The top seeded Bryant Hornets and Conway White Lady Cats will be challenged by the[more] respective teams from North Little Rock for the championship of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference tournament today at Bryant Middle School gym.
The girls final will begin at noon with the boys championship game commencing at 1:30 p.m.
Conway White, unbeaten on the season, reached the girls title game by ousting Mount St. Mary 50-9 last Saturday then knocking off Benton 47-38 in the semifinals on Thursday. North Little Rock's girls defeated Cabot North, 49-40, on Saturday then advanced past Cabot South, 44-30. Conway White defeated North Little Rock twice this season including 54-32 in their conference meeting on Jan. 9.
Bryant is 19-5 on the season and captured the regular-season championship when its loss at North Little Rock was negated by the Charging Wildcats' used of a player that had been ejected after two technical fouls in the team's previous game. Ejection from a game produces a one-game suspension. So the Hornets have yet to beat North Little Rock on the court. They lost a non-conference game at home against the Cats, 42-35, on Dec. 8, 2011. The game at North Little Rock went to overtime before the Wildcats prevailed 49-42 before the forfeit was declared.
Obviously, the Charging Wildcats, who were denied the regular-season title because of that, relish the opportunity to play the Hornets freshmen again with the tourney title on the line.
But Bryant has already avenged a pair of regular-season losses to Little Rock Catholic, beating the Junior Rockets in a semifinal game, 41-36, on Thursday. The Hornets ousted Benton 38-15 in their opener last Saturday.
North Little Rock reached the finals by outlasting Cabot South 39-33 on Saturday then knocking off second-seeded Conway White, 51-39, on Thursday.
Here are the complete brackets:
CENTRAL ARKANSAS JUNIOR HIGH CONFERENCE
Championship Tournament
At Bryant[more]
BMS, Bryant Middle School gym
BHS, Bryant High School gym
Thursday, Feb. 9
Game 1 — Mount St. Mary (8) 33, Bryant (9) 28 (girls), BMS
Game 2 — Benton (8) 40, Cabot North (9) 22 (boys), BMS
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 3 — Benton (4) 28, Conway Blue (5) 27, (girls), BHS
Game 4 — Little Rock Catholic (4) 46, Conway Blue (5) 39, (boys), BMS
Game 5 — North Little Rock (3) 49, Cabot North (6) 40, (girls), BHS
Game 6 — North Little Rock (3) 39, Cabot South (6) 33, (boys), BMS
Game 7 — Cabot South (2) 41, Lake Hamilton (7) 34, (girls), BHS
Game 8 — Conway White (2) 52, Lake Hamilton (7) 44, (boys), BMS
Game 9 — Conway White (1) 50, Mount St. Mary 9 (girls), BHS
Game 10 — Bryant (1) 38, Benton 15, (boys), BMS
Thursday, Feb. 16
Game 11 — North Little Rock 44, Cabot South 30 (girls), BMS
Game 12 — North Little Rock 51, Conway White 39 (boys), BHS
Game 13 — Conway White 47, Benton 38 (girls), BMS
Game 14 — Bryant 41, Little Rock Catholic 36 (boys), BHS
Championship games
Saturday, Feb. 18
Game 15 — North Little Rock vs. Conway White, noon (girls), BMS
Game 16 — North Little Rock vs. Bryant, 1:30 p.m. (boys), BMS
