Eargle propels Harding

The Raiders had no trouble dismissing Wilson, 58-24.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Warren Harding senior O'dell Eargle walked into The Chevrolet Centre on Saturday, looked around and felt a few butterflies rolling around his stomach.
"I was a little nervous; it was my first experience playing in front of so many people," Eargle said. "I think I was in awe."
He didn't play like it.
Eargle's game-high 20 points included three two-handed dunks as the Raiders (2-0) overwhelmed Wilson 58-24 in the third game of the Youngstown-Warren Holiday Classic.
Eargle, getting his first start of the season, may have taken scoring honors, but it was the Raiders defense that played the biggest role.
Harding forced 28 Wilson turnovers -- mainly through a suffocating half-court trap -- and held the Redmen to just 14 points over the final three quarters.
"We're still not playing the type of defense we need to," Harding coach Steve Arnold said. "We're getting beat off the dribble. We want to reach too much on defense instead of sitting down [and guarding the opposing player].
"We'll definitely work on that on Monday."
Brother nets 10
Eargle's younger brother, Damion, added 10 points and 12 rebounds for Harding. The 6-8 sophomore had eight of those rebounds in the fourth quarter as the Raiders forced eight turnovers and held the Redmen to 1-of-8 shooting.
"In the first half, we came out real slow," O'dell Eargle said. "I think everyone was taking this game for granted and we came out sloppy. We didn't have a good week of practice, either.
"It wasn't a great win but we'll get better."
Wilson, which usually plays an uptempo game, did a nice job of freezing the ball in the first half and its 2-3 zone gave the Raiders fits.
"We expected them to play zone and we had to adjust to that," Arnold said. "We still didn't attack like we should.
"We let them dictate the tempo in the first half and I wasn't too pleased about that."
Size a factor
Still, Harding's length -- the Raiders have just one starter under 6-1 -- was too much for the Redmen. After cutting their deficit to three (14-11), the Redmen watched Harding go on a 11-0 run and never again threatened. William Johnson led Wilson with nine points and seven rebounds.
Senior Roddy Fuller and junior Keelyn Franklin each added 10 points for Harding, while Bryan Wright had four steals.
"We have a lot of balance," Arnold said. "You can't just focus on one guy."
And while many fans came away impressed with the Raiders, the Raiders came away impressed with the facility.
"Youngstown couldn't ask for a better place," O'dell Eargle said.
The Chevrolet Centre also resembles the Canton Civic Center, which is the site of the Division I district tournament.
"That's the first thing we said," Arnold said, when asked about the Canton connection. "I hope one day they move the district up here and make those guys in Stark County come over here."
scalzo@vindy.com