McKinley hammers Harding, 84-41

The state's top-ranked team cruised to the Division I district title.
CANTON -- The Warren Harding High basketball team's roller-coaster ride through the district tournament came to a screeching halt Saturday at the Canton Civic Center.
Yanking the stop switch was Canton McKinley, the top-ranked team in the state in the final Associated Press poll of Division I schools.
Behind 23 points by Raymar Morgun, 16 by Ricky Jackson and 10 by Todd Brown, the Bulldogs (22-1) routed the Raiders, 84-41.
Jackson dominated the boards with 17 of McKinley's 52 rebounds.
"What these kids did for this basketball program this season, I told them do not hang their heads," Harding (22-2) coach Steve Arnold said. "We had an excellent season."
Thrill ride
The Raiders' tournament thrill ride began with an exciting 66-64 overtime victory over Lake (14-7).
After the Raiders played lethargically in a 55-40 win over Massillon Perry (9-13), they posted a stunning victory over North Canton Hoover, 45-43, by rallying from a 16-0 deficit.
"When people thought we were down and out, they were able to respond," Arnold said. "Regardless of what happened tonight, they can't take away what we accomplished. We ran into a buzzsaw tonight, no question."
Just like they did against Hoover on Thursday, the Raiders started off by digging themselves a huge ditch, falling behind 10-0 just 1:42 into the game.
"You can't make a habit of getting down [early]," Arnold said. "They are an excellent basketball team -- they are deep, athletic. They rebound and when they are hitting perimeter shots, they are tough to defend."
Jackson, McKinley's 6-foot-6 junior center, was a terror in the first half, scoring 12 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
Morgun, the 6-7 forward, was equally impressive in the first quarter, scoring nine points as the Bulldogs pulled out to a 20-7 lead.
Pulling away
A 10-1 scoring advantage to begin the second quarter increased the Bulldogs' lead to 17.
The Raiders responded with a 9-2 burst to end the half, with senior forward Steve Williams making a layup and 3-pointer.
In the third quarter, the Raiders were able to reduce the lead to 12 when Jackson sat with three fouls.
In the 10-0 run that briefly revived Harding's hopes at 41-29, senior forward Roddy Fuller and senior guard Mario Manningham had two baskets each while senior forward Terrin Brown had one.
The Bulldogs responded with a 20-2 run that sealed the victory.
Harding struggled everywhere, making just 19-of-67 shots and 1-of-21 free throw tries. McKinley made 30-of-54 shots and 21-of-30 attempts from the free throw line.
Manningham and junior guard Brian Wright finished with nine points each. Williams and Fuller led the Raisers with seven rebounds apiece.