By Martin Couch
After a slow start,[more] Grayson Giles, C.J. Rainey and Madre London led the Bryant Hornets freshman team over Little Rock Catholic 49-33 on Thursday night in Bryant.
“It was a good win,” Hornets coach Steve Wilson said. “We started out slow, but we picked it up before halftime.”
Early scores from Chase Christie and Rainey put the Hornets ahead and London scored on a drive for a 6-2 lead. The Rockets eventually tied the score, but Cedarrian Crosby drove the lane for a basket and Brian Reed added a free throw for a 9-6 lead for the Hornets by the end of the first quarter.
Bryant upped its intensity level and it paid off. Hunter Holden added two free throws, Rainey hit two from the line and Giles scored his first basket. After two free throws from London, Christie added two from the line, then Giles made a steal and layup for a 21-6 Bryant lead.
Mitch Scroggins scored and London added a basket. A free throw from Reed made it a 20-point Hornet lead with one minute to go. But it was Bryant’s defense and physical play that kept Catholic from scoring until the :17.7 mark of the second period. Gray Orman put in a free throw with three seconds left to make for a 27-7 halftime lead for Bryant.
“I think our quickness and our determination paid off,” Wilson said. “I am proud of them.”
A four-point play from Giles, who hit a three-pointer and made the foul shot on the play, then Scroggins added a basket and Christie scored again for a 35-9 lead. Wilson took out the starters and put in his bench, but the Rockets managed to come back to close the gap to 37-19 by the end of the quarter despite another basket from Crosby.
The Rockets hit three 3-pointers in between a basket from London and a three-point play from Rainey to cut the Bryant lead to 42-30 with 3:02 left in the game. Giles came back in for two straight baskets and Rainey completed his second three-point play of the quarter to boost the Hornets back to a 49-30 lead in the final minute.
“I wish we could have held our lead, but they pressured us and made up some ground with our starters out,” Wilson said. “When they cut it down to 12, we had to preserve our victory so we put the starters back in. Plus, the way this conference is, there could be a three- or four-team tie and we needed the 10-point tie-breaker when we can get it.”
Giles finished with 12 points to lead the Hornets who improved to a league-leading 5-1 record (13-9 overall), while Rainey scored 10 and London hit for eight. Christie added six points, Scroggins scored four as did Crosby, while Reed and Holder both finished with two points apiece and Orman had one.
Bryant travels to play Conway Blue on Monday before wrapping up the regular season at home against Lake Hamilton on Tuesday.
