in with eight for the Lady Badgers.
Balanced scoring was the key for the Lady Warriors. Wynter Rogers led Little Rock Christian with 25 points. Ashton Elley added 16, Ashley Hopper chipped in with 14 and Smith had 10.
BOYS
LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN 62, BEEBE 52
The Warriors (11-5, 1-2 5A-Central) led by as many as 20 points with 2:47 left in the third quarter, then held on for the victory over the Badgers (7-7, 0-5).
Little Rock Christian's lead was trimmed to 47-34 heading into the fourth quarter, but that lead decreased to 58-48 with 2:46 remaining. From that point, the two teams traded baskets until the end.
Logan Worthington did his best for the Badgers, scoring a game-high 24 points.
For the Warriors, Trey Jones had 22points, while Creed Williamson had 13 and Layden Blocker added 11.