Little Rock Central was previously 0-5 against the 7A-Central's top three teams in North Little Rock, Fort Smith Northside and Cabot.

On Tuesday night, the Tigers got their signature conference victory, defeating Cabot 71-62 in Little Rock.

Central (15-9, 6-5 7A-Central) avenged a 57-55 loss at Cabot on Jan. 17 by using an 11-0 first-quarter run to pull ahead against the defending Class 7A state champions.

"We've had a tough schedule," Central Coach Oliver Fitzpatrick said. "We've played Mills and Maumelle. We've played North Little Rock and Northside twice. Those are the best teams in the state. Every game we have played has helped us get to this point."

Senior forward Raekwon Rogers finished with 21 points to lead the Tigers. Junior guard Donald Richardson scored 16 points and made 9 of 10 free throws. Senior guard Cameron Johnson had 14 points, and sophomore guard Jakaylyn Jackson added 12 points off the bench.

The Tigers trailed 5-3 early in the first quarter, but Richardson and senior guard Jacobia Platt each knocked down three-pointers in the 11-0 run to take a 14-5 lead. Central extended its lead to 35-20 with 4:27 left in the first half on Rogers' three-point play and went into halftime with a 43-30 advantage.

Cabot pulled within 59-52 on senior guard Bobby Joe Duncan's layup with 5:41 to play, but Central closed the game out at the free-throw line, going 10 of 12. The Tigers finished 21 of 25 overall at the free-throw line.

The Panthers (18-4, 8-3) saw their four-game winning streak snapped. Senior forward Logan Gilbertson led the Panthers with 13 points while junior guard Jalen Brown had 12 points.

"We had too much to overcome in the first half," Cabot Coach Jerry Bridges said. "We didn't bring our defensive intensity. That's something we usually travel with. We've got to go back and work on that."