PAINESVILLE–When the game tightened and momentum began to swing, Harvey leaned on its experience, and the seniors delivered in a 63-53 nonconference win over visiting South on Saturday.
The Red Raiders carried a 13-point halftime lead, saw it trimmed in the second half — much like a recent win over Orange — and then steadied themselves down the stretch to close out the victory and improve to 3-3.
“We had a very similar game against Orange on Wednesday where we had a double-digit lead and kind of threw it away before winning by four, and I think we learned a couple of lessons from that game,” said Harvey head coach Eric Monty. “We took better care of the ball, and the shot selection was better late in the game. We made sure we got better looks when we didn’t need to run an offense, having that decent lead in the fourth quarter.”
Harvey set the tone early behind Dominick Snyder, who drilled three 3-pointers to spark a 17-8 start and a 22-10 lead heading into the second quarter. Balanced scoring followed, with Eryck McClain and Deontae Ware adding four points apiece and Armani Hall chipping in five — including a 3 — as the Red Raiders took a 38-25 advantage into halftime.
Rakeem Drew helped keep South within striking distance, scoring seven points in the second quarter.
Out of the break, the Rebels found traction.
“We made our layups, we forced some turnovers, limiting them to one shot in stretches,” said South head coach Doug Barber.
South opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run, fueled by two Drew baskets and another from Josh Jensen, trimming the deficit to 38-31. Harvey answered with poise, as Hall found McClain on the break before scoring on the offensive glass. Snyder followed with two key buckets — one in transition after a McClain chasedown block and another on a putback —and Hall capped the quarter with a cut and finish to give the Red Raiders a 54-41 lead after three.
Snyder took control in closing time, scoring nine points in the fourth to seal the 63-53 win. He and Hall, both seniors, guided Harvey through the final minutes after a week that included two subpar practices.
“We’re very pleased with the result that we got today, and it’s big to have an older team with guys who have seen situations like this before so we can rely on them,” Monty said of Harvey’s leaders. “We’ve been challenging the boys about leadership this season, and guys are stepping up to become leaders for this team.”
Snyder finished with a game-high 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Hall filled the stat sheet with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Ware added nine points and two steals, while McClain contributed eight points and four rebounds.
For South, a turnover-heavy first quarter proved costly before the Rebels settled in.
“At the half, they had 38, putting them on pace for about 80, and we had eight turnovers in the first quarter, but I’m proud of the way the guys responded,” Barber said. “We protected the ball the rest of the way, and defensively, we were able to do some things and slow (Harvey) down a bit in the second half and give us a chance to win.”
With an entirely new roster from last season, Barber said roles are beginning to take shape.
“This is a new group, and the roles are still being formed, and we’ve got a couple guys like Josh and Rakeem who really stepped up this afternoon and led the charge back,” he said. “I think we’re starting to put the puzzle together a little bit. We have a great group of kids; they do everything we ask of them, and these kinds of games will turn in our favor in the future. I’m confident in that.”
Drew paced the Rebels with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting, adding six rebounds and steals. Jensen finished with 13 points.
Harvey hosts Lakeside on Dec. 22, while South returns home to face Aurora on Dec. 23.
