BOYS BASKETBALL Defense lifts Warren Harding past Rayen

Mario Manningham led the Raiders with 26 points and six steals.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Warren Harding High boys basketball team used a trapping defense in the third quarter, creating 11 turnovers and a 17-0 run, en route to a 74-46 victory over The Rayen School on Saturday.
The host Tigers (1-6) came out strong in the first quarter, leading 14-9 and 16-12, with sophomore guard Deon Elliot scoring six of his team-high 15 points.
There were seven lead changes and five ties, with a final one at 20-20 with 5:52 left in the second quarter, when the Raiders (2-1) went on an 8-0 run to take a 28-20 lead. One of a pair of 3-pointers by junior guard Mario Manningham broke the deadlock.
Rayen trailed 33-24 at halftime and 35-26 at the 7:09 mark of the third quarter when the roof caved in.
Harding's guard duo of Manningham and Tyson Rowland totaled 10 points and four steals each in a 17-0 run that put Harding ahead 52-26.
Team effort
"We played team ball, forced turnovers and had a real good scoring run," said Manningham, who finished with 26 points and six steals.
Rowland, the 5-7 senior point guard, finished with 11 points, eight steals and eight assists.
"We were a little shoddy in the first half, but we turned our intensity up in the second half, especially on defense and that made a difference," Rowland said.
Harding coach Steve Arnold added, "Rayen came out focused tonight because Coach [Phil] House had his people well-prepared, but we made second-half adjustments, going to a man-to-man trap, and that turned the game around."
Josh Johnson, a senior forward, scored 13 points and grabbed 10 of Harding's 29 rebounds as 12 Raiders were in the scoring column.
Along with Elliot's 15 points, Marcell Finkley scored 10 for the Tigers, who out-rebounded the taller Harding team 37-29, with Quinton Duckworth and Jabray Graham grabbing 10 boards each.
However, 29 Rayen turnovers were too much to overcome.
"The turnovers were very costly, but with a hard-played first and fourth quarters, this was our best performance so far this season," House said. "Harding is a very good team and their pressure in the third quarter was very effective."