Brandon Hamilton got the North Harrison boys off to a strong start Tuesday night at the South Harrison in the first round and Wade Briggs had a career night as the Shamrocks got back on the winning track with a 69-62 win over Maysville.
Previously, the boys were mired in a losing streak, having lost to West Nodaway, Bosworth, and conference powerhouses Grundy County and Winston. But then Brandon Hamilton scored the first eight points of the game as the Shamrocks raced to an 8-2 lead in the first 4:17 of the game. Maysville, which lives and dies off their press this year, rallied to cut it back off a steal from Alexavier Clark off the press to cut it to 8-7. But then the rest of the team got going as Tyson Gibson converted a fast break and Brett Emig scored nine in a row as the lead grew again to 19-11. Emig got his points and was making the Wolverines pay for their press, repeatedly beating them down the floor during that stretch. Caleb Bray cut the Maysville deficit to 21-15, but then Brett Emig went coast to coast against the press, splitting an array of red shirts, and Wade Briggs’ putback at the buzzer made it 25-15 after one.
Briggs got the hot hand at the start of the second quarter, hitting a couple of 3-pointers to push his team out to a 33-17 lead. Kobyn Metzger got the hot hand for Maysville and Braden Covey hit a 3-pointer as the red shirts got to within 33-24, but then North Harrison started beating the press again. Hamilton got behind the defense, Emig scored off a steal, Briggs had two free throws, and Emig had one as the lead grew to 16.
The lead stayed at 16 at 47-31 at the half, and then Grant Claycomb scored twice, Brett Emig converted a 3-point play, and Emig hit a free throw to make it 55-33.
But then Maysville showed firepower well above their average of 49.1 points per game as Zach Heintz started raining 3-pointers, scoring two late in the third quarter and adding a putback at the buzzer to cut it to 57-47. The difference was that Maysville was pushing and shoving Brett Emig every time he tried to go to the rim and getting more and more brazen about it as the game progressed.
Emig got behind the Maysville defense, and he and Wade Briggs added free throws as the Shamrocks temporarily restored order to go up 61-47 early in the fourth, but then the Wolverines started scoring at will, and North Harrison couldn’t buy a stop. Brandon Hamilton picked up his fourth and fifth fouls, depriving them of their best post player. It didn’t help that North Harrison was missing free throws during that stretch.
Logan Kimbrell hit a free throw, nobody boxed out, and Tanner Evans stole an outlet pass to put the red shirts within five at the 1:23 mark, but then Tyson Gibson, who only had two up to that point, got behind the Maysville defense to make it 65-58.
Maysville kept coming, and some missed free throws opened the barn door again as Heintz, who had led the charge late in the third, cut out to the right corner and hit a 3-pointer to make it 66-62 with 36 seconds left.
Brett Emig hit one out of two from the line, giving the Wolverines a chance to cut it to two, but Emig stole the ball back and Wade Briggs hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to make it three possessions at 69-62. After Blaine Kolb missed a 3-pointer, Grant Claycomb missed two free throws, but Heintz finally missed one from long range.
Brett Emig had 24 points for North Harrison. Wade Briggs and Brandon Hamilton both had career nights as Briggs had 23 and Hamilton 10. Grant Claycomb had 8 and Tyson Gibson 4.
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