Why Harrison boys basketball's Class 4A sectional title was 'a long time coming'

EVANSVILLE — This night was finally different.

There is some benefit of hindsight in making such a statement. Not if you ask those in the Harrison basketball program. Too many opportunities in recent years only to come up short. A yearning for past success even if the gap in championships felt longer than reality.

The Warriors were finally able to take the next step. This group was ready.

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Harrison completed the first of what could be multiple steps this March on Saturday with a 49-33 victory over Jasper to win the Class 4A sectional championship at North High School. A moment unseen since 2013 by the Warriors, a program that has produced many of the city's top players in its history.

Their motto this year was "redemption." How appropriate.

"It’s been a long time coming," said Harrison coach Nathan Fleenor. "It’s what our school needed. It’s a great school and people don’t realize it. These guys are great examples. They work hard and do all the right things."

This is year eight for Fleenor as the head coach. He's experienced an entire spectrum of emotions with this program. There were multiple sectional titles as the junior varsity coach for Bryan Speer. There were also early exits in the postseason, including an upset loss to Jasper last year.

Why was this year different? Because the second half was different.

Harrison only led 18-17 at halftime, a score favoring Jasper every time. The Wildcats controlled the pace and the boards. And in past attempts, the Warriors compounded the problem by losing their composure. Not this year. Harrison (20-4) gained a 24-19 lead with back-to-back threes from Shane Sims. It never let it go.

"It was learning from last year’s mistakes," said Sims. "That’s why we wore redemption on our shooting shirts. It was our time to redeem. We figured out how to play our own game."

The Warriors also won because of Sims. The junior scored a game-high 23 points and caught fire in the middle quarters. It wasn't just the critical makes from deep. He could drive through the lane or even find teammates when a shot wasn't there. The latter is arguably his most improved skill this season after switching to point guard.

Sims still knew it when it was time to make a play. The junior became the ninth to reach 1,000 career points in a Harrison uniform.

"He made big-time shots," Fleenor. "I’ll tell you what Shane did this year, he became our point guard. He scored when he needed to score when he was open. He got fouled and moved it when it needed to move."

The Warriors could also point to other moments for why this game turned. Brooks Thomas had eight points off the bench including two crucial buckets in the first quarter. Jay Summitt did a little bit of everything and pushed the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter. Malachi McNair was well below his scoring average but unofficially had nine rebounds against a physical Jasper (15-10) frontcourt.

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There was also Kaiden Bard. The defensive stopper averages just five points for Harrison. But his two plays in the fourth were arguably the biggest of the game after Andrew Noblitt hit a corner three to cut the deficit to only six.

The senior got open on the left wing and swished a dagger. He stole the ball on the next Jasper possession and made the layup. A five-point swing to push the lead back to double digits. A senior making plays like a senior should.

"I'm not always going to score," said Bard. "Whatever I got to do for the team, that's what I do. We knew how to come back from a shift in the game. We played our game."

"I knew KB wasn’t going down his senior season losing," added Sims. "He’s going to do what it takes to win."

Noblitt led the Wildcats with 11 points and Logan Day scored eight, all in the first half. Jasper was a different team beginning in February with eights in nine games to reach the sectional championship. It also had the start it required a team it lost to by 15 on Jan. 20.

But this night and moment finally belonged to Harrison. One earned by a group who won back-to-back conference titles with the right mix of depth and stars. The next challenge is a rematch with Jeffersonville (18-7) in the regional at Memorial Gymnasium in Huntingburg. The Red Devils are one the few teams to beat the Warriors this year.

You can't make a postseason run without winning on the first Saturday in March. It was finally Harrison's turn again.

"All the credit goes to these kids and their ability to withstand adversity," said Fleenor. "It was 18-17 at halftime and it wasn’t easy. Championship teams have different guys make different plays on different nights. They keep grinding and getting better."

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys basketball: Evansville Harrison wins 4A sectional title