Anticipation of the first basketball game of the season at Goblin Arena was satisfied on Tuesday night.
Harrison’s Lady Goblins welcomed the Lady Wolverines of Bentonville West for a non-conference matchup in front of a scattered crowd.
The Lady Goblins led by as many as 13-points and finished with a 56-46 win to start the season 1-0.
Bentonville West controlled the lead in the first quarter but never had more than a three-point advantage.
Mariah Hudson and Maggie Salmon each hit 3-pointers from the right side of the court to help the Lady Goblins battle back before the period’s end. Clare Barger crashed the boards for a putback and the team shot 5-of-6 at the charity stripe in the first period.
Harrison trailed by a 14-13 score to start the second frame and began to take over offensively.
A 3-minute stretch featured the Lady Goblins attacking the defense for a 9-0 run.
Hudson continued her groove with another five points in the quarter while Alex Hill found her first field goal with a drive to the basket.
Salmon hit her second trey of the game and Madison Bell sank a pair of freebies just before the halftime buzzer to take a 32-24 lead.
The third period was slow offensively for the home team as Hill scored on a pair of buckets in the paint and Barger picked a pass on defense and went the distance for a layup.
Six points was all Harrison could muster and Bentonville West narrowed the margin to enter the fourth period.
The Lady Wolverines trailed, 38-35, to start the final quarter and put the first five points on the board to take their first lead since early in the game.
The Lady Goblins only allowed six points the rest of the way.
Over a span of 5 minutes, Harrison went on a 17-2 run to seal the win.
Barger sparked the drive with a three-point play followed by back-to-back scores at the rim from Hill. Barger pushed her way down the baseline for a contested basket and Hill sank a pair of shots to make it a double-digit lead, 51-40.
Hudson hit the final field goal of the game for the Lady Goblins and three more free throws in the closing minute set the final score in the Harrison win.
The Lady Goblins return to action on Thursday when they travel to Greenbrier for a benefit matchup with the Lady Panthers.
Hill was the leading scorer in her first game as a Lady Goblin. The senior tallied 20 points in the win. Barger scored 12 points in her sophomore debut. Hudson added 11 points, Salmon seven, Bell four and Shaylee Ward two.
LADY GOBLINS OPEN SEASON WITH HOME WIN
