By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Lonoke’s season opener Tuesday was also its first official game at the new Gina Cox Center, and the Jackrabbits didn’t disappoint, as they beat Pulaski Robinson 66-55 to start their season 1-0.
The Jackrabbits came out fired up to play in front of their home crowd in their new state-of-the-art arena, and it showed early as they built a quick 10-2 lead with 4:36 still to play in the first quarter.
Robinson called timeout at that point, and spent the rest of the first period steadily chipping away at the Jackrabbits’ lead. By the end of the quarter, Robinson cut Lonoke’s lead to 19-16 on a three-pointer by Marcus Perkins with one second remaining.
“They tried to play it off, but they were really excited,” said Lonoke coach Dean Campbell. “I was excited. That was going to be a key – how quick we were going to be able settle down, get into a flow. With one, it being our first game; and two, it being our first game in this place.
“I feel like we settled down fairly quick. We’d go on a run and we’d let them back in, and then go on a run again.”
The Senators took their first lead at 22-21 with 5:33 to play in the second quarter on a steal that led to a basket at the other end by Darrian Stokes. Lonoke responded with a 9-0 run to lead 30-22 near the halfway point of the period, but by halftime, Robinson cut the Jackrabbits’ lead to 30-28.
Lonoke wasn’t able to get any separation on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. With the score tied at 38 apiece, the ’Rabbits scored 10 unanswered points to lead 48-38 with 1:33 left in the third. The run was capped with a turnaround jumper by senior Blake Mack just outside the paint. At the end of the period, Lonoke led 50-43.
Robinson scored the first bucket of the final eight minutes, which cut the ’Rabbits’ lead to five, but that was as close as the Senators would get the rest of the way.
Senior and leading scorer Jamel Rankin scored the next five points for Lonoke, but on his final basket of the game, which was a contested a layup in transition after a steal, he went down hard on the court and was favoring his knee.
Rankin had to be carried off the floor to the Lonoke bench, and he did not return to the game. However, he did manage to walk back to the locker room on his own after the game, and other than a slight limp in his step, he appeared to be OK.
“I didn’t know exactly what it was,” Campbell said. “I think he just cramped. I thought it was his knee, but I think he’s going to be OK. He’s got to get some fluids in him, and I think he’s going to be fine.”
With Rankin out of the game, the Senators cut the deficit to six, but three-straight free throws by Lonoke on back-to-back Robinson technical fouls pushed the Jackrabbit lead to 58-49. Lonoke pushed its lead back to double digits on a transition layup by Tykel Gray with 2:44 remaining, and from there, the Jackrabbits maintained that double-digit lead till the final buzzer sounded.
Lonoke won the turnover, rebound and takeaway battles, but just barely. The ’Rabbits outrebounded the Senators 23-22, had one more takeaway with 12, and committed 17 turnovers while Robinson turned it over 22 times.
Neither team shot well at the line or from three-point range. Lonoke was 9 for 20 at the free-throw line for 45 percent, and 3 for 15 from beyond the arc for 20 percent. Robinson was 3 for 9 from the stripe for 33 percent, and 2 for 7 from three-point range for 29 percent.
Rankin’s 21 points led all scorers. He also finished with six rebounds, four assists and seven steals. Mack scored 19 points off the bench. Gray added 14 points. Darrius McCall scored nine. Stokes led the Senators with 14 points.
The Jackrabbits are off until Tuesday when they travel to Conway for an invitational tournament at St. Joseph’s High School.
