URSULINE SLOWLY BUT SURELY WARES DOWN RAIDERS

YOUNGSTOWN, OH- The Ursuline Fighting Irish kicked off their 2023 with a great matchup as they hosted the Warren G. Harding Raiders Tuesday night. Whenever these two schools face off, you just know you’re going to get a good show. The two did not disappoint early on as it seemed that we were looking at a tight game that would stay that way after the first quarter. But Ursuline’s defense found another level in the second quarter and carried that momentum onto the offensive play throughout the game. Forcing turnovers, grabbing rebounds, and multiple double-digit scorers is what kick-started the runway for the Irish going into the half. A fight back by the Raiders in the third had the game looking a little different, but once again, the Ursuline rebounding and scoring kept the Irish ahead and allowed them to come away with another home win over Harding, 69-41.

Although the Irish led 14-9 after the first quarter, it wasn’t until the second quarter where we saw that swarming defense and hot shooting. A quick three by DeShaun Will started the second quarter off and that created momentum for the Irish who ended up going on a huge run before the half to extend their lead. With the momentum heavily in the Irish’s hands heading back into the second half, Harding had to find a way back. The Raiders found a way to get some points back in the third and looked like they could use the fourth to complete a comeback. But Terrance Pankey, DeShaun Will, and Jayden Payne all had a different plan in the fourth. With the Irish finding a way to get back to their swarming defense, that opened the game back up to allow those three stars to showcase and close out the game.  

For Ursuline, Pankey led the way with 24 points on the night. DeShaun Will ended the night with 16 points. Payne contributed 13 points for the Irish.

For Harding, Khamari Adams led the way with 10 points on the night. Jacob Lawerance added 8 for the Raiders.

Ursuline will move to 7-1 on the season. They will be back in action on Friday as they will travel to Chaney to take on the 4-4 Cowboys. Stay tuned on YSNLive.com or on socials for any updates regarding Ursuline and all basketball coverage!

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller