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

Preview   The Jonesboro Hurricane welcomed the Little Rock Central Tigers on Senior Night last night. Jonesboro entered this matchup barely hanging on to the #1 spot in the conference, while Central possessed just their second winning record in conference play this season. The Hurricane defeated Central in Little Rock at the end of January in their first meeting, and they looked to defeat the Tigers again to sweep the season series. These two teams have all of the 6A titles since 2020 (Central in 2020, 2024; Jonesboro in 2021, 2022, 2023), so this game was bound to be entertaining.   Recap   The Tigers scored first, and they never let go of the lead for the entire first quarter. Recent UCA commit [player_tooltip player_id='2021816' first='Luke' last='Moore'] was leading the way for Central, getting hot from beyond the arch early on. Jonesboro's [player_tooltip player_id='2021864' first='Kelen' last='Smith'] and D.J. Johnson were doing most of the scoring for the home squad, but it was not enough, as they trailed Central 16-9 after one period of play.   The Tigers continued to push the action in the second quarter, scoring at will. Considering how solid of a defensive team Jonesboro is, this was a shock, especially to the home crowd. Even the Jonesboro student section, which had been trash-talking Central players during warmups, were silent as the Tigers hit shot after shot. The Tigers were also crashing the offensive glass effectively, winning the rebounding battle in that first half, despite having the obvious size disadvantage.   Jonesboro entered the second half down 34-17, and though they had their best quarter of basketball, it still was not enough. The Tigers led 50-33, despite the noticeable height disadvantage, being short two of their best players, and almost every player with at least 3 personal fouls.   The fourth quarter rolled around and Hurricane fans still held out hope for their squad, which featured 8 seniors who were hoping to get a win in their last regular season game in Jonesboro. Though Central held on to a double-digit lead, it never felt like Jonesboro had gone away, but they could not get their outside shots to fall, with some of their top scorers even having difficulty finishing in the paint.   Despite the constant fouls that were being called, Central came away with the upset victory, defeating Jonesboro 61-44 in the final regular season game of the year.   Key Performances from Little Rock Central Players    [player_tooltip player_id='2021816' first='Luke' last='Moore'] has been Central's go-to player all season. He has had some incredible performances this year, even flirting with a triple-double in Central's previous matchup against Little Rock Southwest. He helped the Tigers run out to a big lead and keep that lead last night.   Moore finished with 18 points, with several buckets coming from the 3-point line. He was confident with his outside shooting, not hesitating when the defense did not step up. It was truly a "hand down, man down" scenario when guarding Moore from outside, because he loves to make lackadaisical defense pay.   Of course, Moore is more than a scorer. He passed and rebounded well, but he was impressive on the defensive end, playing solid defense without fouling.   [player_tooltip player_id='2021816' first='Luke' last='Moore'] showed up once again for the Tigers last night. He continues to carry this team as they enter postseason play as a 4-seed.     [player_tooltip player_id='2021916' first='Clay' last='Blair'] was the high-point man in the fourth quarter. The junior guard was highly efficient from the free throw line, as well as knocking down his fair share of treys.   Blair was firing and connecting from downtown early. Like Moore, if the defense did not close out hard enough, he was dialing up the triple. The guard finished the evening with 16 points.   Around 8 or 9 of those 16 points came in the fourth quarter, with most coming from the charity stripe. He was drawing contact on his drives, as well as drawing fouls when handling the basketball along the perimeter. Jonesboro plays aggressive perimeter defense, forcing a number of turnovers every game, but they could not get that out of Blair.   [player_tooltip player_id='2021916' first='Clay' last='Blair'] managed to play a good portion of the second half with 4 fouls. Despite that, he kept his composure (the calls were not great) and he played sound defense while also not fouling. This type of play from Central's point guard will be important in the playoffs.    <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trey-stewart/">[player_tooltip player_id='2390289' first='Trey' last='Stewart']</a>- Central's football star has been playing his best basketball as of late. He continued his great play last night despite being used differently. With Jonesboro pressuring Central's guards full-court, Tiger head coach Shelby Lewis used Stewart as more of a point guard, allowing him to handle the ball more. Stewart has been playing much of the year in the paint as the backup center and only recently became a starter. Despite that, the sophomore displayed excellent handles and was comfortable bringing the ball up. He did a nice job scoring as well, finishing with 9 points and several rebounds.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daylon-thomas/">[player_tooltip player_id='2397908' first='Daylon' last='Thomas']</a>- Central's other sophomore center has been the starter throughout the season, but he is another player who has picked up his play over the last few weeks. Last night, the big had 7 points to go along with a number of rebounds and blocks. Like Stewart and almost every other Tiger player who appeared in this game, he was playing in foul trouble, but he played with aggression and physicality on both ends. He did remain in control, staying in the game and being an issue for Jonesboro on the defensive end.   Key Performances from Jonesboro Players    [player_tooltip player_id='2373632' first='BJ' last='Knowlton'] has been a go-to player for Jonesboro throughout the season. With several of his teammates going cold against the Tigers, he was called to step up and score.   The junior recorded a team-high 13 points last night, being the lone Hurricane player to find much success on offense. He hit a 3-point shot early in the game, but most of his scoring came from drives to the paint and his efficiency from the free throw line.   Knowlton was consistent at the line, not missing a shot and even making 6 straight at one point. The guard recognized how whistle-happy this game was and exploited that.   [player_tooltip player_id='2373632' first='BJ' last='Knowlton']'s offensive play will be important once the playoffs arrive. He currently holds an offer from Arkansas State-Newport, but if he plays like he did last night on the biggest stage, he will receive more calls from coaches.     [player_tooltip player_id='2021864' first='Kelen' last='Smith'] would have been Jonesboro's leading scorer if he did not foul out in the second half. He was in foul trouble for the entire game, but he still scored almost every time down the floor in his limited minutes.   The football star had 10 points, which mostly came from the interior. There was not much Central could do about Smith, as he used his strength and athleticism to force his way inside and finish through traffic.   In addition to Smith hitting a contested mid-range jumper, the senior displayed solid handles, not letting loose of the ball and squeezing in and out of tight spaces.   [player_tooltip player_id='2021864' first='Kelen' last='Smith'] is a highly underrated player and he will be a major x-factor for Jonesboro in the playoffs.    <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dejavius-johnson/">[player_tooltip player_id='2674488' first='Dejavius' last='Johnson']</a>- The senior played well in the first half, scoring all of his 7 points. Johnson knocked down a pair of triples, one off the catch and another when he was not able to hand it off to a teammate. He was also playing some solid defense at the other end of the floor.   Review   Both teams have made the 6A playoffs, with Little Rock Central getting in as a 4-seed and Jonesboro as a 2-seed. The Hurricane were originally going to be a 1-seed before this loss to the Tigers, so now Bryant is the 1-seed coming out of the 6A central. Jonesboro still has a bye so their path to the championship is not much different.   These teams could see each other again in the semifinals, but it will be interesting as to how these teams perform in the playoffs.

Preview