Harrison boys still searching for January win after close losses

Just a few short weeks ago, the Harrison Central boys basketball team looked poised to turn the corner for the second half of the season. Instead, with January nearly over, the Huskies entered this week’s slate still searching for their first win of the month.

Harrison’s most recent outing was a 49-43 loss to Barnesville Friday in the Buckeye Eight Championship event at the ECO Center in St. Clairsville. The two teams were playing in the 9th/10th-place game of the interdivisional format. Cambridge went on to defeat Beaver Local in the championship game the next afternoon.

As has been the story much of the season, the Huskies were within striking distance late against Barnesville. With 6:10 remaining, post Austin Dulkoski scored to cut the Shamrocks’ lead to 35-34. The putback capped an 11-1 Harrison run that brought the Huskies back after a sluggish third quarter left them facing a double-digit deficit.

Kamarec again paced Harrison with 10 points, and a balanced stretch of scoring helped fuel the rally. A Brady Hyre basket pulled the margin under 10, followed by a bucket from freshman Colson Crothers. With Barnesville up seven, senior Cooper Thompson knocked down a 3-pointer to bring Harrison within two possessions. After a Barnesville free throw, Kamarec hit a jumper from the elbow before Dulkoski scored again to force a Shamrocks timeout.

The Huskies, however, could not sustain the momentum. Barnesville converted at the free-throw line down the stretch and outscored Harrison 14-9 over the final six minutes. Thompson hit another 3-pointer with one minute remaining to make it 45-41, and senior Chaz Culbertson cut the deficit to four with 40 seconds left, but Harrison could not get closer.

A day earlier, Martins Ferry visited Cadiz and defeated Harrison 64-57. The Huskies trailed by two possessions with 25 seconds remaining, but the Purple Riders sealed the game at the foul line. Kamarec led Harrison with 22 points, Thompson added 14 and Crothers scored eight.

Earlier in the month, Indian Creek and Buckeye Local also defeated the Huskies in games that reversed December results. Harrison had beaten both teams in the first meetings.

Harrison entered the week at 3-12 with seven games remaining in the regular season. Three of those contests come against St. Clairsville Jan. 30, Toronto Feb. 3 and Malvern Feb. 17. Harrison also will play two OVAC consolation games in the second week of February after failing to qualify for the Class 4A championship bracket. The remaining regular-season games are against Steubenville Catholic Central Jan. 27 and Edison Feb. 6.