No place like home for Harding

SEARCY — Call it scheduling karma, a will to win or larger forces that lifted Harding past Emporia State here Monday night in one of Arkansas’ most charming basketball venues.

Emporia State, leading by 18 points early in the third quarter of the NCAA Division II women’s Central Region final, came undone in Rhodes-Reaves Field House. Harding, host school although designated visitor in this game, dominated the second half, culminated by some last-minute magic that sent the Rhodes Rowdies into orbit.

Sydnie Jones, a Central Arkansas Christian product, sank a layup with 41 seconds left that gave Harding its first lead since early in the first quarter. Hometowner Riley Rose made one of two free throws for the final margin, 58-56, Emporia State’s Addie Lackey seeing her attempt for a game winning threepoint basket rim out.

Thus did Harding advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time — the Lady Bisons return to action Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio — and announce loudly and clearly that former Arkansas high school basketball players can thrive on the college level.

“They’re the best-kept secret in the state,” Hot Springs native and longtime Searcy resident Brian Maddox, selling State Farm Insurance in the family tradition, said after the game.

A small-college team in, say, Arkadelphia, Russellville or Searcy plays in relative obscurity. Arkansas Tech, too, fell beneath the radar when it won back-to-back NAIA championships in the 1990s under Joe Foley, playing out of the former Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. Foley did it then, does it now for the most part with Arkansas players, well enough and long enough to receive induction to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

In Harding’s case, a Monday-night game in March allowed the Lady Bisons to play on campus after spring break. That was a tremendous advantage for Harding, which plays in a converted airplane hangar that seats 2,850 and holds the noise extremely well.

Also by dint of scheduling, No. 2 seed Harding was chosen to host the three-day Central Region tournament when top seed Emporia State had a scheduling conflict. Harding should do something nice — at least send a card of thanks — to the Kansas state high school athletic association for scheduling a state tournament at Emporia-White Auditorium last Wednesday through Saturday.

Harding thus played the biggest game in program history in friendly surroundings, on a court where in an ongoing 31-3 season it went 15-0.

For the record, Harding wore its road uniforms and was designated as the visiting team Monday night. And when the third quarter began, the home team on the scoreboard looked in complete control, leading

38-24.

Emporia State’s lead reached

18 before its shots stopped falling, Harding blocking out better after allowing 14 second-chance points in the first two quarters. The Lady Bisons then began to attack inside, 5-6 senior A’ndrea Haney driving for one basket and hitting the 6-foot Jones on the fast break for another. Sophomore Caroline Hogue finished another break and Jones got open inside, making it 44-32 and getting the crowd excited.

An Emporia State time-out seemed in order. Lady Hornet coach Jory Collins let them play, and by the time he stopped the clock it was 46-39, too late to quiet the Rowdies. The last seven came quickly: Rose scored on an inbounds pass, found Haney inside and then knocked down a three that raised the roof.

Rose played for Rusty Garner at Harding Academy and returned to Searcy after a hitch at Missouri State. “She was sick with the flu today,” Garner said

afterward, “and we didn’t know at 2 o’clock if she could play. You can tell by watching her walk off the court that she’s not feeling well.”

Even so, Rose made one of the game’s biggest baskets, a putback of junior Sydney Layrock’s airball miss from the corner. Emporia State people lobbied in vain for a shot-clock violation, but the basket stood and the Lady Hornets’ lead was only 52-51.

Harding trailed by one point four times in the final quarter. It was 50-49 after Hogue made a running bank shot from a tough angle and completed a three-point play at 6:04. It was 56-55 when Haney flung one up in the lane that went through; and after the senior guard from Missouri came up with a steal, Harding coach Tim Kirby called time with 54.5 seconds left and his team down 56-55.

Jones flashed through the lane for the go-ahead basket, Harding collected another turnover and Rose’s free throw made it a two-point game. Under these circumstances, No Hollywood screen writer would dare submit an ending with an opposing player sinking a three-pointer at the horn, so there was none.

This was one winning night for the memory bank and the record book. No place like home, even if the visiting team on the scoreboard.