Manningham rescues Harding

Mario Manningham made a good decision in the waning seconds against St. Ignatius.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- Trailing 58-57 with 10 seconds left, Warren Harding junior Mario Manningham dribbled at the top of the key, looked over the defense and, for a split second, saw an opening.
It was all he needed.
"I was going to drive it in, let the defense collapse and kick the ball out," Manningham said. "Then I saw a seam and I took it and put it in."
What was he thinking after he made the shot?
"Get back on defense," he said.
With no timeouts left, Cleveland St. Ignatius guard Ed Hills was forced to drive the length of the court where he found Rudy Kirbus for a 3-point attempt.
Kirbus missed, Warren Harding forward Terrin Brown grabbed the rebound and the Raiders were finally able to relax with a 59-58 victory.
"I thought we did what we had to do in crucial situations," Harding coach Steve Arnold said.
Added Wildcats coach Brian Becker, "We just didn't get it done."
They almost did.
Down the stretch
After Manningham sank a driving layup to give the Raiders a 57-55 lead, Ignatius' John Ryan found guard Matt Porath on the wing for a 3-pointer with 23.3 seconds left.
Becker called his last timeout to set up the Wildcats' defense, choosing to play the Raiders man-to-man rather than zone.
"I wasn't going to let them have a wide-open look in a one-point game," Becker said. "Give Mario credit -- he got to the basket."
Manningham, who is probably more well-known for his football prowess, has made crucial shots in two games this week. He also hit a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime in Monday's win against Olmsted Falls.
And with each game, Arnold said, Manningham's confidence grows.
"Mario's Mario," Arnold said. "You get the ball in his hands and let him create. He did it in Monday's situation and he did it tonight."
Manningham finished with 12 points and six steals for Harding (9-3). Josh Johnson added 13 points and six steals for the Raiders, who forced 21 turnovers.
"I think we did a poor job with our ball handling, especially in the second and fourth quarter," Becker said. "But Harding deserves some credit for that."
Key contributions
Joe Phinisee had 12 points and seven rebounds and Brown added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Raiders, who shot just 19 of 43 and missed several shots inside.
"I think that was a lack of confidence," Arnold said. "We were more concerned with getting hit instead of being concerned about getting the ball in the basket."
Kirbus led the Wildcats (3-8) with 21 points and three steals, while Robby Parris had 11 points, Matt Freeman had 10 points and five rebounds and Porath had nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.
St. Ignatius lost 6-foot, 10-inch center Matt Adler to an ankle injury in the second quarter.
"I'm sure that hurt them," Arnold said. "But sometimes when a team loses a key player, the other four or five guys step up."
And while the Wildcats have struggled to win games, much of it can be blamed on a tough schedule that includes Canton McKinley and Cincinnati Moeller -- the top-ranked teams in Division I.
"We've lost some games, but you have to consider who we've played," Becker said. "We've been competitive."
scalzo@vindy.com