LADY BEARS ROLL TO THEIR EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN

t took a couple of shots from beyond the perimeter to really get the Lady Bears going. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Tracey Bershers and Jazz Coleman started a run of 23 straight points. Northside rolled from there, picking up its eighth consecutive win by downing Little Rock Central, 56-26, in 6A-Central action Tuesday night at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse. “Good win, good win,” Northside coach Rickey Smith said. “We missed a couple of shots early and Central was controlling the tempo, so we tried to speed it up a little bit. “We would go down, get one shot and miss, and then they would dribble it real slow down the floor, pass, pass, pass. I looked up (at the scoreboard) and four minutes into the game it was a very slow tempo, but then boom, boom, boom, we hit a couple of shots and you saw us explode.” Down 2-0 to the Lady Tigers (4-7, 0-2) and having already missed some easy shots, the Lady Bears (13-3, 2-0) finally got some shots to fall. Did they ever. Bershers and Coleman’s treys put Northside up 6-2. Then, senior guard Eriel West fed sophomore forward Haitianna Releford inside for a basket, and West followed with a short jumper of her own to push the lead to 10-2. “We just kept fighting and just kept our head in the game, and continued to do what we do at Northside and continued to play,” West said. “We focused on our self. ... We focused more on Northside getting better. “It’s been kind of a slow start for myself, but I kind of just kept fighting and kept practicing hard because I knew what I could do for my team and try to be positive that I can to keep my team up and to keep us all going.” Northside kept building the lead, scoring 23 straight points. The run also featured 3's from Jersey Wolfenbarger and Avery Shelly. A foul shot from Wolfenbarger two minutes into the second quarter capped it off, giving the Lady Bears a commanding 23-2 advantage. Northside then built a 24-point lead in the final seconds of the opening half, 33-9, as Bershers finished off a three-point play. The Lady Bears remained in control throughout the second half, with a continuous clock played during the fourth quarter. “We’re playing much better basketball, but we’ve got to stay focused,” Smith said. “We’ve got a big, big game Friday on the road (at Mount St. Mary) and then the gauntlet week next week against Conway and North Little Rock, and that will decide to see where you’re at. ... We’ve got a lot of basketball left to play. “I am proud of the fact of the way we shared the basketball (Tuesday); several times where we made that extra pass and that’s fun to watch.” Wolfenbarger led Northside with 15 points, which included making a pair of 3's. Northside 63, LR Central 44 BOYS — Coming off their big win last week against Bryant, the Grizzlies may have started off a bit slow in the first half, but they heated up right before halftime. Specifically, senior forward Jaylin Williams, who capped the half with a one-handed dunk right down the lane with time running out. Northside (12-4, 2-0), which posted its 10th consecutive win, trailed by five points early in the second quarter to the Tigers (7-8, 0-2). But a 12-4 run helped the Grizzlies to a 23-20 lead midway through the period. Williams then accounted for the team’s last three field goals in the opening half, a dunk, a tip-back after a missed shot and then another dunk. That half-ending dunk was set up by Northside forcing a turnover on the other end. Blood Sugar Ultra Start Eating This Everyday To Reduce Blood Sugar (Watch) Sponsored by Blood Sugar Ultra See More Garrett Keller came up with the loose ball and found Williams all alone streaking past half-court. Williams did the rest, slamming it home to put Northside up by seven at the break, 29-22. The Grizzlies built a 10-point lead, 44-34, when Noah Gordon ended the third quarter with a baseline jumper. Williams then opened the fourth by hitting a 3 for a 47-34 advantage. Northside extended its lead to 19 points, 55-36, midway through the fourth when Williams converted consecutive put-back shots. While the presence of Williams has helped, not to mention other players coming through in a variety of roles, Northside coach Eric Burnett said defense has been another key reason for the team’s current 10-game win streak. “Defensively, I feel like we’re playing better defense now than we were earlier,” Burnett said. “I think that’s been the key is the stops, and us stepping up and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to have stops.’” In fact, Northside held the Tigers to 32 percent shooting from the field (16-of-50), along with holding Central to 18 percent from 3-point range (5-of-27). The Grizzlies, meanwhile, shot 57 percent from the field (24-of-42). Williams finished the game with 27 points, 18 of those coming in the opening half. He picked up another double-double in grabbing 15 rebounds along with two blocks. He went 11-of-15 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and made both of his free-throw attempts. Senior forward Braylin McKinley also hit double figures as he had 11 points. McKinley went 3-of-4 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line while also recording eight rebounds. “I’m really proud of Braylin and Jaylin, because the last two teams we’ve played have been guard-oriented, and they have had to step out on the floor and guard their guards,” Burnett said. “I’ve been pleased with the way they’ve been doing that. Now, (Central) did hit a couple of 3's, but for the most part, (Williams and McKinley) have done a really good job of jumping out there on the wing and guarding people.”

LADY BEARS ROLL TO THEIR EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 1/15/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford