Season Finale Game Report: LR Central vs Jonesboro (2/28)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jonesboro High School Lady Hurricane hosted Little Rock Central for its senior night. This was the last game of the regular season for both teams, with the Central Lady Tigers looking to sweep the season series against Jonesboro and extend their conference winning streak.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central led early in the first quarter but Jonesboro played one of its best quarters of the season. They scored more points in the opening period than they did in the entire first meeting between these teams back in January. Despite the better offensive play, they still trailed the Tigers 29-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonesboro's great quarter of play was soon forgotten, as the Tigers blazed through the Hurricane defense in the second quarter, leading 54-20 as they went into halftime (54 points was Central's final point total at the end of the first game between Jonesboro).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second half featured a running clock, as both teams emptied their benches. Central ran away with it towards the end, winning 65-33.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Performances from Little Rock Central Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["465505"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c37b1553738"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='465505' first='Ky' last='Wilson'], Central's leading scorer, had a great performance in her final high school regular season game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilson finished the evening with 12 points, 9 coming from beyond the arch. She scored 6 points early in the game, finding herself open several times down the floor. Wilson was also driving hard to the paint and getting herself to the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior played some solid defense, poking away multiple passes and snagging multiple rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='465505' first='Ky' last='Wilson'] will be heading to Three Rivers College next season to play basketball, and they are getting a certified baller.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/taylor-day-davis/">Taylor Day-Davis</a>- Central's other senior forward star had a solid outing against the Hurricane. She finished with 9 points, all from 3-point range. Day-Davis has over 500 rebounds in her career and she continued to add to that total last night, along with playing some strong defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/chloey-rei-brown/">[player_tooltip player_id='467464' first='Chloey-Rei' last='Brown']</a>- Central's senior floor general finished with 9 points and multiple steals last night. She was taking advantage of poor ball-handling, as well as disrupting the passing lanes. She was then feeding her teammates for easy assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/ameriya-gaston/">[player_tooltip player_id='465535' first='Ameriya' last='Gaston']</a>- Most, if not all, of Gaston's points came in the first quarter of the game. She was scoring several times off the fastbreak, beating the Jonesboro defenders down the floor, getting easy buckets. Gaston also blocked shots at the other end, continuing to prove that she is one of the classification's top paint enforcers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexis-bradford/">[player_tooltip player_id='1183234' first='Alexis' last='Bradford']</a>- Bradford, another senior on this Tiger roster, had a solid outing. She played well against Jonesboro in the first meeting of the year and she repeated her efforts, scoring 7. Bradford is a solid shooter, but she has spent most of her time this season driving the lane. She did hit a three last night, while also scoring several times at the charity stripe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Performances from Jonesboro Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Chassidy Rodgers","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Jonesboro","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c37b1553872"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonesboro's leading scorer was Chassidy Rodgers. Though the Lady Canes were struggling to score after the first quarter, this sophomore was just about the lone player having any sort of offensive success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rodgers scored 12 points, with most of those points coming from jumpshots. She knocked down a couple triples off the catch, using a high-arching shooting form and a quick release. Her shot was fluid, which will make her a legitimate threat from outside that this team can use in the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rodgers also hit a mid-range jumper. She did this after catching the ball along the perimeter, pump-faking the defender up in the air, then taking one dribble and pulling up for the jumper. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chassidy Rodgers kept Jonesboro within striking distance for much of the first quarter and I think she can have a bright future with this young squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/eljanae-daniels/">Eljanae Daniels</a>- Jonesboro's lone senior being honored last night was playing through some sort of finger injury on her shooting hand. Despite that, she still drained her first shot of the evening, which came from mid-range. Daniels is a dangerous mid-range shooter, but she can also shoot long floaters, which she did for her second basket of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1212876' first='Cady' last='Brown']- Brown is a freshman guard who can also play the small forward position. She has not appeared in many varsity games this season, but she got the start last night. She only scored once, but with the way she handles the ball, plays defense, and rebounds, I can tell she can be a great player in the future. Keep an eye on this freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/aysia-donaby/">[player_tooltip player_id='906868' first='Aysia' last='Donaby']</a>- Another freshman on this Jonesboro roster is [player_tooltip player_id='906868' first='Aysia' last='Donaby']. She came off the bench, but this 5'8" post player can help this team in the future. Even as a freshman, Donaby is stronger than other players at her position. If she can find a consistent role in Jonesboro's future rotation, she can be a solid player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Review</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Jonesboro and Little Rock Central qualified for the 6A playoffs. The Lady Tigers earned a first round bye, but Jonesboro will have to grind their way out of the first round if they want a shot at the title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I also want to note that this Lady Hurricane roster has 7 sophomores and 3 freshmen. They graduate only 1 senior and have just 2 juniors. This team has potential and with an experienced head coach in Jody Christenberry, they can get back to their old selves. Jonesboro won the championship back in 2021, so I am confident that good things will be happening in Northeast Arkansas in the near future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->