CENTRAL USES FOURTH QUARTER TO BEAT JACKSONVILLE ON ROAD

Little Rock Central knew all about Jacksonville senior guard Davonte Davis, the Arkansas Razorbacks signee who plays for the Titans. The Tigers were not bothered. Central, down by 13 points in the first quarter, and still trailing by seven points with 6:27 to play in the fourth quarter, outscored Jacksonville 10-0 after Davis missed a dunk attempt on a breakaway and went on to defeat the Titans 59-56 Tuesday night at Jacksonville's new gymnasium. Jacksonville (5-4) had a chance to tie the game as the clock ran down, but Davis' three-point bounced off the rim and Central celebrated a victory in the final nonconference game for both teams. Central (7-6) opens 6A-Central Conference play Friday against North Little Rock, and the Tigers will do so with a bounce in their step. "We don't have big names," Central Coach Brian Ross said. "We don't have any Razorback recruits. We've got a lot of guys who believe in each other. They're going to play hard, and they're not intimidated by anybody. That's what that was. We're really starting to develop a belief in ourselves, and it showed up there late." Ross said he was not surprised when 6-3 junior Corey Camper, who has not committed to or signed with any college, took control of the game with 10 points in the final minutes. It was a stretch that included a three-point basket by Camper after Davis' missed dunk to make it 45-41, and another three-point play, when Camper stole the ball from Davis, drove for a layup, and was fouled to give Central its first lead of the night at 46-45 with 4 minutes to play. "He's a great player," Ross said of Camper. "And he's a tough guy." Camper said there is no question the Tigers had extra motivation playing against Davis. "Yes sir," said Camper, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. "It is." When asked about his swiping the ball from from Davis, Camper said it was a great feeling. "I just stripped him," Camper said. "Stayed in front of him." The Tigers weren't in front until the fourth quarter, but Camper said his teammates never kept battling after trailing 18-5 with 2:58 to play in the first quarter. Jeremiah Jones led Central with 22 points. "Our coaches told us don't get your heads down and keep believing," Camper said. "It's a big win." As big a victory was it was for Central, Jacksonville Coach Victor Joyner said it was a disappointing loss for the Titans, who have made a habit of leading into the fourth quarter in all but one of its four losses. "When we get to the last 2 or 3 minutes, we have bad shots, bad execution, lack of cohesiveness," he said. "And we've got to fix that. If we can fix the last three minutes, then we're going to be OK. ... That's what's been killing us, the last 3 minutes." Joyner said Davis, who was held to nine points Tuesday, sometimes tries to do too much. "We're talking to him about it," Joyner said. "Sometimes, the other guys, he's not trusting them enough. He's got to keep trusting his teammates." TJ Stewart led Jacksonville with 18 points. "We're not far from being a championship-caliber team," Joyner said. "We have to make sure they understand, and we impose upon them, the last three minutes is the most important part of the game when you're playing high-caliber teams. "We've got to be able to close out games, and we're not closing them out right now."

Central High School Athletics

CENTRAL USES FOURTH QUARTER TO BEAT JACKSONVILLE ON ROAD

Photo Credit: Central High School Athletics