By Rob Patrick
VAN BUREN — There couldn’t have been[more] a worse time for the Bryant Hornets to go 10 days without playing a game.
In the two games leading up to the unkind stretch of weather that forced that layoff, the Hornets had taken North Little Rock, one of the best teams in the 7A/6A-Central Conference to the wire before losing 47-43. Then, they went to Little Rock Central and captured their first league victory. For the first time since they won back-to-back games at the Spa City Shootout in late December, the Hornets had a little momentum going.
They finally got back on the court on Tuesday night, traveling to Van Buren to play a Pointers team that came in tied for the conference lead. Of course, the Pointers had had a similar layoff but they’d shaken the rust with a win at Central on Monday night.
It was a rush job too. The games started an hour early so the Bryant teams could get back home before the next round of winter hit.
So, Van Buren was sharp, Bryant was not and the result was a 60-36 win for the Pointers.
“It’s one of those things where Van Buren is very good,” commented Hornets coach Mike Abrahamson. “They’ve got everything to be a very good team, size, good guards, players that come off the bench and bring a spark, a lot of positive energy to the team. We knew that coming in but what I’m disappointed in is I don’t think we did anything well.”
The Hornets shot 26 percent from the field and, of course, when the shots aren’t falling, nothing looks good.
The Pointers featured 6-11 center Hooper Vint, a Division I college prospect and son of former Arkansas Razorback Bobby Vint. In less than three quarters of play, he scored 16 points, collected six rebounds, blocked four shots and altered a bunch more. To go with that, the Pointers had three different players hit 3-pointers. In all, nine different players scored.
“I think we caught Van Buren on a night where everything was clicking for them and nothing was working well for us,” Abrahamson concluded. “They’re the type of team where, if a lot of things are working for us, they’re still a tough opponent.”
The game got away from the Hornets when Van Buren went on a 20-3 run in the first half. Bryant was within 9-6 when the run started. Tyler Spoon had started the game with a 3-pointer for Van Buren but then Brantley Cozart and Quinton Motto worked a nice pick-and-roll play that got the Hornets on the board.
Vint scored inside but Motto knocked down a short jumper off another dish from Cozart to make it 5-4.
Scoring of a spin move in the post, Vint added to the Pointers’ total and, moments later, pounded a dunk. Motto responded with a bank shot that made it 9-6. But, back-to-back buckets by Jay Ware pushed Van Buren’s lead to 13-6 going into the second quarter.
Ware, a 6-4 junior, had 11 points on the night.
Motto, who had 6 points in the first quarter, would be held scoreless the rest of the way. Cozart and Jordan Griffin each had 10 to lead Bryant.
Joseph Snapp opened the second period with a 3 for the Pointers and, after a Bryant turnover, Ware made it 18-6.
A three-point play by Cozart interrupted the run but Van Buren then completed the game-breaking run, building the lead up to 29-9 before Griffin knocked down a 3. A post-drive by 6-4 senior Drew White got the Pointers going again and, with Deven Goodwin and Grayson Schoolcraft trading free throws with Griffin, the margin expanded to 35-14 at the break.
Vint scored inside to start the second half then Cozart drained a trey. The Hornets had a chance to trim the margin to less than 20 but Vint blocked shots by Griffin and Motto and, moments later, Cozart picked up his fourth foul and had to come out.
The lead grew to 51-22 before a basket by Leon Neale late in the third quarter. Cozart returned in the fourth and knocked down a 3 to start the quarter, cutting the advantage to 51-27. But with reserves filtering in for both teams, the Pointers pushed the lead to 60-30 with 2:44 left, initiating the sportsmanship rule.
Before the game concluded, sophomore Strodney Davis drove for a layup and sophomore Riley Hall buried a 3 for Bryant, setting the final score.
The Hornets are scheduled to host Russellville this Friday, weather permitting.
VAN BUREN 60, BRYANT 36
Score by quarters
BRYANT 6 8 10 12 — 36
Van Buren 13 22 16 9 — 60
HORNETS (5-15, 1-6) 36
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
Griffin 2-10 5-5 0-3 3 0 10
Cozart 3-10 2-3 0-2 2 4 10
Wilson 0-7 0-0 0-1 1 1 0
Garner 0-3 0-0 0-1 1 3 0
Motto 3-8 0-0 2-1 3 2 6
Cambron 1-3 0-0 3-2 5 4 2
Nossaman 0-2 0-0 0-4 4 1 0
Trudell 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Neale 1-1 0-0 0-2 2 1 2
Moore 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Davis 1-2 1-2 1-0 1 0 3
Hall 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 3
Royal 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Bell 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 4-1 5
Totals 12-47 8-10 10-18 28 19 36
POINTERS (13-7, 7-1) 60
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
Patterson 1-5 3-4 0-3 3 1 5
Goodwin 1-3 2-5 0-2 2 3 5
Spoon 2-4 0-0 0-4 4 1 6
White 3-6 0-0 0-4 4 0 6
Vint 6-11 4-4 1-5 6 0 16
Snapp 2-2 0-0 1-1 2 1 5
Ware 4-7 3-5 1-3 4 1 11
Schoolcraft 1-1 2-2 0-3 3 1 4
Pearson 0-1 0-0 0-1 1 3 0
Moreland 1-3 0-1 0-1 1 0 2
Lanier 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 2-0 2
Totals 21-43 14-21 5-27 32 12 60
Three-point field goals: Bryant 4-21 (Cozart 2-8, Griffin 1-3, Hall 1-1, Wilson 0-4, Garner 0-2, Nossaman 0-2, Davis 0-1), Van Buren: 4-14 (Spoon 2-4, Goodwin 1-1, Snapp 1-1, Patterson 0-4, White 0-2, Moreland 0-2). Turnovers: Bryant 10, Van Buren 5.
