|
Warren Harding beat Cleveland Heights 62-39
Raiders blast Tigers
By JOE SIMON Tribune Chronicle
WARREN - While Warren G. Harding was 3-0 coming into its match up with Cleveland Heights Saturday night at Harding Field House, the Raiders knew this would be their toughest game thus far.
Yet since Harding had won its previous three games by an average of 55 points, that wasn't saying much. And it took a half for Harding to realize Cleveland Heights wasn't as good of a test as they had thought.
The Raiders stayed perfect by dominating the second half, turning a seven-point halftime lead into a 62-39 victory.
Harding allowed just three third-quarter points and didn't allow the Tigers to score a point until the 1 minute 52 second mark of the quarter. The Raiders outscored Cleveland Heights 18 to 3 in the quarter.
The difference came with a change in intensity, Harding coach Steve Arnold said after the game.
"They were better than the previous teams we've played,'' Arnold said of Cleveland Heights. "They were able to play us relatively close in the first half. Our kids just turned it up a notch in the second half.''
The biggest difference, Arnold said, after leading 29-22 at halftime, was how the Raiders took care of the ball and ran the court. After 10 turnovers in the first half, the Raiders had just four in the second.
The Raiders also implemented a half-court press defense, something they've done throughout the year, and forced the Tigers into 18 turnovers after intermission. Harding scored 14 points off the 28 total turnovers by Cleveland Heights.
"We just played our game,'' said senior Pat White, who led the team with 16 points. "The coaches told us that if we played like we did the first half, (Cleveland Heights) was going to stick around. We took care of the ball and got up and down the court on them (in the second half).''
White was the Raiders' main offensive threat in the decisive third quarter, scoring eight points, including a vicious one-handed dunk that ignited the 18-to-3 run. He also had eight rebounds and two blocks.
"Pat's been a stabilizing force for us,'' Arnold said. "He can defend, he can rebound, and he runs the court well. Pat played an excellent game tonight.''
Arnold said the four to five dunks the Raiders had helped with their intensity.
"If you look at every level of the game: high school, college and the NBA, sometimes a dunk can energize you,'' he said. "It definitely did tonight.''
With Harding having six players over 6-5 on the roster, the Tigers were the only team that has been anywhere near Harding's size- with two players over 6-6 and one near 6-8 and 250 pounds. But while Cleveland Heights had size, the speed to go with it wasn't there.
"Our depth hurt them a bit in the second half,'' Arnold said. "That and our overall athleticism I think gave them problems over four quarters.''
After thoroughly dominating Chaney, Wilson and Beaver Local to start the season, Arnold said the Raiders needed a team to challenge them. "After the way our first three games went, as a head coach, you worry that your kids could become complacent,'' he said. "But it only gets tougher from here.''
|