Harrison girls overcome first half hole, defeats Pinny 35-28

By BEN MURPHY

Cleaver Sports Writer

A slow start led to a tight game until the final minutes. The Harrison girl’s basketball team was able to edge out visiting Pinconning though, as they were able to pick up a 35-28 Jack Pine Conference win on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

“We got off to a slow start which made things really interesting in the fourth quarter,” head coach Ryan Carlstrom said. “Pinconning did a good job, and fought hard the whole time. We were down (one) at halftime. But after halftime, our shots started to fall.”

The contest was tied up at 8-8 after the first quarter, and the Lady Spartans held a slim 15-14 lead at the half.

Things improved in the third for the Hornets, as they were able to claim a 20-18 lead after three. They outscored Pinny 15-10 in the final quarter to finish up the win.

“All in all, I’m proud of the way the girls held their composure at the end and were able to pull away with a win,” Carlstrom said. “We were also led big time by Lydia Kendall, she finished with 19 points and six rebounds, with 12 of her points coming in the fourth quarter. Freshman Dakota O’Day played really well too, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds. Lastly, I have to give Mya Gardner some credit for the way she played. She was all over the stat sheet. Four points, eight rebounds and five steals.”

Others contributing for the Hornets were Janessa O’Day who had three points, three steals and three rebounds while Hayley Neff and Brianna Graves-Smith added one point each. Caitlin Kirby also hit the glass for five rebounds.

On Monday, Jan. 27 Harrison lost a road JPC game with Beaverton, 44-34.

“In the first quarter we just got off to a really slow start, getting outscored 3-17,” Carlstrom said. “After that though, we started to pick things up and it made a big difference. Everyone pitched in one way or another. I told the girls I was proud of the way they fought and they never gave up. But again, we shot ourselves in the foot by getting off to a slow start. The second half, was a good sign of things to come for us in my opinion.”

After trailing 17-3 after the opening quarter, the Hornets played well in the second to pull within 23-17 at the half. They were also down 35-27 entering the fourth.

The Hornets were led by J. O’Day who had seven points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists. Neff was able to add six points and get four boards, D. O’Day, Sam Hopkins and Kendall all had five points and chipping in with three points was Marionna Buff. Kendall and Gardner were able to get five rebounds apiece as well and Kendall passed for three assists.

Harrison (6-6 overall, 4-6 JPC) was at home with Bullock Creek on Wednesday, is set to host St. Louis on Friday and they’ll have a home game with Farwell on Wednesday, Feb. 12.