NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Blaise Smith scored 15 points and Kajuan Robinson 9 as the Bryant White Hornets eighth grade basketball team of Bryant Middle School won the championship of the a tournament at Lakewood Middle School on Saturday, 39-27, over the Sylvan Hills Junior Bears.
“Another great ballgame,” stated Hornets coach Heath Long. “The final score is not indicative of how close the game was. We were able to pull away at the end.”
The Hornets led just 6-5 after a quarter then trailed 16-15 at the half. Sylvan Hills held a 25-22 lead going into the third quarter but scored just 2 points the rest of the game as the Hornets surged to victory.
Jakob Neel scored 7 points and Daelin Drake had 6.
“They matched up with us well size-wise but we still were able to rebound the ball well,” Long said. “I attribute that to our guys’ competitiveness. Blaise Smith had probably the best night for us so far and our guards did a good job of being patient against their zones, getting the ball to the right spots.”
The Hornets, now 4-0, return to action Monday, Dec. 1, at Lake Hamilton.
“We beat three good basketball teams on the way to the title,” Long noted, “and I could not be any more proud of our guys.”
