Hurricane Boys and Girls fall to LR Tigers

Friday, Jan. 26, 2024

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Little Rock Central guards Daniel Culberson and Luke Moore combined for 34 points to help beat the Jonesboro Hurricane 61-36 on Friday night at Don Riggs Hurricane Gymnasium.

Culberson scored 19 points and Moore scored 15 in the win. Moore also led the team with three, three-pointers, which all came in the second quarter on back-to-back-to-back three-point attempts.

Little Rock Central head coach Brian Ross shared his thoughts on Culberson’s and Moore’s performances.

“It was definitely their night. Luke has been known for being a great shooter all season. He made all three of his three-pointers in the first half tonight. Daniel took over the game. With his defense, there were about three possessions in a row in the first two to three minutes of the game where he got deflections and steals. He created energy for us with his drives. When his outside shots fall, there’s not really anything you can do because of his speed,” Ross said. 

The three-point game and overall shooting was the difference maker as the Tigers had six three-pointers, while the Hurricane had none. Free-throw percentages were about the same with Little Rock Central shooting 55% and Jonesboro 54.5%.

Both teams kept a close game after the first quarter with an 11-7 Little Rock Central lead. The Tigers separated themselves from the Hurricane in the second quarter, making seven shots and four free-throws. 

Jonesboro only made four shots in the second quarter and two free-throws, resulting in a 34-17 Tiger lead at halftime. 

The second half did not get any better for the Hurricane, while scoring nine times and only drawing one foul with one free-throw made. Little Rock Central continued their dominance in the second half with 10 shots made and six free-throws made. 

Jonesboro also had no player score double-digit points, as guard Myreion Taylor led the team with seven points. 

The Hurricane’s head coach Wes Swift explains what went wrong for his team throughout the game.

“I thought it was shooting percentage. I also thought when we really started missing a lot of shots and they (Little Rock Central) made three or four there and went on an eight to ten run. The last part of that run was we let our heads down and got a little soft on the backboards. When they would miss they would get second shots,” Swift said. 

Jonesboro travels to play against Cabot in another conference game, hoping for a bounce back victory. 

Coach Swift shared his thoughts on the mentality going into the upcoming game. 

“We need to respond. Life is going to try and knock you down all the time and that’s just part of it. It’s time to get back up. Our guys will respond. I’m not worried about it. These guys will be here and they will be ready. We’ve got a heck of a tough game coming up. Cabot is a good basketball team, and going on the road makes it even tougher,” Swift said. 

In the girl’s game, the Tigers defeated the Hurricane 62-31.

Little Rock Central guard Kiaya Davis led the team with 20 points while small forward Jordan Marshall scored 14 points. 

Jonesboro guard Allannah Orsby led the team with 13 points and the team’s only three-pointer. 

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NOTE: Feature photo shows Jonesboro’s Carlos Larry Jr. (10) trying to get past Little Rock Central’s C.J. Washington (2) during the game in Jonesboro, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Ibuki Hinohara/Delta Digital News Service