Monday, January 17, 2011
By Joe Scalzo
BERLIN
Harvest Prep coach David Dennis coaches a Division IV girls basketball team — and he was wearing the 2010 state championship ring on Sunday to prove it — but he doesn’t make any distinction between his team and the best in Division I.
“We put ourselves at Division I status,” said Dennis. “We believe we can compete against anyone and we’re not gonna back down.”
On Sunday, against arguably the best team in the Mahoning Valley, the Warriors proved it.
Thanks to a near-perfect first quarter and strong free throw shooting down the stretch, Harvest Prep handed Howland its first loss, 65-57, in the Classic in the Country Challenge at Hiland High School.
“A think like that [the loss], you’re obviously going to learn from,” said Tigers junior Taylor Williams, who scored 29 points to go with 12 rebounds and two blocks. “Every single mistake, I know I’m going to remember.
“We can only learn from this. It definitely opens your eyes at how much more progress we can make as a team and the type of competition that’s out there.”
Howland (10-1) beat its first 10 opponents by an average of 32 points per game — its closest win was by 10 points and seven were by 20 or more — but Harvest Prep’s combination of speed, athleticism, outside shooting and inside strength proved too much.
“You go out and put a hand in their face and they’ll go right by you,” Diehl said. “We just had to force them outside and hope they miss shots but they didn’t.”
The Tigers fell behind 9-0 in the first two minutes and 18-7 after the first quarter before they began to rally. Diehl turned to a 1-2-2 defense against Harvest Prep’s substitutes to shut down the Warriors, but that defense didn’t work against the starters.
“You might be thinking, ‘Why did he stop doing that?’” Diehl said of the 1-2-2 defense. “Well, I stopped because [Dennis] has three Division I [college] players in there.
“Whenever he took those girls out, we pressed and it was pretty successful.”
Offensively, Howland spread the floor to open up the middle for Williams, whose size (6-foot-3) and skill gave the Warriors fits. Williams helped the Tigers get within two, 48-46, midway through the fourth but they could get no closer.
“What an awesome player,” Dennis said of Williams. “Great hands and quickness. I’d hate to play her as a senior.”
Problem was, Harvest Prep had an answer in 6-1 senior center Shicole Watts, a Xavier recruit and reigning Div. IV player of the year who grabbed 14 rebounds to go with 11 points. The Warriors held a 44-25 edge on the boards, with 19 of those coming on the offensive end.
Junior Erika Nites added 12 points for Howland, while Chelsea McKnight (a Miami, Ohio recruit) had 18 points and six rebounds and Loyola-Chicago recruit Ayrealle Beavers had 15.
Junior Jaren France scored 14 and hit 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Harvest Prep shot 19 of 24 from the line, including 13 of 15 in the second half.
“I don’t know if you believe stats, but in the brochure it said they’re shooting 46 percent [actually 47] from the line as a team,” said Diehl. “I’m thinking now that might have been a typo.”