Harris' 29 leads four double-figure scorers in SSU's 88-77 triumph over Midway (Ky.)
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shawnee State (9-5, 4-1) | 44 | 44 | 88 |
|
Midway (4-8, 2-4) | 31 | 46 | 77 |
It's been a strong start to the 2023-24 basketball season for Shawnee State wing Chaze Harris, to say the least.
Playing in his fifth contest for the Shawnee State men's basketball program, Harris, with his 29-point, six-rebound, three-assist effort against the Midway Eagles' men's basketball program, posted 28 or more points for the third time in his five games -- helping Shawnee State claim an 88-77 victory over Midway Saturday afternoon in a River States Conference that was held in Midway, Ky.
Shawnee State, who moved to 9-5 overall and 4-1 in the River States Conference with the victory, trailed from the 19:03 to 16:16 and 16:03 to 14:21 markers of the opening half of play, trailing by as much as 11-6 with 15:59 to play in the opening half of competition. However, the Bears, who got seven points from Shawnee State junior wing Elkin Ramirez within the game's first 6:39, used Ramirez's early offensive output to go on a 10-0 run -- and never trailed over the contest's final 34:21.
As a team, Shawnee State ultimately shot 28-for-58 from the field (48.3 percent) and proved to be money from the charity stripe as well as the Bears went 29-for-34 from the free throw line to post an 85.3 percent clip from that area.
Harris continues prolific pace
In yet another virtuoso performance Saturday, Shawnee State wing Chaze Harris became the first player since Dakstats or PrestoStats records were kept since the 2003-04 season to score at least 28 or more points at least three times over a five-game stretch.
Harris, who has scored no less than 19 points in each of his five appearances to date and is averaging 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and four assists per game on 62.7 percent shooting from the field, overcame a rough start -- by his standards -- from the field to lead Shawnee State and all scorers on both sides with 13 points at the halftime break, posting six of SSU's final 13 points to end the opening half.
In the second 20-minute period, Harris ripped off 16 points, four rebounds and two steals on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and a 6-of-7 clip from the free throw line. From the 5:56 to 2:38 marks of the second half, Harris scored 11 of Shawnee State's 13 points to help the Bears maintain a lead between 10 to 13 points for much of the second half of competition.
Harris ultimately notched his 29 points, six rebounds and three assists on just 19 official shots from the field -- as the sophomore went 13-of-15 from the free throw line and hit eight of his 19 shots from the floor to boot.
Harris' current 25.8 points per game mark, if it stands, would break the all-time single-season Shawnee State points per game scoring record set by Shawnee State Hall of Famer Andre Horton during the 2001-02 season. Horton averaged 25.6 that year as SSU went 22-10 on the season.
Johnson, Dawson, Germain supply consistency
Behind Harris, Shawnee State seniors Keith Germain and John Dawson, along with Shawnee State junior Tyreke Johnson, supplied the upperclassmen leadership necessary for a key conference victory on the road.
Johnson -- who scored 23 points and supplied six rebounds in a victory against IU-Southeast Thursday evening -- didn't have the shot dropping for much of the evening, but the Georgia native never let his shot affect his attacking style as Johnson notched 10 second-half points en route to a 14-point total for the contest.
In Saturday's performance, Johnson went 10-of-10 from the free throw line -- and capped off a week where the 6-6 combo guard went a perfect 16-of-16 from the charity stripe.
Over Shawnee State's last five games, Johnson has went an incredible 27-of-28 from the free throw line (96.4 percent), which has been critical in SSU going 4-1 during that stretch of games.
Dawson, who showed off a consistent, smooth stroke throughout Saturday's 11-point victory, kept Midway's defense honest all game.
The Huntington, W. Va. native notched five points, three rebounds and a steal in the opening half, then added in seven additional points in the second half on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor -- ultimately finishing with his 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 2-of-3 mark from three-point range.
Germain, who notched nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks in Thursday's 65-53 victory over Indiana-Southeast, was consistent throughout his time on the floor.
The 6-5 energy bug from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. scored six points and notched three rebounds in the first half and followed that mark up with four points, three rebounds and a block in the second half for a 10-point, six-rebound outing on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor.
Additional
The aforementioned Elkin Ramirez used his hot start to finish with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while 6-7 forward Tony Webb, Jr. offered up solid production in his 18 minutes, posting five points and four rebounds on 2-of-4 shooting from the field to aid the Bears in Saturday's win.
Shawnee State will held to Owensboro, Ky. to take on Brescia (Ky.) Thursday evening in a River States Conference contest that will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT.
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