Freshman leads Howland to win

By Doug Chapin

Erika Nites scored 20 points in the 54-42 win in the first game at Warren Harding’s new gym.

WARREN — It was fitting that a freshman playing in her first varsity game was the top scorer as the brand-new Harding High gymnasium saw its first official basketball action.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Erika Nites scored her 20 points for visiting Howland as the Tigers posted a 54-42 season-opening victory.

“I had only started three freshmen in my coaching career and tonight we started two freshmen,” Howland coach John Diehl said. “Erika definitely had the best first game that I’ve seen for a freshman.”

Nites got plenty of help. Senior post Kelly Barzak had 13 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots, and fellow senior Megan Long added 10 points and six rebounds. Point guard Abby Nicholas recorded seven assists and three steals, and Jessica Wilson had eight points and five assists.

Nites, who made five of her six 3-point attempts and was 7-for-11 shooting overall, showed poise and decision-making ability beyond that of a typical freshman. Several of her shots came at key moments in the game.

After Harding took a 15-13 lead midway through the second period, a Nites 3-pointer started an 11-0 Howland run. The Tigers led 29-19 at the half.

A two-pointer by the freshman with 3:07 left in the third quarter gave Howland its largest lead, 39-22. The Tigers were ahead 44-29 at the end of the quarter.

Then, after the Raiders fought back to 51-40 late in the contest, Nites buried another 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining to seal the victory.

Harding got 14 points from Jaesmine Kirkland and 13 from Aundrea Baldridge.

“There are some positives we’ll take from this,” Harding coach P.J. Notar said.

“We are trying to get our continuity down. You can do all the scrimmaging you want, but you stop in a scrimmage and talk over things, you don’t play four quarters straight. We need to learn how to play continuously for four quarters.

“Kirkland and Baldridge both played well and we got good play from the point guard spot. But we had some mental lapses. They got the ball out and scored on a couple of transitions. We had some breakdowns at crucial times. We left shooters open that we shouldn’t have left and they made us pay for it.”

Both schools return three starters, Howland from a 22-4 season and Harding from a 15-7 campaign.

“I thought going in that Harding and us are the two best teams in Trumbull County,” Diehl said. “They are very athletic and P.J. does a nice job keeping them under control and coaching them. I am very pleased with our effort tonight.”

“We have looked real good in the preseason,” Notar said. “We know when we go up against the Howlands and the Boardmans of the world, we’re going to have some tough times and we’ve got to learn to fight through that. We also know there will be games when we can use our speed and our athletic ability to take care of business.”

The first game in the new gym drew a good-sized crowd, filling up the bleachers on one side of the floor.

“I really appreciate P.J. inviting us to play the first game in their new gym,” Diehl said. “I thought it was nice that we had the two largest schools in Trumbull County playing here tonight.”

It turned out to be the perfect setting for a freshman to steal the show.