Game Report: LR Central vs Jonesboro (1/31)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was "white out" night at Little Rock Central on Friday, and the student section was packed as the Lady Tigers welcomed the Jonesboro Lady Hurricanes to town. Central wanted to extend their conference-winning streak to 2, while Jonesboro attempted to halt their skid. The Lady Canes only had 1 conference win, and they were desperate to find a way to win in enemy territory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The opening quarter looked promising for Jonesboro. They forced a turnover on the opening Tiger possession and held their opponent to 14 points. Though their defense was solid, their offense was not on par, only scoring 4 in the opening period. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonesboro's defense was bound to wear down as the game went along, but they stood strong in that second quarter, holding Central to just 9 points. Of course, the Hurricanes were not playing much better, only scoring 6 points in the period.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central finally started to break away in the third quarter, playing their best basketball of the game. After Jonesboro scored the first 2 points of the half, Central went on a 21-0 run to close the quarter. Threes were finally starting to fall, and the Tigers continued to put pressure on the Hurricane ball-handlers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the final quarter, Jonesboro still could only score 2 points. The Tigers started to slow down once they emptied their bench, but the home team logged another conference win, with the final score being 52-14.</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":["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-67a12e5929cc1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taylor Day-Davis was the lone double-digit scorer for the Lady Tigers, and this game marked her 6th-straight double-digit scoring performance of the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day-Davis finished with 10 points, with her best production coming in the second half. After missing three triples in the first half, the forward improved her totals by nailing a couple of threes in the third quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the game, Day-Davis played excellent defense. She finished with 3 steals and 1 block. She jumped ahead and stole lazy passes, and when Jonesboro managed to get the ball inside, she played physical post defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor Day-Davis continues to impress in her final season with the Lady Tigers. I would be shocked if she finishes with under 10 points in any other conference game this season.</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>- Central's other senior forward had a productive night. Though she failed to reach double-digits, she still had a solid all-around performance, finishing the night with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. She was highly active on the defensive end for four quarters and knocked down 1 triple. She also pulled down 3 offensive boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/ameriya-gaston/">[player_tooltip player_id='465535' first='Ameriya' last='Gaston']</a>- Central's defensive anchor had one of her better all-around games in conference play. She had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. 3 of her rebounds came on the offensive end and it was clear that Jonesboro could never find a high-percentage shot in the paint as long as Gaston was there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexis-montgomery/">[player_tooltip player_id='1060888' first='Alexis' last='Montgomery']</a>- Central's primary ball-handler off the bench made a solid all-around impact. She had 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. She was very aggressive on the defensive end, recording multiple deflections in addition to those steals. She also knocked down a 3-pointer. Her other basket came off a turnover she forced, leading to a wide-open fastbreak layup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1183234' first='Alexis' last='Bradford']- The senior forward scored her most points in conference play up to this point, logging 8 off of cuts and her play in transition. She was also perfect from the free throw line and added 1 rebound and 1 steal to her evening statline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Performances from Jonesboro Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eljanae Daniels- Jonesboro's go-to scorer and primary ball-handler was Eljanae Daniels. She was hounded by Central's guards on defense, but she still managed to make some plays. She finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Daniels showed some offensive skill, knocking down a pull-up mid-range jumper on one of her lone open looks. Daniels also did some of her own hounding on the defensive end, coming away with 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amiyah Wilborn- Jonesboro's sophomore center had a promising first half against the Lady Tigers. She exploited some holes in Central's defense, scoring 6 points at the rim. She also added 6 rebounds and 1 assist to her total.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Review</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonesboro has struggled all season, possessing a 4-16 overall record and a 1-5 conference record. They have a very young team, with only 1 senior on their roster, and they have a head coach with over 15 years of head coaching experience. I would think that there is potential for this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the Lady Tigers, they continue to role through the conference opponents, now with a 5-1 record in the 6A central. Their next matchup is at North Little Rock High School, so it will be interesting if they can sweep the season series against the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->