STEUBENVILLE — The Catholic Central girls’ basketball team shook off a slow start against Harrison Central, and the Crusaders rode their scorers to a come from behind victory.

Trailing by seven in the third, the Huskies responded with a 10-0 spurt to build a three-point lead, however, the Blue-and-Gold regrouped and ripped off a 17-4 run to build a double-digit advantage in the fourth as the Crusaders pulled away for a 54-40 victory Wednesday night inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.

“We wanted to pressure with our man right from the start, but Coach Smith was ready for that,” Catholic Central (10-6) head coach Rocky Bragg said. “He spread us out with his man offense, and for us to recover, we had to foul. After that, we went back to our bread-and-butter – the 1-2-2 trap. The girls were very disciplined. They rotated well. They played great defense.

“Our mental focus on offense was little flat at the start. I told our shooters, shooters shoot through tough times. I told them to keep shooting and that the shots were going to fall. In the second quarter, some shots started to fall, and I could see our confidence grow. We made some key baskets down the stretch.

“We did a good job once we got our inside girls involved. We got the ball to the high post, we ran some high-lows, and we were able to get some shots. We got the ball in the post to Monica Bolster, and she was able to find Mary Rohde for some baskets. Once we got our inside game going, things started to change.”

Down by seven, the girls from Harrison County started and ended their 10-0 run with a 3-pointer, however, the hoists answered right back with a three-point play by Rohde, and the girls in white were off and running.

“Every time we got a stop or hit a shot, they would answer right back,” Harrison Central (7-9) head coach said asked what changed during Catholic Central’s game-deciding 17-4 run. “We stayed in the zone. We did not match up well with them. It worked in the first half. They did not shoot the ball well. It worked to our advantage. We were able to get out and run and get some easy shots.

“In the second half, they hit their shots. They were able to box out, and they were able to get some putbacks. It was not because of a lack of effort on our part. We are down two starters. We had to have some girls play up. They were able to get some varsity experience, and that will really benefit us in the future. We made some mental mistakes, but the effort was there. They played with energy, and they gave a great effort. We just had some memory lapses.

“Rocky went to that 1-2-2, and that put us in a quagmire for a little bit. We were able to figure it out, and we were able to get some shots.

“We’re still figuring things out. We’re 16 games in, and we’re still trying to figure things out. We are a hodgepodge right now. We’re down two starters. The girls are working hard. They are playing with a lot of intensity and effort. I was impressed with them. This one is tough. It was close. They were playing at home. This is not an easy place to play. You can ask any coach and they will tell you this isn’t an easy place to play at. This one is tough. It was close. We wanted to get one back from them beating us the first time, but I am proud of the girls. They gave everything they had. They left it all out on the court. They did a good job. They keep pushing on. I am proud of them. They are a good group. You hate to lose.”

The Crusaders rallied to take a 16-15 lead at halftime, and the hosts took a seven-point advantage thanks to a pair of 3-pointers before the girls in black answered right back. After the run by the Huskies, the girls from Jefferson County countered with a 7-0 spurt, and they took a 33-30 lead into the fourth.

The visitors opened the quarter with a basket, but Shya Garcia answered with a 3 for the Crusaders as Catholic Central collected nine straight points to go up 42-32. The Huskies fought back and pulled to within 45-40 with 2:16 remaining to be played, but the home team shut them out the rest of the way as they netted the final nine points to secure their fifth straight win.

“Coaching girls basketball for 25 years, I have seen a lot of offenses against the 2-3,” Bragg said. “You have to be able to get your shooters in the right positions, and we got the opportunity to get some points. We were able to make some shots. I tell the girls when teams play man, you have to use your speed and attack, but when teams play zone, you have to be able to find your range. We were able to find our range tonight. Our girls gained confidence, and we were able to knock down shots when we needed to.”

The two teams combined to knock down 13 3-pointers in the game with the Huskies making seven of them.

Rohde recorded a game-high 20 points to lead the way offensively for the Crusaders, while Mara Delaney delivered 14 and Garcia recorded 12.

Emily Cope produced a team-high 11 points to lead the way for Harrison Central, while Kara Blackburn and Shayla Nameth each collected nine.

The win enabled the Crusaders to sweep the season series as they defeated the Huskies, 38-24, Dec. 13 on the road.

