Mitch Scoggins pumped in 18 points including 6 during an early 9-0 run that put the Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School on top to stay against the Cabot South Panthers on Thursday evening.The Hornets finished with a 35-28 victory.
The team will wrap up its season on Thursday, Feb. 11, at Ridge Road in North Little Rock.[more]
The Hornets trailed 3-2 when Scoggins hit a jumper in the lane to put them ahead. Jordan Jones followed up with a basket inside and, in the closing minute of the first quarter, added a free throw. After a Cabot turnover, Scoggins beat the clock with an offensive-rebound bucket to give the Hornets a 9-3 lead going into the second quarter.
Scoggins then opened the second quarter with a basket inside to complete the run.
Cabot rallied to within 11-9 but could get no closer. A free throw by Scoggins in the final minute made the margin 3 at the half.
It would’ve been 6 if Hunter Holder’s shot from ¾ court that banked in would’ve been a second or two sooner. But the “Sportscenter” basket was waved off.
But Holder scored the first bucket of the second half. Following Cabot’s first basket of the half, Jones and Scoggins added back-to-back hoops to bump the lead to 18-11.
Bryant led 24-18 going into the final quarter. Three early free throws by Greyson Giles in the fourth period gave the Hornets their largest lead to that point at 27-18.
Bryant’s largest lead of 10, 32-22, came with 2:18 left, when Giles drove the right side of the lane for a layup. Cabot cut the margin to 7 with 1:22 left. Holder went to the line at 1:19 but missed both shots only to have Jones muscle for the offensive rebound to further frustrate the Panthers. Scoggins was fouled with :49.6 showing and converted once to make it 33-25.
The Hornets forced a turnover and Holder added a free throw and when Giles was fouled grabbing the rebound off a subsequent Cabot miss, he went to the line and hit another free throw to get the lead back to 10.
Cabot added a three-point play in the closing seconds to set the final score.
