Pine Bluff High School’s second game at this year’s King Cotton Holiday Classic got off to a better start than its first, but it didn’t last.
Raymond, Miss., defeated the Zebras 63-24 in Monday’s first game at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
Pine Bluff (2-10) led 2-0 after sophomore Rayshun Reed scored on the Zebras’ first possession, but the Rangers responded with a 7-0 run to take the lead.
Sophomore Braylon Turner ended the run with a three-pointer. Pine Bluff went on to trail 9-6 with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter, at which point Raymond went on a 20-0 run over the remainder of the quarter to pull away. Six Rangers scored on the run.
Reed ended the rally by scoring the first two points of the second quarter, a period in which Pine Bluff outscored the Rangers 8-7. Raymond put the game away with a 20-point third quarter, triggering a running clock for the fourth.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Miles Norman and Kylon Graves led Raymond with 10 points apiece. Eighteen Rangers got into the game.
Reed and junior Ja’Kobe Johnson led Pine Bluff with five points each. Quentin Adams, a junior, didn’t score but collected a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Offensive rebounds and Pine Bluff turnovers fueled Raymond’s offense. The Rangers outscored the Zebras 19-0 in second-chance points and 25-4 off of turnovers. Raymond also connected on nine three-pointers.
Bryant 75, Zachary, La., 64
Zachary’s fourth-quarter comeback fell short as Bryant redeemed itself from a lopsided first-round loss.
Bryant led 61-44 after the third quarter and seemed poised to cruise to the final buzzer, but the Broncos fought back with a 10-0 run in the middle of the period. A three-pointer from junior Ian Edmond got the lead down to 69-64 with 36.4 seconds remaining.
Zachary got no closer. Bryant senior RJ Young hit two free throws, then senior Camarion Bead stole the ball and scored to put the game away. Bryant finished on a 6-0 run.
Edmond scored a game-high 32 points, but Young answered with 30 points and nine rebounds. Bead finished with 20 points and eight boards. The Hornets shot 52% from the field.
GIRLS: Lake Hamilton 73, Oak Grove, La., 52
A third-quarter push was all Oak Grove could muster against a hot-shooting Lake Hamilton team.
The Lady Wolves led 34-15 at halftime after making six three-pointers and forcing 14 turnovers. Oak Grove’s star, junior center Caroline Bradley, went into the locker room with two points.
Bradley led the Lady Tigers back into the game by scoring 18 points in the third quarter. Oak Grove cut down on its turnovers and got the ball to Bradley in the paint more frequently, ultimately outscoring Lake Hamilton 22-11 in the third to get the deficit into single digits.
That was Oak Grove’s last gasp. Lake Hamilton once again contained Bradley in the fourth and outscored the Lady Tigers 28-15 over the final 8 minutes.
Sophie Puckett led Lake Hamilton with 14 points. Hayley Ferguson scored 12, and Gracen Hurley added 10. Bradley finished with a game-high 25 points and 18 rebounds, with teammate Emilee Johnson adding 12 points.
