North Harrison had already clinched at least a tie for the HDC Title. But one obstacle remained between them and an outright title in the Mercer Cardinals, last year’s undefeated state champions. For most of the game, Mercer showed the kind of form that got them the title last year. But just when it looked like all was lost, North Harrison rose from the dead Saturday afternoon and outscored the Cardinals 24-0 in the last 10 minutes of the game to get the conference title outright.
Mercer looked like a perfect trap game for North Harrison. They started off by dropping their first four games of the year. But lately, despite having only seven players, they have been playing excellent basketball. Seeded seventh at the Meadville Tournament, they lit up second seeded Hale in the second half and won 67-49 and nearly won the tournament. They dropped close games to Grundy County, the HDC runner-up, by three and eight points and another one to East Harrison in the South Harrison Tournament by two. The talent is there for Mercer and they will only get better, since they have no seniors and a strong junior high contingent coming up; the challenge for new skipper Drew Smith is to figure out how to harness it.
For North Harrison, the HDC title was their first since their Cinderella season of 2003-2004, when they put together a 24-3 run that nobody expected and won it that year before losing in the District Championship to Worth County in overtime. It was their second since 1977, forty years ago. Back then, Jimmy Carter was President, disco music was in style, and the country was still healing from Vietnam. The present seniors have had their best sustained run of success since then, going 78-24 over four years following Saturday’s victory. The last group of seniors to do better was the Class of 1978, which lost 19 games over four years.
Rayne Kost cut inside for Mercer’s first basket of the game and Aubrey Wilson hit a triple to make it 5-0 in the first 1:22 of the game. North Harrison settled down, played solid defense, and seemingly restored order when Addie Slaughter got a putback and an Emma Craig offensive board led to a Brandy Rivet three to tie it at 5 with 3:42 left.
But then all hell threatened to break loose as Esabel Holt knocked down a guarded shot from the right side and went off on North Harrison as the Cards scored 11 in the last 2:46 of the quarter to take control. It didn’t matter what North Harrison tried to do, she made shot after shot, getting eight points in that span and everything the Shamrocks threw up was clanking off the rim. Mercer led 16-9 after one quarter.
Payton Craig hit Brandy Rivet for three to make it 18-12 early in the second, but then things kept threatening to go from bad to worse. Holt, channeling Sierra Michaelis, Courtney Owens, and Bailey Owens, kept making shot after shot, running her total up to 13, Kaylee Duckworth hit a 12 footer from the right side, and Rayne Kost drained a three from the left side to make it 25-12. North Harrison trailed 29-18 at the half.
North Harrison finally made a push in the third quarter after Holt scored her 15th point to make it 31-18 early in the third. Payton Craig took on two defenders after getting a pass from Olivia Babinski, getting two free throws. She followed it up with an and-one play after a steal to make it 31-23. But then Kost drained yet another triple and Jazmine Main got a putback to make it 36-23 and seemingly restore order for the Cardinals with 2:12 left.
But all of a sudden, North Harrison got a glimmer of hope when Emma Craig, who had gone around 0 for 10 and was scoreless up to that point, suddenly knocked down a shot from the right side and another from the right wing. Payton Craig posted up inside and got a pass from Rivet to make it 36-30. Then, all of a sudden, Brandy Rivet made a guarded NBA triple to make it 36-33 with six seconds left and it was a brand new ballgame.
By that time, foul trouble and Mercer’s lack of depth began to haunt them, and North Harrison, which had switched from man to man to a half court trap halfway through the third, suddenly started getting tips and steals in the fourth. Olivia Babinski got Payton Craig the ball to start the fourth and she drove against multiple red shirts and hit two free throws and drew Wilson’s third foul. Then, Craig dropped one off to Addie Slaughter on the right side to give North Harrison its first lead at 37-36 and bring them all the way back.
It turned into a battle of wills for the next couple of minutes, but then Brandy Rivet got it to Payton Craig, who drove, drew Kaylee Duckworth’s fourth foul, and hit one with 5:20 left before finally missing one after having made 22 straight free throws. North Harrison missed two putback tries, but Kami Gibson drew Wilson’s fourth foul and made one of two from the line with 5:12 left to make it 39-36.
Mercer used their third timeout, but North Harrison got a stop on defense and Payton Craig went coast to coast with 4:20 left to make it two possessions. Olivia Babinski got a tieup on defense that gave North Harrison the ball on the alternating possession and Payton Craig hit Brandy Rivet for her fourth 3-pointer to make it three possessions at 44-36 with 3:13.
Payton Craig and Brandy Rivet have done most of the scoring for North Harrison, but everyone else has chipped in somehow during their close wins, and Saturday was no exception. This time, it was Mason Cracraft, who got three steals in the last 3:13 to help seal the victory. Payton Craig got a tip and Cracraft a steal, which led to a Rivet free throw with 2:13 left. Then, after Rivet had missed two free throws, Cracraft got another steal, which led to an Emma Craig free throw, which finally gave North Harrison the elusive four possession lead with 1:15 left at 46-36. After Holt double dribbled under pressure, Craig hit another free throw and then jumped an errant pass as Mercer was trying to air one out and North Harrison was able to run out the clock.
Payton Craig had 21 points and Brandy Rivet had 13 for North Harrison. Emma Craig had 5 points, and every one of them was huge in some way. Addie Slaughter and Kami Gibson had 4 each.
Payton Craig had 7 boards for North Harrison. Emma Craig had 6, Addie Slaughter and Olivia Babinski had 4 each, Brandy Rivet 2, and Mason Cracraft and Kami Gibson 1.
Payton Craig had 6 assists for the Shamrocks. Brandy Rivet had 3, Olivia Babinski 2, and Emma Craig, Mason Cracraft, and Addie Slaughter 1 each.
Payton Craig had 8 tips and Emma Craig 3.
Payton Craig had 8 steals for North Harrison. Mason Cracraft had 3, Brandy Rivet and Emma Craig 2 each, and Addie Slaughter and Olivia Babinski 1 each.
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