Harlem never saw it coming.
In fact, most of the people in the gym never saw it coming.
With five seconds left in regulation and the conference championship on the line, Hononegah did not design a play for all-stater David Brown.
The honors instead went to sophomore Andrew Tapley, who swished his first and only basket of the night with one second remaining to send the game to overtime. Hononegah went on to beat Harlem 61-54.
After it was over, a swarm of Hononegah students rushed to Tapley to slap his back and ruffle his hair.
MACHESNEY PARK — Harlem kept up with Auburn for three quarters, but all that work vanished in a blink of an eye in the fourth period Friday.
A quick Auburn team turned a three-point lead into an 11-point lead in under two minutes in the fourth quarter and went on to win 54-46 at Harlem. It was the conference opener for both teams.
The Knights’ full-court defense forced 29 Harlem turnovers, three of which came during Auburn’s 8-0 deciding run halfway through the fourth quarter.
MACHESNEY PARK — A night after coughing the ball up 29 times in an eight-point loss to Auburn, Harlem cut its turnovers to 18 and pulled away late for a 63-52 win over Jefferson.
Jefferson, which was coming off an impressive 16-point win over Hononegah Friday, suffered its first loss of the season after starting with six straight wins.
“Today was a big difference for us. We handled things much better,” Harlem junior guard Bo Andrews said. “That’s still too many turnovers. We need to get it down to eight or 10 a game.”
MACHESNEY PARK — With two of the top rebounders in the conference returning at Harlem this season, it’s easy to see why the Huskies will be tough for anyone to match up with this year.
“Our post play should definitely be our strength,” Harlem coach Mike Moore said. “We’re excited about it.”
Chaz Winters (6-2 Sr. F) and Casey Beck (6-7 Jr. F) combined to average 20 rebounds a game last season. Throw 6-6 senior forwards Dario Savic and Drazen Savic into the mix, and the Huskies have depth in the post that few other teams will.
MACHESNEY PARK — Harlem likes to start out east or west, then break its runs north.
Boylan keeps it simpler.
“I never try to go east and west. Always north,” Boylan fullback Matt McCrudden said.
Simpler proved better on a muddy field as Boylan steamrolled Harlem 40-14 Friday night in a battle of NIC-10 unbeatens to win its third consecutive conference title.
Harlem (8-1) had trouble with the slick field all night.
“It was highly impossible,” tight end Casey Beck said. “Every time I tried to make a cut, I’d slip.”
MACHESNEY PARK — Trailing Guilford 7-6, Harlem coach Jim Morrow told his players at halftime they would find out what type of team they were in the second half. Actually, the Huskies (6-0) gave Morrow a preview two minutes before half with a goal-line stand that keyed a 24-14 win.
“If we got that touchdown before half, it would have been a different ballgame,” Guilford coach Mel Gilfillan said. “That would have been a confidence boost.”
MACHESNEY PARK - Keenan Kellett completed 6-of-7 for 136 yards and two touchdowns to lead Harlem to a 47-10 home win against Jefferson Friday.
Kellett connected with four different Harlem receivers. Casey Beck had three catches for 60 yards and two TD’s of 15 and 17 yards.
Sterling Hecox rushed twice, both of which resulted in 6-yard touchdown runs. Keith Purifoy led all Harlem rushers with 50 yards on three carries.
Harlem (5-0) also scored on an 85-yard interception return, a 1-yard run by Andy Kennington and a 50-yard interception return.
