Harding rejects Ursuline

The Raiders are guaranteed a share of the SVC title and have one game remaining against Chaney.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Warren Harding High boys basketball team doesn't take rejection lightly, even when it's dishing it out.
Junior Damian Eargle and senior Chris Henderson combined for 10 rejections as the Raiders (14-4, 4-0 Steel Valley Conference) edged Ursuline 55-48 victory to earn the top spot in the conference standings.
The 6-7 Eargle and 6-8 Henderson had five blocked shots apiece and had the Irish shooters very hesitant when they were around the basket.
18 points, 14 rebounds
Eargle had an outstanding game, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds to go with his five blocks.
"They are very capable of doing what they did tonight," said Harding coach Steve Arnold. "We played good solid defense, especially in the first quarter."
The Raiders jumped out to an 18-9 first quarter lead and were never seriously threatened again.
"Ten blocked shots and they were big blocks," said Ursuline coach Keith Gunther. "Their height was the difference in the game. We can only shoot above the perimeter of the rim and they were rejecting those shots too."
"This game, even though it cost us the Steel Valley Conference title, will help us down the road," added Gunther. "I told the kids that after the game. There probably won't be a team of Harding's caliber in our division until at least the regional finals and maybe not until Columbus."
Ursuline's top scorer D'Aundray Brown finished with 14 points, but had five of his shots blocked by Eargle or Henderson. He shared high honors with Ryan Burton, who also had 14 points including four 3-point goals.
Doing their jobs
Eargle said that he and Henderson were just doing their job.
"Our job was to go out there tonight and block shots and get rebounds," Eargle said. "And I thought we did a good job of it. I felt this was my best game and I had a good week at practice and it paid off."
Harding is guaranteed a share of the conference title and has one game remaining next week against Chaney. It would clinch the title outright with a victory.
"It's always a war when you play Ursuline and we got just what we expected tonight," added Arnold. "We did a good job on D'Aundray tonight. He got 14 points, but I'll take that any night against him."
The Raiders wasted little time in taking it to the Irish as they quickly jumped out to an 8-2 advantage, hitting four of their first six shots from the field.
Ursuline (13-4, 5-1) crept back on an alley-oop pass from Nick McCartney to Brown, but the Raiders went up 19-8 on a 3-point goal by Sheldon Brogdon at the buzzer.
Ursuline, behind two 3-point goals by Burton, cut the lead to 26-20 at intermission.
Stay within seven
The contest was still close throughout the third quarter and Burton's only two-point shot of the game kept the Irish within seven points 36-29 after three quarters.
Harding stretched the lead to 10 points 43-33 on a three-point play by Eargle and had its biggest lead (13 points) with just under three minutes 50-37 on a bucket by Brogdon.
The Raiders didn't score a field goal over the final 2 1/2 minutes and made only four of 11 free throws over that stretch, but it was still enough to hold off the Irish.
Ursuline struggled shooting the ball most of the night, making just 18 of 60 shots and were just 10 of 33 in the second half. Harding, on the other hand connected on 21 of 43 shots and a red-hot 9 of 12 in the second half.