Harding turns up pressure

BY JOSH WEIR

The Canton Repository

CANTON

Like thoroughbreds caged in a pen, the Warren Harding Raiders struggled through most of three quarters of boys high school basketball at Memorial Field House.

Then Harding assistant coach Rich Chapman suggested a thought to head coach Steve Arnold.

“Coach Chapman saw that we had to pick up the tempo a little bit,” Arnold said. “He suggested that we pick them up full-court to make the game a little chaotic.”

And the Raiders thrive in chaos.

Warren Harding’s defensive pressure turned the game and swallowed up McKinley on Saturday night as the Raiders ran away late with a 68-54 win in front of 1,170 fans.

Utilizing their superior length and athleticism, the Raiders (6-1) had the Bulldogs completely flustered after McKinley led by as many as seven in the third quarter.

“We were able to create some offense from our defense, which was good,” Arnold said. “We played with a lot more energy in the last quarter and a half.”

Harding went to full-court pressure and half-court trapping late in the third quarter. But the heat didn’t really start to make McKinley sweat until the fourth.

Passes were deflected and stolen, leading to two transition dunks for Harding. McKinley went scoreless for almost five full minutes of the quarter as the Raiders smacked a decisive 18-0 run on the Bulldogs.

“We had too many possessions there where they were able to force turnovers,” McKinley coach Greg Malone said. “Then they’re running in numbers.”

Tr Brown, a 6-foot-5 Cleveland State recruit, scored all 16 of his points in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to go with six rebounds for Harding.

Brown’s transition layup off a pretty behind-the-back pass from Shaheed Davis ended the run, flipping a 48-46 McKinley lead at the 6:42 mark into a 64-48 Harding advantage with two minutes left.

During the run, McKinley missed 11 shots, including three on one possession, and committed five turnovers.

“Our kids told me midway through the fourth quarter, ‘Coach, they’re getting tired now,’” Arnold said.

Senior guard Da’Onta’ Streeter led the Bulldogs (4-4) with 15 points.

Da’Vontai Rorie, a 6-5 junior, scored 12 of his 14 points and made a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter as McKinley led 28-22 at half.

The Raiders played for the first time in 10 days, and they looked like it.

Unable to finish shots short or long against McKinley’s zone, Harding shot 31.3 percent from the field in the first half. But the pressure changed the game.