Rivalry Game Report: LR Central vs LR Southwest (1/28)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night, the Lady Gryphons of Little Rock Southwest High School hosted the Lady Tigers of Little Rock Central High School. Though Southwest is a fairly new school, in just its fifth year as an educational institution, this matchup has become a hotly-contested rivalry. Considered by some as the battle of Little Rock (these are the lone 6A schools in Little Rock), this game was for bragging rights, and the Gryphons were looking for their first win against Central since joining the 6A Central. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers were coming off a loss against Conway on Friday, and it was clear that they cleaned up many of their mistakes. Central opened up on a major scoring run, which lasted from the opening tip until the end of the quarter. The period ended with the Tigers up 29-0. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southwest finally scored in the second quarter, but they still could not stop the Lady Tigers from scoring and forcing turnovers. Both teams went into the locker room, with Central up 54-5. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second half was not much different. Central got a chance to experiment with different lineups, and their second and third groups played well in extended minutes. The final score was 81-19.</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":["467464"],"_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-679ae7c480666"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='467464' first='Chloey-Rei' last='Brown'] was last night's star. She went on an individual 4-0 run at the beginning of the game, and she did not let up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown's performance against Southwest was the best game she has had in conference play this year. She scored 14 points on 6/7 shooting from the field, as well as going 2/2 from the line. Brown added 4 assists and 3 steals to her total.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown was often the first one down the court on the fastbreak, either receiving a pass or attempting to score off her own steal. She terrorized the Gryphon defenders, and most of her points were off easy layups. She did hit a pull-up mid-range jumper after dribbling past the first line of Southwest defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='467464' first='Chloey-Rei' last='Brown'] was fantastic all game long. She kept up her consistent play for all four quarters, and I imagine she will carry over her great play into Friday's contest against Jonesboro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["465504"],"_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-679ae7c4806c4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taylor Day-Davis always seems to find her way into double-digits in the scoring category. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior had 10 points to go along with 4 rebounds and a steal. She was 2/3 from beyond the arch, but she started out 2/2. Once she has a good look from outside, she will not hesitate to take the shot. She is lethal off the catch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day-Davis was perfect from the free throw line as well. She is one of the more consistent free throw shooters on the team, as well as one of the stronger defenders, not letting much get past her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor Day-Davis has yet to score in single-digits in conference play this season. Her inside-outside scoring consistency should be hard to ignore for college teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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":"Lyndsey McDonald","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Little Rock Central","_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-679ae7c480757"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lyndsey McDonald mostly played with Central's junior varsity squad this year, but she played well when she was on the floor against Southwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guard had a season-high 10 points in addition to her 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. She was 2/3 from beyond the arch. Shooting from outside is her best offensive skill, but she also showed that she can score off of turnovers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lyndsey McDonald has not played much this year on varsity, but she has now scored in the 2 games I have seen her play in. The senior might have warranted more playing time, especially with her ability to get going from 3 off the bench. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/ky-wilson/">[player_tooltip player_id='465505' first='Ky' last='Wilson']</a>- The star senior duo for the Lady Tigers has been ultra consistent, with Wilson continuing to play well on both ends of the floor. She had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. She opened up the game with 2 steals on the second and third possessions of the game. She scored most of her points on the fastbreak, in addition to knocking down a catch-and-shoot triple. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/ameriya-gaston/">[player_tooltip player_id='465535' first='Ameriya' last='Gaston']</a>- The senior defensive anchor had her best conference offensive performance against Southwest. She finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. I can tell she has worked on her free throw shooting, as she went 4/4. Gaston also had 4 offensive rebounds. The Lady Tigers would love it if she can continue to play at this level for the rest of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1183222' first='Rosebella' last='Onyango']- The sophomore center had another productive game for the Lady Tigers. She put up 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Despite being a post player, she scored most of her points in transition or off of cuts to the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to McDonald, there were several other Lady Tigers who played quality minutes, despite playing sparingly throughout the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1183242' first='Moriah' last='Bates'] played in just her second conference game but had 5 points and 2 steals, along with an assist and a rebound. C'Mya Johnson definitely earned more playing time after a 7-point, 2-assist, 2-steal, and 1-block performance. Every player that stepped foot on the floor for Central recorded a stat, and Coach Marlon Williams must be happy about that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Performances from Little Rock Southwest 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":"D'Ariah Harris","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_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":"Little Rock Southwest","_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-679ae7c4807d8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">D'Ariah Harris has had some solid performances this season for the Lady Gryphons, and despite her team's struggles, she continued to impress against the reigning 6A state champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harris has the length to play the forward position, but she mostly played point guard as she was Southwest's best ball-handler. The junior had 11 points, which led the way for the Lady Gryphons. Every shot that Harris attempted was contested. It was clear that she was Southwest's best scoring option, so Central made sure to send a double-team her way every time she had the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the added defensive pressure, Harris still managed to knock down a couple shots from the elbows and score inside. She also went 5/6 from the free throw line. Harris added 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal to go along with her scoring total. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D'Ariah Harris took a lot of shots, but her team needed her to be assertive on the offensive end. She needs help from her teammates, but it was obvious that she was Southwest's most talented player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kimora Garcia- Garcia is a 5'4" sophomore guard who played like a center against the bigger Lady Tigers. She pulled down 4 boards to go along with her 2 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. This may seem like a modest stat line, even for a player coming off the bench. However, Garcia played defense harder than anyone else on the floor. She sprinted down the court, stayed in front of her woman, and hounded ball-handlers. Garcia hustled like her life depended on it for every minute she was in the game, and Coach Markita Myers must appreciate that effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Review</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central wins the Battle of Little Rock, as well as moving to 9-0 against Southwest since 2020. The Lady Tigers improve to 15-5 overall, while breaking their short 1-game losing streak in conference play, now 4-1 on the year. The Lady Gryphons are still searching for their first conference win of the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->