NEIGHBORHOOD BATTLE Harding survives Howland scare

The Tigers gave the Raiders a battle before bowing 72-62.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- The Howland Tigers basketball team refused to be intimidated by early-season talk in Mahoning Valley basketball circles that the Warren G. Harding Raiders have one of the top teams in Ohio.
But even though the Tigers did almost everything they needed to do to win, it was the Raiders who came out on top Friday, 72-62. Harding (3-1) plays at Rayen tonight.
"I watched Howland play LaBrae two nights after Ron McCleary took over their team," Harding coach Frank Bubba said. "It's a testimony to what a great job Ron has done when you see how well they are playing."
Took over late: McCleary returned to the Howland (2-4) bench after Mike O'Neill resigned just before the start of the season. McCleary had coached the Tigers for several years before O'Neill took over for the 2000-01 season.
"We're disappointed in the loss, but proud of the kids' effort," McCleary said. "The kids did a good job following the game plan. We wanted to make them make some passes and force them to shoot from the outside.
"We just had a couple stretches when we lost our concentration. Plus, that's as good a team as we'll play."
The Howland game plan left the Tigers ahead 15-14 after one quarter and helped the Tigers stay in the game throughout.
Harding took its first lead early in the second quarter and extended that advantage to seven, but Howland came back to lead again, 31-30, with 1:51 left in the half.
Mike Phillips made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. He followed with a steal and a pass to Danny Stella for a hoop, then scored off an offensive rebound to close out the half with the Raiders on top, 37-31.
"Mike Phillips has to play well for us and I think he had an outstanding game tonight," Bubba said about his junior point guard whose numbers included 12 points, four assists and two steals.
"Mike is extremely intelligent and I think he's one of the best point guards in the area," Bubba said.
Still in the game: Howland wouldn't go away in the second half, closing to within 45-42 midway through the third quarter.
But the Raiders went on a 10-3 run to close the quarter
ahead 55-45.
Howland closed within seven in the final quarter and Harding's biggest lead was 14 down the stretch.
Junior forward Prescott Burgess led the Raiders with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Raiders had their usual balance, getting 10 points from Danny Stella, nine each from Shelby Chaney and Ronnie Angel, and eight from Ethan Banks who also had four assists.
Howland was led by Scott Day with 22 points, Courtney Mazey with 20 points and seven rebounds and Brandon Kubicina with 10 points.
The Tigers shot 22-of-47 from the field, including 9-of-18 behind the arc. Howland was 9-of-11 from the line.
Harding also shot well, making 29-of-56 from the field and 11-of-15 at the line.
"There are going to be ups and downs throughout the season and we'll have more ups and downs along the way," Bubba said about how his team is handling the pressure of preseason expectations.
"But this is just Dec. 21 and our fourth game. March is a long ways off," Bubba said.