North Little Rock got a bit defensive against Fort Smith Northside on Friday night, and Charging Wildcats Coach Johnny Rice didn't mind.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over 19 times -- including 11 in the first half -- and had a rough night shooting as North Little Rock rolled to a 59-47 victory in a rematch of last season's Class 7A state championship game.
"We were engaged mentally, which was a big deal for us on the defensive end," Rice said. "I really thought our half-court defense was the difference. We got out there and guarded on the perimeter and did a good job of keeping them off the glass.
"Northside's a good team, and I thought we answered the challenge."
North Little Rock (14-4, 3-1 7A-Central) won both regular-season meetings between the teams last year before falling 50-49 in the closing seconds of the championship game. However, the Charging Wildcats didn't allow Friday's contest to get any closer than nine points in the second half, and Rice can thank his team's defensive effort for that, especially in the first two quarters.
To go along with its 11 turnovers, Northside (12-6, 3-1) shot just 5 of 20 (25 percent) from the floor the first two quarters and trailed 27-13 at halftime. The Grizzlies did shoot better in the second half but never fully recovered from their awful start.
Northside finished shooting 34 percent (17 of 50) and were outrebounded 37-22.
North Little Rock, which had 12 steals and 11 blocks in the game, also devoted quite a bit of attention to University of Arkansas, Fayetteville commit Isaiah Joe. The senior rarely got off a clean shot and usually had a defender in his face every time he touched the ball.
"They run a lot of stuff to get him shots, and I thought we did a good job on being there whenever he got the ball," Rice said of Joe who finished with 19 points, 14 coming in the second half. "He's going to get his, and we knew that. But we just wanted to slow him down while not allowing someone else to get more than what they normally get."
Sophomore forward Moses Moody had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals for North Little Rock, which shot 25 of 50 (50 percent) but committed 15 turnovers. Junior forward Collin Moore added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Spencer Simes had 10 points.
The Charging Wildcats led 31-16 after Moore's dunk with 6:35 left in the third quarter before a quick 6-0 spurt from Northside got the Grizzlies within nine. But North Little Rock answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a Moody three-pointer, to increase its lead to 17.
The Grizzlies pulled as close as 47-38 in the fourth quarter following back-to-back three pointers from junior guard Javion Releford, the second with 6:47 remaining, but North Little Rock scored 10 of the next 12 points to pull away.
FS NORTHSIDE (47)
Releford 3 0-0 9, Joe 6 4-4 19, Jacobs 3 0-0 8, Travis 1 0-0 2, Williams 3 1-2 7, McKinley 1 0-0 2, Gordon 0 0-0 0, Keller 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 5-6 47.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK (59)
Jordan 3 0-0 7, Fresh 0 0-0 0, Thrower 1 0-0 3, Watkins 2 0-0 4, Moore 5 2-3 12, Mo. Moody 8 2-3 19, Simes 4 1-3 10, McCollugh 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 5-9 59.
Fort Smith Northside (12-6);7 6 17 17 -- 47
North Little Rock (14-4);10 17 19 13 -- 59
Three-point goals -- Fort Smith Northside 8 (Joe 3, Releford 3, Jacobs 2), North Little Rock 4 (Jordan, Thrower, Simes, Mo. Moody). Total fouls -- Fort Smith Northside 11, North Little Rock 9. Fouled out -- None.
Sports on 01/20/2018