Tag Archives: Little Rock Central

Jonesboro vs. Little Rock Central Basketball Double Header

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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.

Jonesboro’s Carlos Larry Jr. (10) tries 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

“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. 

Jonesboro’s Alexia Gomez (13) looks to pass the ball against Little Rock Central during the game in Jonesboro, on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Ibuki Hinohara/Delta Digital News Service

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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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

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

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Jonesboro vs. Little Rock Central

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Golden Hurricane defeats LR Central Tigers, 45-6

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Nov. 3, 2023

Brayden Morse | Sports Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Jonesboro Golden Hurricane earned a home playoff game and a fifth seed in the playoffs under first-year head coach Tyler George, as a duo rushing attack helped the Golden Hurricanes defeat the Little Rock Central Tigers 45-6 at Cooksey-Johns Stadium on Friday night.

Central’s Kamden Buckingham (22) and Kaheem Morris (15) try to stop Jonesboro’s Markeice Stafford (25) during first half action, Friday, November 3, 2023. Photo by Atsuki Ohbuchi

Coach George gave his thoughts on making the playoffs in his first year as head coach.

“I think it’s huge. It’s huge for our program after the year we had last year. Those kids continue to fight. They got battle tested last year moving up to 7A. They came in this year ready for it. Super proud of our kids and our staff to be able to get to where we are right now,” George said. 

Running back Markevious Pickett and running back Jordan Daniels combined for five rushing touchdowns in the win. 

Coach George expressed his thoughts on the successful running game.

“We talk about warrior mentality. They came out the second half and were rocking and rolling,” George said. 

Although the running game was strong throughout the game, the offense struggled to put points on the board early in the game. 

Jonesboro would not get their first points until a little over four minutes left in the first quarter, settling for a field goal as back-to-back penalties occurred on offense. 

Coach George expressed his frustration with the amount of penalties throughout the game. 

“We’ve got to clean some things up. I’m never going to blame the referees at all. We do have some things to clean up and we’ll work on that this week,” George said. 

“We’ve got to clean some things up. I’m never going to blame the referees at all. We do have some things to clean up and we’ll work on that this week,”

Jonesboro head coach Tyler George

The Golden Hurricanes also rotated quarterbacks Terrance Brown and Asa Myers throughout the game, which is rare for most teams. 

Brown threw an interception early in the first quarter, but Jonesboro eventually got the ball back. 

Myers would go on to start their first touchdown-scoring drive as Pickett scored from 12 yards with a 10-0 early in the second quarter. 

When the Tigers got the ball back, defensive end Jonathan Milton sacked the quarterback resulting in a fourth down and long, giving the Golden Hurricanes possession. 

Myers threw a short screen pass to tight end Myreion Taylor for a 45-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. 

Little Rock Central’s next drive ended in an interception by Jonesboro defensive back Taz Clark right before halftime. 

Coming out of the half, the Golden Hurricanes drove down the field in five plays as Pickett scored his second rushing touchdown in a goal-line situation, leading 24-0 early in the third quarter. 

Daniels dominated the second half, scoring a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and two in the fourth quarter. 

Jonesboro is waiting to see who their opponent is for next week’s game, as Little Rock Central lost their 31st straight regular season game and ended the season with an 0-10 record.

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Brayden Morse

Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

NOTE: Feature photo shows Central’s Kamden Buckingham (22) and Kaheem Morris (15) trying to stop Jonesboro’s Markeice Stafford (25) during first half action, Friday, November 3, 2023. Photo by Atsuki Ohbuchi