Hornets top Pointers in 1st round

The Central No. 6 seed Bryant Hornets will be advancing to the second round of the 7A State Tournament after defeating host and West No. 3 seed Van Buren Pointers 50-44 in the first round Thursday. For the win, the Hornets will be taking on a familiar foe – the Central No. 2 seed Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies (17-7), which defeated Bryant twice this season in conference play, 69-67 in overtime in Fort Smith and 56-46 in Bryant. The two teams tip off tonight at 8:30 in Van Buren.
“That’s going to be tough there,” Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. “I’m sure they’ve been waiting for us all week. They’re extremely tough, athletic, and of course have phenomenal guards in Tevin Brewer and Isaiah Joe. They can shoot it and they just make the game so difficult for their opponent. They can shoot from deep, Brewer can get into the defense really well, and you have to pay so much attention to them that sometimes other guys are left open. They’re tough.”
Senior forward Braylon Steen shined for the Hornets (18-10) on Thursday as he put up 15 points and eight rebounds when other Hornets struggled.
“Steen had a great game,” Abrahamson said. “He really played well for us. He hit a three, a couple jumpers and some offensive rebound/put backs."