By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Lady Red Devils picked up its biggest road win of the season on Wednesday, beating Little Rock Christian Academy 57-54 to break a tie atop the 5A-Central standings and take over sole possession of first place in the league.
The game was originally scheduled for last Friday, and both teams played the night before, but with so much on the line, neither team showed any signs of leg weariness or lack of focus.
The Lady Warriors, 12-7, 8-2, were coming off a huge road win of their own, beating Pulaski Academy in their last road trip to move into a first-place tie with Jacksonville. They had also won at Jacksonville in the first meeting, in a game that the Lady Devils almost erased a 23-point deficit to lose by five.
Wednesday’s matchup started the way the last one left off, with Jacksonville, 13-7, 9-1, controlling the early action, but the home team battled back and held a five-point lead going into the final period of play.
They maintained that lead and held a 52-47 advantage with five minutes left in the game, but the Lady Red Devils dominated from that point. If not for a series of inexplicable missed layups and even more inexplicable calls that went against Jacksonville, it might have been a win going away.
Little Rock Christian managed just two free throws in the final five minutes, and only four shot attempts.
Jacksonville turned up the defensive intensity and the Lady Warriors were at a loss to handle it.
“This is a very good basketball team,” said Jacksonville coach William Rountree of his own squad. “We didn’t shoot it really well. I know we missed a lot of layups. I don’t even care about the count. What matters is that they came through at the end. I think they’re becoming a clutch-time basketball team, and I told them just now that I was proud to be their coach.”
After Annalee Rhodes put the Lady Warriors up 52-47, Jacksonville’s Keke Alcorn answered with a 3-pointer at the 4:14 mark. No one scored for nearly two minutes, even though Jacksonville had several shot opportunities. Finally Carlee Earls hit 1 of 2 foul shots for LRCA to make it 53-50 with 2:21 left. Jacksonville’s Tiffany Smith then missed a 3-pointer, but teammate Markela Bryles got the long rebound and put it back in with 2:02 on the clock.
The Lady Warriors then took 15 seconds to get the ball across half court without a 10-second violation being called, but Jacksonville still forced a turnover later in the possession. Smith then penetrated and dished to Bryles, who was wide open underneath the basket. That layup with 1:21 to play gave Jacksonville its first lead since late in the second quarter.
Sacha Richardson then stole the ball and dished to Antrice McCoy, who was hammered while going up for a transition layup.
No foul was called on the contact, but Bryles was called for a foul when a pass was thrown into her upward stretched arms after the rebound.
Rhodes made 1 of 2 free throws after the phantom foul to tie the game with 60 seconds left to play.
Alcorn then penetrated and dished to Bryles, who was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws. Bryles then stole the ball but walked. McCoy then got a steal and missed a 3-pointer. Bryles got the rebound and was double teamed underneath the basket.
As she threw back out to the perimeter, a whistle blew and a jump ball was called, giving possession to the Lady Warriors. McCoy got another steal and dished to Alcorn, who missed an open layup, McCoy got the rebound and missed another layup, Richardson and Rhodes then tied up for the rebound, and the possession arrow went to Jacksonville with 12 seconds to play.
The Lady Warriors fouled Alcorn, who hit 1 of 2 to set the final margin. Jacksonville forced another loose ball. Brooklyn Burks ran it down at the top of the key and fired a 3-pointer as time expired, but Smith blocked it from behind to preserve the win.
Alcorn, who missed her first 10 shots of the game, scored 10 of her 14 in the fourth quarter, including two 3-pointers. Bryles led Jacksonville with 18 while Smith and McCoy scored 11 each.
Jacksonville also didn’t help its cause at the free-throw line, hitting just 9 of 24 attempts. Earls led all scorers with 19 while Rhodes added 13.
Jacksonville also picked up a conference win on Tuesday over North Pulaski by the vulgar final score of 82-33. Smith drained eight 3-pointers and finished with 31 points. Bryles added 14 and Desiree Williams scored 10, all in the fourth quarter.
Raigen Thomas led North Pulaski with 12 while Kiarra Evans scored 10 for the Lady Falcons.
