The Lady Hornets varsity basketball team settled their Feb. 6 home game with a loss to the Little Rock Central Lady Tigers, 48-41.
The sound of squeaking sneakers and saxophones flooded Hornet Arena as the Lady Hornets began with the defensive full-court press. Senior Brilynn Findley, No. 5, took to the court to open the game as the Legacy of Bryant jazz band blared “Fight Song”, foreshadowing the intense game to come.
Bryant’s first score belonged to junior India Robinson, No. 13, as she made one of two free throws in response to a foul by Central. The first quarter concluded as Findley made a two-point shot, bringing the score to a close 14-12.
The second quarter opened with a layup from Robinson, which evened the scoreboard. The Lady Tigers surrounded the Hornets, strategically passing the ball from player to player until reaching the three-point line for a shot, 17-14. The game took a sudden turn when junior Austyn Oholendt, No. 22, was injured and escorted from the game. Sophomore Isabella Terry, No. 2, took Oholendt’s place on the court. A foul was called on Central and a three-point shot from Findley bumped the score to 23-17, though this advance was short-lived as the final score of the second quarter resolved to 26-23 .
As the match progressed, more and more seats within the arena were filled.
“Sometimes it can be discouraging, because, say for instance, there’s a home game,” Senior La’Riah Hawkins said prior to the match. “When we start playing, there is nobody in the stands. When the boys games start, the games are so packed. I block it out; we’ve got our parents there to cheer us on.”
Despite this, No. 33 keeps her head in the game.
“During the game, what goes through my head is I have to do my part,” Hawkins said. “For everyone to do their part, I have to do mine. I pay attention to everything going on, and I pick my teammates up when they mess up.”
Within the 10-minute long half-time, players broke for water and discussed strategies on the sidelines. During this time, the crowd was not left to watch an empty court, as the Bryant and Little Rock Central boys varsity teams warmed-up.
The buzzer sounded and the third quarter commenced. Despite early command from Central, the quarter began in earnest when Central fumbled the ball to Hawkins, allowing her to score a two-pointer. The score increased to a close 26-25, but a layup from Central widened the point gap.
With five minutes left on the clock, a scramble on the court occurred. Junior Madison Loggins, No. 10, sprawled on the floor, wrestled the ball from Central’s players and passed it to Findley, who scored two points. A foul on Central allowed Findley to score an additional point from a set of free-throws, evening the score once more to 28-28. Despite the slip-ups, the total points at the end of the third quarter, 39-30, put Central ahead by nine.
In the fourth quarter, two fouls on Central brought four points to the Lady Hornets. As the scoreboard boasted 39-34, Robinson made a three-point shot, bringing the score to 39-37. With 2:37 on the clock, Hawkins gains another two points for Bryant, but Central maintains a lead of four. The final shot of the night goes to L.R.C., ending the game with a score of 48-41.
Following the Girls Varsity loss, the Bryant Boys Varsity team won their match against Little Rock Central, 52-50.
