Harrison prepares for IHSAA regional final against reigning state champ Fishers
WEST LAFAYETTE ― Harrison boys basketball coach Mark Rinehart insists his program stay true to what's allowed it to make history.
Forget about the fact that Harrison next faces Fishers ― the reigning 4A state champion, winner of 40 straight games and the No. 13-ranked program in the country by USA TODAY ― in Saturday's regional.
"Obviously they are really good," Rinehart said. "The sectional they played in is prestigious and had to run the gauntlet to win. They won three close games. Those games have nothing to do with us. The 40 games in a row have nothing to do with us. Our game is going to be decided on 42 minutes in Frankfort and nothing else."
Fishers hasn't just won games, it's become a goliath by every standard.
Senior guard Justin Kirby is a reserve, yet is signed to Miami of Ohio. Sophomore point guard and leading scorer Jason Gardner Jr., whose dad played at Arizona, has interest from Indiana, Cincinnati, DePaul, IU Indy and Morehead State.
JonAnthony Hall? He's a 4-star wide receiver who is signed to Stanford for football. Oh, and he averages 10.2 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Cooper Zachary has offers from Eastern Illinois and Kent State, and senior Millen McCartney is signed to Indiana Wesleyan University.
"They execute at a very very high level and it's not just a bunch of talented guys that beat you one on one," Rinehart said. "They share the ball, they're extremely balanced and they're really good if you make mistakes."
Harrison, for its part, has 6-foot-5 forward Malachi King ,who is signed to University of Saint Francis, an NAIA school in Fort Wayne. King averages 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and shoots 54% from the floor.
"The more dynamic we are in different ways, the more complete that makes us," Rinehart said. "And we are going to have to use every weapon that we have."
Coupled with King is senior Reid Smith, who has become a defensive stopper and strong second or third scoring option at 13.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and 54% on field goals.
"We've got to fit our individual talents into our game plan and Reid's been very successful defensively all year," Rinehart said. "But it's because he's been connected to the four guys he's out on the floor with. And when you play a team that's talented like this, it's the same thing. Our defensive rotations have to be executed at a really high level. We have to be tied into each other."
Harrison doesn't have any aces, magic tricks or secret plays to run against Fishers, a program that doesn't have weaknesses. It can break teams with its discipline thanks to plenty of passing, or win with its athleticism and individual talent one on one.
Harrison plays a similar style and mirrors what Fishers is doing, albeit on a smaller scale.
The Raiders enter Saturday as a true underdog. Harrison senior Ray Gibson sustained a shoulder injury and three players will serve suspensions for leaving the bench during the sectional championship against Kokomo.
"We aren't going to change dramatically," Rinehart said. "There are no secrets. We've got to execute and play together at a very high level. We have to defensive rebound, we have to take care of the ball and take good shots."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Harrison boys basketball prepares for Fishers in IHSAA regional
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