Arkansas high school basketball state tournament: Bryant moves on to 6A boys title game
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The Bryant Hornets are heading to their first state final since 2019.
The Hornets defeated North Little Rock 62-41 to advance to the Class 6A state final Friday in Hot Springs against Little Rock Central. Bryant lost 44-41 to Fort Smith Northside in 2019.
Kellen Robinson led the Hornets (29-3) with 23 points while Camarion Bead had 11. R.J. Young had 10.
Bryant punched its ticket for its first title-game appearance since 2019. (Photo by Jeff Halpern)
The Hornets led 16-11 after the first quarter, 35-16 at halftime and 48-25 after three quarters.
“Super, super proud of our guys’ effort, especially defensively,” said Bryant head coach Mike Abrahamson. “North Little Rock beat us a few weeks ago here, and then they beat Central. They had been playing so well and put up 80 points on Fayetteville last night. They have been one of the top teams in the state all year long. We knew we had our hands full. It would take an effort we hadn’t had all year. We were very disciplined and shared the ball.”
North Little Rock (21-8) defeated Bryant 55-52 on Feb. 16. The Charging Wildcats, who have won 16 state championships, were attempting to get back to the state finals for the first time since winning it all in 2022. They were led by Andre Barnes, who had 15 points. Ja’Kory Withers finished with 10.
The Hornets beat Central 47-44 on Jan. 9 and 52-50 on Feb. 6.
“They are a super-talented team,” said Abrahamson of Central. “All of these guys are friends and hang out outside of school. It’s going to be a war and we’ll be ready for it.”
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 59, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 55
Annor Boateng scored 23 points to lead Little Rock Central (26-6) to the state finals.
The Tigers will be going for the 20th state title and their first since sharing it in 2020 with Conway when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the state championship and the Arkansas Activities Association awarded teams that qualified for the state championships as co-champions. Their last title on the floor came in 1999 when a team led by future Arkansas Razorback and NBA player Joe Johnson defeated North Little Rock.
The Tigers led 13-7 after the first quarter before trailing 30-28 at halftime and leading 47-46 after three quarters.
Luke Moore added 13 points while C.J. Washington added eight points and Daniel Culberson added six.
Har-Ber (28-3) was led by Courtland Muldrew, who had 18 points. Jaxon Conley added 14.
GIRLS
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 59, NORTH LITTLE ROCK 56 OT
The Little Rock Central Lady Tigers (18-12) advanced to the sport’s biggest stage with an overtime victory over the host North Little Rock (27-5), which has won five state championships, it most recent coming in 2022.
Little Rock Central hopes to continue a string of beating teams with state championships when it meets defending champion Conway on Friday in the Class 6A state championship. Central defeated Conway two years ago in the quarterfinals and beat Fort Smith Northside, which has won eight state title the past two years in the quarterfinals.
Ashlyn Kimble scored 16 points including three in overtime. Jordan Marshall had 12 points, including a big block toward the end of the game. Taylor Day-Davis added 14, including three in overtime and Ky Wilson added 10 points.
Central overcame a 20-11 deficit after the first quarter to lead close to 25-22 at halftime and 38-36 after three quarters before tying the game at 51-all after regulation.
Jocelyn Tate led North Little Rock, which was looking to make its third consecutive trip to the state finals, with 19 points. Katie Fimple had 15 while Katie Mears and Madison Hatley had 6.
CONWAY 54, CABOT 43
The Conway Lady Wampus Cats (28-6) are one game away from repeating as Class 6A state champions.
Samyah Jordan scored 22 points and Emerie Bohanon added 18 points on six three-pointers while Alexis Cox scored 10 points.
Conway led 10-9 after the first quarter before leading 22-20 at halftime and trailing 39-37 after three quarters before outscoring Cabot 17-4 in the final period.
Cabot (28-6) was led by AbbiGrace Cunningham, who scored 15 points. Jenna Cook and Jaycie Cook had seven and five points respectively.
Conway defeated Central 62-44 on Jan. 20 and 57-44 on Feb. 13. A year ago, Conway lost 61-59 at Central before winning 68-39 at home and 66-38 in the semifinals. Conway lost 66-60 to Central two years ago in the quarterfinals.
--Jeff Halpern | @SBLiveArk