“Not really,” Smith said asked if either team did anything different this time around. “We showed pressure at the beginning. It worked for 3-6 plays, but then we had to get out of it. We went back to our zone. We wanted to play man, but we did not match up well with them. We were missing our freshman center. She’s 5-11. We had to have some other girls step up, and they did a great job. They were physical. We just didn’t match up well with them. In the first half, our zone worked. They were missing their shots. Then in the second half, they started to make their shots. They gained confidence, and we didn’t go back to our man until it was too late.”

Bragg said the two games were similar.

“This game was a literal carbon copy of the first game,” he said. “They pressed us at the beginning, and then they went into the 2-3. They played man the whole second half in the first game. We were expecting to see it tonight, but they stayed in the 2-3 until late in the fourth quarter. They challenged our girls to find shots, and I would have too. We started cold, but luckily we started to him shots. I let our shooters shoot. We have a lot of shooters on this team, and we wanted to go with the hot hand. All of the girls got an opportunity tonight.”

Harrison Central took a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter before the victors outscored the Huskies, 11-5, in the second to take a one-point lead into halftime.

Rohde was the difference maker in the second half as the senior standout recorded 18 points after halftime. She scored eight in the third and 12 in the fourth to seal the deal.

“Mary has been a different play the last six or seven games,” Bragg said. “She has really raised her intensity level. The girls are familiar with her. She has great court vision. They other girls move. They know she will get them the ball. She makes great decisions. They have been playing together since the sixth grade. They know where each other is going to be. They know to get Mary the ball, and they know to move because she will find them and they will get the ball back in space.”

Rohde ended the night with a double-double as she also pulled down 18 rebounds.

“I’m glad she is graduating,” Smith said. “She’s a great player. She has really been a thorn in our side the last few years. She is always in the right place at the right time. She crashes the boards. We knew we were at a height disadvantage. We tried to battle her, but they were able to get out in transition. She’s a problem. She’s a problem. She had a mismatch, and we stayed in the zone. It was tough. We didn’t go man until we tried to push things in the fourth quarter.”

Also for Catholic Central, Aurie Hoover contributed nine rebounds and 10 assists to go along with her seven points, while Bolster grabbed four rebounds while also dishing our for assists.

“We have won five straight games now,” Bragg said. “God bless our guards. Aurie Hoover is one of the grittiest point guards in the valley. She plays with so much heart. She does an amazing job. She is patient. She gets the ball to her teammates. Mara Delaney hit some shots when we were down. When we needed her to make shots, she made some key shots. Shya Garcia hit some shots late. She is a part of our future. She is getting great experience. She is playing a lot of minutes.

“Our bigs played hard. We were able to get the ball inside, and we were able to get some baskets. We got the ball into the post. We were able to get some and-1s.”

Harrison Central is scheduled to play rival Martins Ferry in the third place game of the Buckeye 8 Tournament at 4 p.m. Saturday at the ECO Center down in St. Clairsville.

“We have lost two in a row,” Smith said. “Now, we get Martins Ferry on Saturday. We were going to try and get everyone back and get everyone healthy. We have a tough January. We have a tough month, but this well help us down the road. We just want to keep getting better. The girls are playing with a lot of energy, they are giving a great effort and they are playing with a lot of intensity.”

Catholic Central is slated to Brooke Monday night at home on Senior Night.

“We have got a little bit of a break,” Bragg said. “We’re going to give them Friday off to let them heal up, and then we will be ready to come back and get back to work.”

Catholic Central 54, Harrison Central 40

Harrison Central 10 5 16 10 – 40

Catholic Central 5 11 17 21 – 54

HARRISON CENTRAL (7-9): Blackburn 3 0-2 9, Pelegreen 1 3-4 5, B. Smith 1 0-0 3, Visser 0 0-0 0, Cope 3 4-4 11, E. Smith 0-0 3, Nameth 3 2-3 9, Robinson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 12 9-13 40.

CATHOLIC CENTRAL (10-6): Lathem 0 0-0 0, Hoover 3 0-0 7, Fink 0 0-0 0, Krivoniak 0 0-0 0, Delaney 6 0-0 14, Balabin 0 0-0 0, Bolster 0 1-4 1, Rohde 9 2-4 20, Garcia 4 1-2 12, Rigaud 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22 4-10 54.

3-POINTERS: Harrison Central 7 (Blackburn 3, B. Smith, Cope, E. Smith, Nameth); Catholic Central 6 (Garcia 3, Delaney 2, Hoover)