Lamoni looked to put up a good fight on the girls side as they were 4-3 with three different shooters, a solid defensive team (they held one team to 5 points this year), and some good shot-blockers. But North Harrison continued to roll, doubling them up 54-27 and avenging last year’s 64-55 home loss to them. Lamoni had been on a hot streak as they had won four out of five after getting off to a slow start by dropping their first two.
Sarah Heltenburg’s free throw gave Lamoni its only lead at 1-0. But then Payton Craig went to work, scoring off a pair of drives and cutting inside and getting a pass from Emma Craig into the teeth of the Lamoni defense to make it 6-1. Lamoni made no concerted effort to key on Payton Craig, who was able to get to the rim at will. By contrast, Newtown-Harris was doubling her every time she touched the ball, but she would pass it off to the open person. Brandy Rivet was wreaking havoc on defense in the first period, getting five tips in the first period to fuel a stingy defense. North Harrison set season highs in tips (31) and steals (17).
Payton Craig picked up a foul in the first few seconds of the game, but she stayed on the floor and did not pick up a second one until the second period.
One of Lamoni’s sharpshooters, Maddy Maedel, dropped one from downtown to make it 6-4, but then Brandy Rivet countered with one of her own, Mason Cracraft took a charge on defense, and Emma Craig hit a free throw to make it 10-4 after one.
Payton Craig hit a 3-pointer and Emma Craig cleaned up on a Brandy Rivet miss after she had gotten a steal to make it 15-6, but Maedel countered with a 3-pointer and Lamoni kept it at six until late in the first half.
But like the Newtown-Harris game, North Harrison closed with a flurry in the last few minutes of the half. Leading 17-11, Payton Craig got a steal and fed Rivet for a layup; then, Craig inbounded to Addie Slaughter, who scored over two taller defenders. Brandy Rivet scored off a steal and then Payton Craig inbounded one to her and she connected at the buzzer to make it 26-11 at the half.
Lamoni tried to isolate Maedel on Craig to get her in foul trouble and to the bench; they got her to three, but could not get her to the bench with four. Meanwhile, Addie Slaughter backdoored one to Craig and Emma Craig hit Payton cutting inside for an and-one play which made it 30-12.
Demon sharpshooter Payton Vanderflught dropped a 3-pointer to make it 33-17, but then Payton Craig got a drive and score into traffic after Brandy Rivet kept a possession alive with an offensive glass. She added two more free throws to make it 37-17. Leslie Guyer hit one inside to make it 37-19, but then Brandy Rivet hit her second buzzer-beating triple in as many quarters, an NBA 3-pointer off a pass from Carly Rinehart, to make it 40-19 after three.
Payton Craig wreaked plenty of defensive havoc in the second half; she got four steals in the third and four more in the first five minutes of the fourth despite playing with three fouls, thwarting any hopes of a comeback. She hit Mason Cracraft on the wing and got a steal to push it up to 25 at 44-19 with 7:23 left.
Grace Martin scored from inside as Lamoni battled back to within 47-26, but then the reserves came in and closed it out for North Harrison. Emma Craig passed out of a double to Ashlynn Gilpatrick on the baseline, Emma got a putback, and Kami Gibson drove down the left baseline in traffic to score to push it up to 27.
Payton Craig had 24 to lead North Harrison, a season high so far. Brandy Rivet had 16, Emma Craig 6, and Addie Slaughter, Mason Cracraft, Ashlynn Gilpatrick, and Kami Gibson all had 2.
Olivia Babinski had 1 block for the Shamrocks.
North Harrison had 33 boards as a team and had nine players grab at least one. Emma Craig had 8, Mason Cracraft 7, Payton Craig 5, Addie Slaughter 3, Kami Gibson and Brandy Rivet 3 each, and Carly Rinehart, Ashlynn Gilpatrick, and Vici Stellpflug 1 each. Gibson also leveled a Lamoni player hard while going after a board.
Emma Craig and Payton Craig each had 5 assists. Brandy Rivet had 3 and Addie Slaughter, Olivia Babinski, and Carly Rinehart each had 1.
Brandy Rivet had 10 tips for North Harrison. Payton Craig had 8, Emma Craig 7, Addie Slaughter and Mason Cracraft 2, and Olivia Babinski and Ashlynn Gilpatrick 1 each.
Payton Craig had 9 steals for North Harrison, continuing to come tantalizingly close to 10. She had 8 against both Winston and Newtown-Harris. Brandy Rivet had 5, Olivia Babinski 2, and Mason Cracraft 1.
The boys did not fare so well as they fell 64-45 against Lamoni. The Demons were 5-1 coming into the game; they gave up only 39 points a game and thrive on pressure defense and turnovers. North Harrison did not take care of the ball, committing 26 turnovers and throwing it away in bunches. When they took care of the ball, they held their own against the Demons and even made some runs at them, but that is difficult to overcome.
The Shamrocks were fortunate to be down only 9-3 after one quarter. They turned the ball over 8 times in the period against Lamoni’s suffocating full court press, but blocked four shots in the period to thwart the Demons’ efforts to attack the rim.
R.J. Washington made a 3-pointer for Lamoni to start the second, and then a bizarre call by the officials swung the momentum in their favor and all hell broke loose. The Shamrocks were trying to bring the ball up against Lamoni’s press when the referees blew the whistle and signaled a foul on Lamoni. But then, without any signal to explain the call, they gave the ball back to the red shirts in a call that even the Lamoni coach was confused about. Steven Ansong scored on the play and then Lamoni got a steal and layup off the press and just like that, it was 16-3.
The Shamrocks battled gamely, getting a pair of free throws from Collin Castleberry to make it 16-8 and kept it at 10-12 for most of the half. But then a defensive lapse at the end of the half, where Lamoni missed a shot, North Harrison did not go after the ball thinking the half was over, and one of the red shirts drained a shot at the buzzer, put Lamoni up 28-14.
Steven Willhite tried to carry North Harrison in the third, scoring seven in the period, but Lamoni was red hot in the period, leading by as much as 21 when Curtis Roberts hit a 3-pointer to make it 42-21.
The Shamrocks got a glimmer of hope when Logan Craig scored off a drive, hit two free throws after an intentional foul after one of the red shirts hammered him hard when he was going in for a layup, and scored on the subsequent possession. Brett Emig added a free throw to make it 42-28.
But with North Harrison trying to press and get the ball back, Landon Gilliland drove straight down the middle against it and Stephen Ansong drove for a layup to make it 46-28 after three.
Logan Craig did all he could in the fourth quarter to get his team back in the game, getting 10 points in the period while Collin Castleberry added six, but Lamoni got too many easy baskets in the period and North Harrison never trailed by less than 18.
Logan Craig had 19 points to lead North Harrison. Stephen Willhite had 11, Collin Castleberry 10, and Brett Emig 5.
Collin Castleberry and Stephen Willhite had 3 blocks each. Logan Huitt had 1.
Steven Willhite had 8 boards for the Shamrocks. Brett Emig had 5, Collin Castleberry and Logan Craig 4, Collin Briggs 3, and Gavin Garrett 2.
Brett Emig had 6 assists. Logan Craig, Gavin Garrett, and Collin Castleberry had 2 each.
Steven Willhite had 8 tips for North Harrison. Logan Craig had 4, Gavin Garrett 3, and Samuel Mejia and Collin Castleberry 1 each.
Collin Castleberry and Steven Willhite had 2 steals each. Logan Huitt, Logan Craig, Brett Emig, and Samuel Mejia each had 1.
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