Game Report: Little Rock Central vs Vilonia (12/10)

Preview   The Little Rock Central Lady Tigers face off against the Vilonia Lady Eagles for the second time in two seasons, with this contest being played in Little Rock. Both teams are fresh off state championship appearances from the 2023/24 season, with the Lady Tigers winning the 6A state championship for just the first time in team history. Vilonia was not as fruitful, as they fell to Greenwood in the 5A state title game.   Both Little Rock Central and Vilonia bring back most of the major playmakers from last season, but both teams feature several younger players that play alongside their veteran talents.   With these two powerhouse schools, they feature multiple players who are ranked very highly on this site, and many of these stars possess several collegiate offers. Despite the classification differences, with these two teams meeting up on the court last night, there was no doubt that this would be a tight game.   Recap   After the opening tip, the Lady Tigers looked to be in control of the game, jumping out to a 9-2 run in the first quarter by capitalizing on three turnovers on the first three possessions of the game for the Lady Eagles. Eventually, Vilonia started to wake up, slowly but surely finding their way back into the game thanks to timely perimeter makes. The Lady Eagles were breaking the suffocating Central full-court press, and thriving on the backs of their stars. Despite the run by the Lady Eagles, the Lady Tigers kept the game close with the interior scoring. The perimeter shots were not falling all night for Little Rock Central, with only three makes on the evening, but they were not shy about dialing up the deep shots. The first half came to a close and Central led 22-21.   In the second half, the lack of shots falling and the turnover woes plagued both teams. The score remained 22-21 halfway through the third quarter, until the Lady Tigers knocked down just their second three of the game. Eventually, the points started coming for both teams, but Vilonia started to break away late in the third and early in the fourth. Their largest lead of the game was five, but they held on to that lead long enough to quiet the Little Rock crowd. Timely makes by the Lady Eagles kept the Lady Tigers at bay, but then the turnover bug came back to inflict punishment on Vilonia, along with one of their top ball-handlers being tossed from the game after a tripping violation.   So just like that, Little Rock Central was back into the game, and after crashing the offensive glass hard, they pulled away with a 3-point lead. Unfortunately for the Lady Tigers, they would not have that lead for too long, as Vilonia's UT-Martin commit broke free from the Central press and buried a pull-up 3-pointer to tie the game at 46.   In overtime, the game remained a back-and-forth battle, but Vilonia's offense started to break down, courtesy of the ramped up defensive pressure from Central. On the offensive end, the Lady Tigers continued to crash the offensive glass, scoring several second-chance points, which pushed them ahead. The Lady Tigers ended up winning on their home court 57-53, breaking their 1-game losing streak.   Key Performances from Little Rock Central Players    Taylor Day-Davis was the leading scorer of the game for the Lady Tigers with 18 points. Not only an effective scorer, she also made plays on the backboard and on the defensive end.   Day-Davis was extremely physical on both ends against Vilonia, and she asserted herself with her strength and active hands. She recorded 5 steals on the night to go along with 5 rebounds. She was doing a great job defending on the wing, and when Central's starting center fell into some foul trouble, she was inserted into the center position and played well.   Most of Day-Davis' offense came in the paint. She hit a couple short jumpers and runners, but she was a bully in the paint. She also went to the free throw line and was 5/7 on the game, with several of those shots coming in the clutch. Day-Davis did knock down one 3-pointer, but when her shot was not falling from the outside, she decided to get her teammates involved, adding 2 assists to her statline.   Taylor Day-Davis did not shoot as well as what most of the state would expect from her, but she still managed to take over when she needed to. It was clear that Vilonia's main defensive plan was to stop her, but clearly, they failed, as will be the result of most other teams when they face her this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='884753' first='E'lyse' last='Williams'] will definitely find herself in the next 2026 rankings update, especially after what she did against Vilonia last night.   Williams was the lone player in Central's starting lineup who was not a senior, but she outplayed her older teammates in the first half. She recorded 8 of the first 9 points in the game, and knocked down the first three of the second half to break the scoring drought. On the night, Williams put up 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.   Williams obviously knocked down one 3-pointer, but her other 12 points came inside the painted area. She handled the ball well, driving past the defense and scoring amongst the trees. She was also very active on the fastbreak, getting several of her points that way. Her offensive impact was on more than just the scoreboard as well.   Williams dished out 5 assists, as she made it her mission to get her teammates involved. She was not the team's primary ball-handler, but she did help move the ball around. Outside of her offensive impact, she was a fantastic perimeter defender, helping spark the Lady Tigers' transition offense, particularly from being disruptive in the team's full-court press.   [player_tooltip player_id='884753' first='E'lyse' last='Williams'] will be a valuable piece for the Lady Tigers all season long, and after this performance, she will without a doubt be ranked after the next ranking update.     [player_tooltip player_id='465505' first='Ky' last='Wilson'] is typically one of Little Rock Central's better scorers, but she was not last night. Despite that, Wilson showed how impactful she can be to the game in all other areas outside of scoring.   The senior only scored 7 points, which all came in the second half and in the overtime period. Wilson did crash the offensive glass hard, grabbing 7 boards on that end! She also cashed in on 3 assists, stole the ball 3 times, and recorded 1 emphatic block.   Wilson's outside shot was not falling, but it was not falling for her teammates either. Those 7 points were pretty much all on those 7 offensive rebounds, including going 3/4 from the free throw line, making both of her overtime free throws. Like Williams, Wilson helped move the ball around, helping find open teammates.   On defense, Wilson used her long wingspan to disrupt the Lady Eagle offense, whether a part of a press, on the help-side, or just playing sound defense on the wings.   [player_tooltip player_id='465505' first='Ky' last='Wilson'] will find the bottom of the net more times than not this season, but she made it clear that she can impact the game in all other areas. Coaches on every level love that.     [player_tooltip player_id='467464' first='Chloey-Rei' last='Brown'] is in her first year with the Lady Tigers, but she has already made a large impact on her new squad. She is not a go-to scorer, but she does not have to be in order to find ways to help this team win.   Brown put up 8 points, 3 rebounds (2 offensive rebounds), 2 assists, and 1 steal. She was aggressive on the defensive end, guarding Vilonia's best ball-handlers all 84 feet. Her offensive play was also effective throughout the game.   Brown's 8 points all came from the free throw line or in the paint. She could not find her mark from three, so she did not force the issue and drove hard to the paint, scoring two heavily contested layups. She also had to contort her body just to be able to protect the ball and prevent it from getting blocked on the way up. When Brown was fouled late in the game, she connected on all four free throws in very important moments of the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='467464' first='Chloey-Rei' last='Brown'] is the team's primary ball-handler, and she is usually a pass-first point guard. When some of her teammates cannot get their shots to fall like last night, Brown can take it upon herself to make winning plays in the scoring column. The Lady Tigers will need Brown's positive impact all year long if they want to be able to go back to the 6A title game.    #4 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexis-montgomery/">[player_tooltip player_id='1060888' first='Alexis' last='Montgomery']</a>- Montgomery did not have a particularly great scoring outing. She did connect on her first shot which was the team's first 3-pointer of the game, but stayed quiet from that end after that first quarter make. Montgomery did make her mark on the defensive end however, playing hounding on-ball defense, recording two steals in the process. Montgomery played late in the game for the Lady Tigers because of her defensive ability alone.   #23 [player_tooltip player_id='1183222' first='Rosebella' last='Onyango'] (6'0" F SO)- [player_tooltip player_id='1183222' first='Rosebella' last='Onyango'] came in to relieve Central's starting center after she fell into early foul trouble. Onyango ended up playing throughout all five periods of the game, even recording the final rebound of the game as the buzzer went off in overtime. On the game, Onyango scored 2 points on an and-1 opportunity, while also pulling down 4 rebounds. Onyango has made plays throughout the season, and she is showing that she has a lot of potential as a sophomore.   Key Performances from Vilonia Players   Though Vilonia did not come away with a win in enemy territory, they still had several players post solid performances that kept them in the fight.    [player_tooltip player_id='465493' first='Sidni' last='Middleton'] being the game's leading scorer is no surprise. She has been Vilonia's superstar throughout her high school career, and she remained their main offensive catalyst last night.   Middleton put up 22 points along with 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Middleton was efficient scoring from outside, going 3/5 on the night. Several of her shots were way behind the 3-point line, including the clutch triple that forced overtime. Middleton was a major focus for Central on the perimeter, so when the perimeter defense was too tight, she would drive past it and pull up for mid-range jumpers. Middleton also attacked the paint from the baseline multiple times, scoring underneath or passing back out to the perimeter.   [player_tooltip player_id='465493' first='Sidni' last='Middleton'] is going to continue to be the primary scorer for the Lady Eagles this season, and after games like last night, it is a no-brainer as to why she is #5 in the 2025 class, and a Tennessee-Martin commit.     [player_tooltip player_id='876312' first='Maddie' last='Mannion'] was 19/42 from the three entering the Central game, and she continued to add to her already lights-out shooting. In fact, Mannion was one of Vilonia's primary pieces who got the team back into the swing of the game.   Mannion scored 16 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Mannion shot 50% from outside, with 12 of her 16 points coming from the triple. She hit threes in almost every period, and she also scored from mid-range and in the paint.   Vilonia was without their starting center against the taller Lady Tigers, so they had to rely a lot on Mannion to crash the glass. She grabbed 3 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds, trigging the fastbreak and giving her team second-chance opportunities. Her defense was also solid, making the Little Rock Central wings work extra hard for their offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='876312' first='Maddie' last='Mannion'] is statistically one of the best three point shooters in Arkansas high school girls basketball history, so look for her to have more games where she puts up more than just one triple.    #33 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/briana-burnham/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091156' first='Briana' last='Burnham']</a>- [player_tooltip player_id='1091156' first='Briana' last='Burnham'] ended up being Vilonia's primary ball-handler, especially down the stretch. She pushed the ball hard in transition and single-handedly broke Central's press multiple times. She scored all 8 of her points from the charity stripe and in the paint, while also grabbing 3 rebounds and recording 3 assists. In addition to her solid facilitating, Burnham played solid on-ball defense.   #14 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/brooklyn-burnham/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091148' first='Brooklyn' last='Burnham']</a>- Like her sister Briana, [player_tooltip player_id='1091148' first='Brooklyn' last='Burnham'] made solid plays throughout the night. She was not an offensive focal point as she only put up 4 points, but she did make her mark on the glass, pulling down 5 rebounds. Along with helping Vilonia move the ball around and roam the court without the ball, Burnham played solid on-ball defense.   #4 [player_tooltip player_id='1227884' first='Katy' last='Simon'] (5'7" G SO)- [player_tooltip player_id='1227884' first='Katy' last='Simon'] got the start last night in place of usual starter [player_tooltip player_id='871868' first='Kim' last='Henry']. Though Simon plays the guard position, she played like a post player at times, hustling hard on the backboard and pulling down 6 rebounds. Simon only scored 2 points off a nice cut to the paint, but she also grabbed 1 offensive rebound and recorded 1 assist. Simon might have convinced her coach to give her more minutes this season.   Review   Both Vilonia and Little Rock Central fought hard this game. They battled through the shooting woes and the turnover disasters and made this game one of the best games played in the state so far this season. Both teams are expected to tear through their conference opponents, and despite their conference schedules being anything but easy, I would not be surprised if both teams light up their familiar opponents this season.

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