HARRISON ROLLS OVER HAMPTON TO REACH LENDEL THOMAS CLASSIC SEMIS

HARRISON -- Harrison girls basketball coach Doug Young said his team's overall quickness is an asset defensively, especially when he chooses to use full-court pressure. The Lady Goblins didn't need it in their 67-28 win over Hampton on Thursday night to open the 30th annual Lendel Thomas Classic at Goblin Arena. Harrison (10-2) used suffocating man-to-man pressure to limit Hampton to only two first-half field goals and led 39-10 at halftime en route to its fourth consecutive victory. The Class 2A Lady Bulldogs (3-9) made just 2 of 19 field goal attempts (11 percent) in the first half, and that included a one-dribble 3-pointer from Shelby Belin from two steps behind the line that stopped a 19-0 Harrison run. Young was pleased with his team's overall effort, but he was at least apprehensive coming into the game after a six-day layoff. "You just never know what to expect after you come off a break like that," Young said. "We played last Thursday and we shot around on Friday. Of course, it was Christmas break and there wasn't a whole lot going on. We came in Wednesday, but I was proud of the way we played though. "We shoot the balll pretty well and have more overall team speed and athleticism. The thing that sticks out to me is they've got pretty good basketball IQ. They've been around and played a lot. It's a good mix." Harrison will take on West Memphis at 6:30 p.m. today in the second semifinal. The Lady Goblins, who return two starters off a team that lost in in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament to eventual champion Hot Springs, took command with a 19-0 run in a seven-minute span, which was fueled mainly by the defense. That run included five layups and seven Harrison players contributed in the run. Caroline Cecil started the barrage with a baseline jumper, but couldn't complete the three-point play. Brylie Parker hit a 3-pointer in the midst of three layups off Hampton turnovers. Kenzie Parker's steal and layup gave Harrison a 19-3 advantage with nine minutes, 3 seconds left in the first half. The Lady Goblins added eight more until Belin stopped the run to pull Hampton within 27-6 with 5:27 left in the half. The Lady Bulldogs finally reached double digits in the final seconds of the half. Senior Brylie Parker led a balanced scoring attack for Harrison with 12 points, while sophomore Sydney Shrum added 10. They were the only players in double figures, but nine different Lady Goblins scored. Belin led Hampton with nine. In other girls' games, Gravette used a 14-2 second half run to pull away from Bentonville West en route to a 54-48 win. Sophomore Shylee Morrison scored 20 of her team-high 27 points in the second half to help Gravette (7-5) advance to today's 4 p.m. semifinal game against Earle. Shania Wilson led all scorers with 29 for West (4-6), which led 19-17 at halftime. Harrison's boys jumped to a 10-0 lead and rolled 81-33 over the NWA Hornets in the nightcap. Senior Carson Journagan finished with a team-high 23 points, including 18 in the first half. Jacob Shrum added 11, while Ben Elliot and Dustin Gundry chipped in 10 each for the Goblins, who advance to tonight's semifinal.

HARRISON ROLLS OVER HAMPTON TO REACH LENDEL THOMAS CLASSIC SEMIS

PAUL BOYD

Arkansas Online | 12/28/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Harrison Athletics