Photos by Kevin Nagle
Marvin Moody (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
PEARCY — The Bryant Hornets freshman team had defeated the Lake Hamilton Junior Wolves twice before the Christmas break. Though both games were close (33-27 and 25-23) and played in Bryant, the Hornets no doubt figured they were going to whip the Wolves again when they traveled to Lake Hamilton for their Central Arkansas Junior High Conference battled on Monday night.
Perhaps they were a bit too sure.
As it turned out, the Wolves were on their game and the Hornets were not and it showed in the final when Lake Hamilton forged a 44-27 win.
Suffering uncharacteristic turnovers — six in the first quarter, 11 in the first half — the Hornets trailed from the outset. The Wolves scored the game’s first 6 points and, after Bryant’s Calvin Allen hit a free throw, Noah Rengstorf hit a 3 to make it 9-1.
The Hornets’ first field goal, a driving hoop by Marvin Moody came with 2:07 left in the opening quarter. Lake Hamilton’s Lorenz Nero scored off the offensive glass but Calvin Allen kicked out a pass to his brother Caylin for a 3 and it looked like the Hornets might be getting into gear.
Lake Hamilton held a 13-8 lead going into the second quarter and when Kaleb Turner hit a 3 off another kick-out by Calvin Allen. And when Trey Ashmore rebounded a Wolves’ miss, he found Turner streaking down the court for a layup that tied the game 13-13.
The Hornets had three shots at taking the lead before Nero hit a free throw that put the Wolves up for good. Even after that free throw, however, Bryant missed three chances to gain the upper hand. The third opportunity ended when Lake Hamilton’s Andrew Bennett made a steal and layup.
Kyle Sahr follows through on a jumper. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Another turnover led to a drive by Nero for a basket to make it 18-13.
Ashmore hit a 12-footer off a dish from Turner to interrupt the run with 1:57 left in the half but Lake Hamilton resumed its surge, building the lead to 25-15 by the end of the half.
The Hornets then didn’t score in the second half until Turner’s layup with 2:52 left. By then, the Wolves had doubled them up, 30-15. Rengstorf and Turner traded hoops then Lake Hamilton went on a 9-0 surge to build the lead to 41-19.
Bryant went into a trapping defense off a full-court man and whittled the lead from that apex. Turner canned a driving jumper and, after Bennett free throw, Caylin Allen hit one. Turner’s 3 made it 42-25 and Moody hit a jumper from the corner off an assist by Calvin Allen and the margin was down to 15 with 2:16 left.
But that’s as close as the Hornets could get. Lake Hamilton, which was just 8 of 21 from the free-throw line, made just enough down the stretch to maintain the double-digit advantage.
Rengstorf finished with 16 points, Bennett 15 and Nero 12. Turner led Bryant with 14. Caylin Allen added 6, Moody 4, Ashmore 2 and Calvin Allen 1.
Now 12-6 overall and 2-1 in league play, the Hornets will try to bounce back this Thursday when they host Conway White.
JUNIOR WOLVES 44, HORNETS 27
Score by quarters
BRYANT 8 7 4 8 — 27
Lake Hamilton 13 12 12 7 — 44
HORNETS 27
Cal.Allen 0-6 1-2 1, Cay.Allen 2-7 1-4 6, J.Allen 0-3 0-0 0, Moody 2-3 0-0 4, Sahr 0-2 0-0 0, Turner 6-10 0-0 14, Handly 0-0 0-0 0, Ashmore 1-2 0-0 2, McIntosh 0-2 0-0 0, Kelley 0-0 0-0 0, Winston 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-35 2-6 27.
JUNIOR WOLVES 44
Nero 5-7 1-3 11, Easter 1-2 0-4 2, Rengstorf 7-14 0-1 16, Bennett 4-10 5-11 15, Hamilton 0-3 0-0 0, Spradlin 0-0 0-0 0, Jackson 0-1 2-2 0, Lewis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-37 8-21 44.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 3-12 (Turner 2-6, Cay.Allen 1-4, Cal.Allen 0-1, Moody 0-1), Lake Hamilton 4-10 (Rengstorf 2-7, Bennett 2-3). Rebounds: Bryant 23 (Moody, Sahr, Winston 4), Lake Hamilton 33 (Bennett 9). Turnovers: Bryant 14, Lake Hamilton 7. Team fouls: Bryant 20, Lake Hamilton 11.
Bryant freshman coach Tyler Posey talks to Caylin Allen (14), Kaleb Turner (15) and Kyle Sahr (34) during a timeout in Monday’s game. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
