PEARCY, Ar. — Lake Hamilton’s Ty Robinson scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter Thursday night as the Wolves beat previously unbeaten Magnolia in the Kameron Hale Invitational, 62-53.
The Wolves (12-2) buried six 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, three by Robinson and two by senior Zac Pennington. Robinson scored on a layup with Lake Hamilton scored the first seven points of the game. The Wolves held their biggest lead (31-11) early in the second period. The Panthers slipped to 7-1 with the stunning setback.
“We would have been in trouble if not for the first quarter (Wolves led 25-8),” said Lake Hamilton coach Scotty Pennington. “I respect Magnolia’s program, they’ve been winning for fifty years. In the first quarter we played at a level they couldn’t match. We went into coast mode the rest of the game, and you can’t do that against a really good team.
“Magnolia has a lot of pride and they’re not going to lay down. It’s a really good win for us. Robinson really played well. Zac (coach’s son) shot the ball well and handled their pressure. The key for us was having only four turnovers in the first half and seven for the game. That was huge for us. Coming in we felt Magnolia was the best defensive team we have faced.”
Zac Pennington finished with 11 points, while Charter Harris and LaBraun Christon scored nine each.
The Panthers’ rallied in the middle quarters to cut Lake Hamilton’s lead to three points. Nevi Tell led the comeback with all 20 of his points in those quarters. Jase Carter contributed 11 points.
The host Wolves play West Memphis Friday at 6:30 p.m. Action tips off at 2 p.m. with Springdale’s girls playing Pulaski Academy. Magnolia and Catholic clash at 3;30, with the Lady Wolves facing Bryant at 5 p.m.
LR Catholic 57, West Memphis 38
Catholic (7-6) poured in 24 points in the second quarter to erase the Blue Devils’ 13-11 advantage at the end of the first period.
Walter Lewis scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second quarter. Johnny Washington led West Memphis (4-10) with 14 points.
GIRLS
Lake Hamilton 40, Pulaski Academy 31
The Lady Wolves (4-9) trailed Pulaski Academy 23-10 when Lake Hamilton went on a 20-1 run. The Wolves tied the game with 13 unanswered points.
Nancy Coffman sparked the Wolves’ big run with six points in the second quarter. She finished with a game-high 17 points. Brooklyn Braughton scored eight points, and helped bringing the ball down court.
Bryant 58, Springdale 56 OT
Springdale led by 12 in the second quarter when Emileigh Muse ignited a comeback by Bryant. The Hornets trailed by 10 at halftime, but knotted the score after the third period, 42-42. It was 51-51 at the end of regulation.
Lauren Cain scored four of her 11 points in overtime for the Hornets (11-3). Aubin Wilson poured in 25 points for the Lady Dawgs.