GIRLS BASKETBALL Harding advances, Fitch is ousted in sectional

The Raiders sidelined Massillon while the Falcons were eliminated by GlenOak.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE -- Warren Harding High girls basketball coach David Jenkins took advantage of a lengthy injury time-out at the end of the third quarter to give his squad a pep talk.
Whatever he said, the team heard it loud and clear.
The Raiders overcame a five-point deficit with a 16-2 fourth-quarter run, and withstood a late Massillon rally to pull out a 63-57 victory in a Division I sectional tournament game Saturday at Alliance High School.
Harding advanced to meet top-seeded Boardman at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Alliance. Thursday's first game will feature Massillon Jackson against Canton GlenOak, which was a 45-31 winner over Austintown Fitch in Saturday's early game.
"I told the girls during that time-out that this might be our last game, so we need to be more aggressive and give 160 percent," explained Jenkins. "We weren't confident shooting the ball in the first half, so I challenged them to attack the basket and crash the boards."
The Raiders took the strategy to heart, outscoring Massillon 23-14 in the fourth quarter.
Defense makes difference
While Harding's shots began to fall, it was the defense that made the difference in the final frame. Massillon owned a 44-39 advantage entering the fourth, but managed just one field goal in the first five minutes of the quarter.
"We put more pressure on their guards and tried to deny their passes to the wing," said Jenkins. "They shot the ball with confidence in the first half, so we had to take that confidence away by putting more pressure on them."
Desirae Jenkins, Janine McDonald and Adrianne Battee combined for 12 of the 16 points during a four-minute stretch of the fourth to give Harding the momentum.
McDonald's jumper with 5:01 left in the game gave the Raiders their first lead of the second half at 45-44.
Things just got better from there.
Jenkins canned a pair of free throws and added a bucket with 2:49 left to pad Harding's lead to 55-46.
Massillon rallies
The Tigers cut the deficit to three points twice in the final two minutes. A free throw from Nicole Offenbecher brought Massillon to within 60-57 with 13 seconds left. But McDonald canned two free throws and Erika Molden dropped in a charity toss in the final 12 seconds to seal Harding's win.
"We had some girls really step up tonight, when Massillon keyed on Desirae," said Jenkins. "I thought McDonald, Molden and Battee came through shooting the ball and gave us some balance. That's what we need to win in the tournaments."
Jenkins led Harding with 23 points, while McDonald added 14. Molden chipped in with nine.
Fitch-GlenOak
Austintown wasted a strong performance from sophomores Krista Mayes and Alexis Hall in the loss to GlenOak.
Fitch trailed by just five at halftime, but the Golden Eagles outscored the Falcons 19-2 in the third quarter to take control.
"We couldn't handle their pressure," said Fitch coach Dave Ward. "We couldn't make the easy passes we needed to and we turned the ball over as a result.
"Our nemesis all season has been one bad quarter and that was again the case today. The girls really pulled together in the fourth quarter and didn't quit. That showed a lot of character for a team as young as we are."
Hall led the Falcons with nine points. Mayes added six points and 22 rebounds.