REDDING — Barlow certainly didn’t play its A-game Saturday afternoon. However, a so-so performance was still enough to get the Falcons past Harding.
The Falcons pulled away late to defeat the Presidents 63-49 in a boys basketball non-conference tilt.
“We kind of struggled all game,” Barlow coach Matt Whelan said. “It was sloppy. We put together a couple nice stretches, but that was it.
“We didn’t even really play well enough to win.”
Maybe the most crucial stretch was a 10-0 run that Barlow used to close the first half. Up 35-23 at halftime, the Falcons (3-2) had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“We did enough today,” Whelan said. “We’ll take it.”
Forward Austin DeLuca led four scorers in double figures with 14 points for the Falcons. Clark Gilmore contributed 13 points, 10 of which were tallied in the first half.
Harding trimmed the lead to six points at the end of the third quarter and as few as three points in the fourth, but Barlow didn’t fold. The Falcons closed the game on a 17-6 run to drop the Presidents to 3-3 on the year.
“We kind of lagged a little bit on the defensive end,” Harding coach John Bagley said. “We’ve got to play better defense.”
Just past the quarter point of their first season under Bagley — who was taken 12th overall by Cleveland in the 1982 NBA Draft after starring at both Harding and Boston College — the Presidents find themselves battling inconsistencies on the court. There were too many mistakes to overcome against the Falcons.
“We’ve just got to do our part and do what we need to do,” Bagley said. “We [need to] make sure we make layups and make shots, and play tough defense.”
Guard Tra’Vel Upchurch led the Presidents with 15 points, and Keith Bush scored 11.
Harding pulled within 46-43 early in the fourth quarter, but Barlow responded with an 11-1 run to all but seal the game.
“If we play harder like we did in the third and fourth quarter, that’s how we’ll beat teams,” DeLuca said.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Austin DeLuca, Barlow, forward: The sophomore led a balanced effort offensively for the Falcons with 14 points.
FINDING A RHYTHM
John Bagley finds himself dealing with the ups and downs of coaching a relatively unproven team. Making life more difficult, Bagley feels, is the limited time that he and many other coaches get to spend practicing. “We really haven’t had any practice time … from Day One. It’s almost impossible to implement things that you want to do and have them ready condition-wise,” the Harding coach said.
QUOTABLE
“We pride ourselves on being a smart team and moving the ball and knocking down shots. We did a real poor job at times. … You’ve got to give (Harding) credit. They’re really scrappy, and they’re strong. They went after the ball a lot harder than we did at times. We’re lucky to win.” — Barlow coach Matt Whelan
BARLOW 63, HARDING 49
HARDING (3-3)
Keith Bush 4 2-3 11, Xavier McBride 3 0-0 8, Zamir Hairston 0 0-2 0, Tion Hampton 1 0-0 2, Tra’Vel Upchurch 4 7-12 15, John Hypolite 1 0-1 2, Tae’Ron Womack 2 0-0 4, Josue Rivera Pacheco 1 4-4 6, Leon Hanley 0 1-2 1. Totals 16 14-24 49.
BARLOW (3-2)
Danny Mangieri 3 2-3 10, Clark Gilmore 5 0-0 13, James Menapace 1 2-2 5, Jake McNamara 1 0-0 2, Nate Aime 0 1-2 1, Kevin Richetelli 4 3-6 11, Austin DeLuca 5 4-5 14, Owen Corazzelli 3 0-0 7. Totals 22 12-18 63.
HARDING 10 13 17 9 — 49
BARLOW 11 24 11 17 — 63
3-pointers: H — McBride 2, Bush; B — Gilmore 3, Mangieri 2, Menapace, Corazzelli. Fouled out: B — Gilmore, Menapace.
