The Harding Raiders and Erie First Christian Academy will round out the year against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Harding pushed their score all the way to 76 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 85-76 hit to the loss column at the hands of Washington. While losing is never fun, Harding can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 76th, while Washington is ranked third).
Despite their defeat, Harding saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ny Coleman, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. That's the first time this season that Coleman scored 15 or more points. Naujeat Jones was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Harding were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Erie First Christian Academy's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They fell 45-33 to Iroquois. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Erie First Christian Academy has scored all season.
Despite the loss, Erie First Christian Academy saw an underclassman step up: Avery Collins scored 18 points. Collins scored a full 54.5% of Erie First Christian Academy's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Harding's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Erie First Christian Academy, their defeat was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 1-4.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Harding have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 35.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Erie First Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 5 rebounds per game. Given Harding's sizeable advantage in that area, Erie First Christian Academy will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
