READING — Harrison High School’s quest for that elusive first boys basketball victory of the season finally ended Monday night.
The Wildcats — single-digit losers in their first three contests against Colerain, Sycamore and Northwest — went on the road and never trailed in a 62-42 triumph over Reading, getting 17 points apiece from Mitchell Mercurio and Brady Lawhon.
“It feels great,” said Mercurio, a senior guard. “We were all mad and came in here knowing we needed to get one on the board. We just played really physical basketball tonight. A great team win overall.”
Harrison coach Andy Marx said his Wildcats hadn’t been playing poorly. They just lacked the consistency required to get a win.
“I’ve felt good about this team all the way through,” Marx said. “We’d just have one quarter where we’d kind of break down a little bit or weren’t playing smart. We still have some guys learning how to play with each other. Once we settled down and shared the ball, we’ve got some guys who can score. It’s a matter of trusting our teammates.”
The Division II Wildcats were simply a bit too strong for Division IV Reading (1-2). Brody Mumfrey scored 6 of his 12 points in the first four minutes and Harrison used a 12-point run in the second quarter to take a 33-19 lead into the break.
The Blue Devils tried to stay in it after falling behind 51-33, but couldn’t get closer than 12 down the stretch.
“We just physically got beat up on,” 11th-year Reading coach Bill Stidham said. “Harrison has some big, strong kids and they kind of pushed us out on offense, and we couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm.
“We couldn’t finish around the rim. I don’t know the number of layups and gimmes that we missed, but we missed quite a few. Our bigs needed to contribute, but the size and physicality of Harrison had something to do with that.”
Three guards — Marc Smith (23), Ryan VonderMeulen (11) and Owen Stidham (8) — did all the scoring for Reading. Marx praised Tucker Ward for his defensive work against VonderMeulen, who brought a 19.5 scoring average into the game.
“Even at halftime when we were up by 14, Coach Marx said we had to step on them and keep it going because they were going to keep fighting,” Mercurio said. “We were able to do what we wanted. Get out and run, play fast, layups, open 3s, drive and kicks, all that stuff.”
Dillon Witt tossed in 10 points for the Wildcats. Mumfrey collected six boards, while Ward, Lawhon and Christian Roether added five apiece.
“We played with really good pace,” Marx said. “We stressed just keeping it simple and getting the ball moving. When we get lane touches and ball reversals, good things happen, and we were able to do that. We had some really nice drives to the basket, and that freed up a lot of guys to shoot.”
“They shot the ball a little bit better than I expected them to shoot, especially on our rims,” Bill Stidham said. “They made a couple 3s and we had to go out and guard them, then they were able to get around us and score that way. Their physicality hurt us on the boards. That was a challenge for us.”
Stidham said games like this will help his team when Cincinnati Hills League play begins Wednesday at Madeira. He called the CHL “one of the best small-school leagues in Ohio.”
The Blue Devils finished 4-19 last season. They’re seeking their first winning record since going 12-10 in 2021-22.
“We have a lot of respect for Reading with how they can shoot the basketball,” Marx said. “They put you in tough positions where you’ve got to guard the 3-point shot really well. They’re always right in the game because they can score real quick.
“We were aggressive with our defensive stuff. We had a really good practice last night, just really focusing on defensive mentality and trying to make sure every shot they took was contested. Our guys did a super job of that.”
Mercurio busted out after totaling just 5 points on 1-of-13 shooting from the field in the first three games. He scored 8 points and hit two 3-pointers in the second period against the Blue Devils.
“I was in a bit of a slump,” Mercurio said. “Coach Marx just kept saying, ‘Shoot it, shoot it, you’re one of the best shooters on the team.’ It was just confidence. I got it back tonight.”
Harrison was scheduled to host South Dearborn (Ind.) on Saturday, but Marx said that contest has been moved to Jan. 27, so the Wildcats are off until visiting Talawanda next Tuesday.
Harrison 14-19-18-11 — 62
Reading 9-10-14-9 — 42
HARRISON (1-3): Mitchell Mercurio 7 1 17; Brody Mumfrey 6 0 12; Tucker Ward 1 2 4; Dillon Witt 4 1 10; Brady Lawhon 6 2 17; Christian Roether 1 0 2. Totals: 25 6 62
READING (1-2): Marc Smith 7 8 23; Ryan VonderMeulen 4 1 11; Owen Stidham 3 0 8. Totals: 14 9 42
3-Pointers: H 6 (Lawhon 3, Mercurio 2, Witt), R 5 (VonderMeulen 2, Stidham 2, Smith)
