Harp's Team Bows Out

[50's PONY]

Abilene Reporter News

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Reporter-News photos by Thomas Metthe

Cooper’s Ryan Harp (30) pulls down a rebound past a group of Mansfield High defenders during the fourth quarter of the Cougars’ 46-39 loss in the Region I-5A bi-district playoff game Wednesday night at Dublin High School.

Mansfield's late run dooms Cooper
By Nathan Sanders / [email protected]
February 22, 2007

DUBLIN — Mansfield brought Cooper's scoring to a premature end Wednesday night. Consequently, the Cougars' season met the same fate.

After struggling offensively for most of the evening, Mansfield capped the game with a 13-0 run to rally for a 46-39 victory over Cooper in their Class 5A bi-district meeting. The Tigers (23-10) advance to face either Lubbock Monterey or El Paso Eastwood in the area round.

Senior guard Alton Favors went 5-of-6 from the foul line in the final 50 seconds to seal things as Mansfield erased Cooper's 39-33 lead by blanking the Cougars over the final four minutes.

''I think our defense was what really got us going,'' said Mansfield coach Richie Alfred, whose Tigers allowed just 47.5 points per game this season, second-best among 5A teams in the Fort Worth area. ''We never really got into a rhythm offensively, but our defense made things happen.''

A put-back by SMU-bound forward Ryan Harp gave Cooper (18-14) its biggest lead of the night at 39-33 with 4:14 to go, but the Cougars went 0-for-5 with three turnovers the rest of the way. Meanwhile, a methodical Mansfield team that had shot just 26 percent from the floor in the first 3 1/2 quarters connected on its final four shots, capped by a jumper from the left baseline by Cody Waldrop that put the Tigers up 41-39 with 1:28 to go.

''A lot of our mistakes were self-inflicted,'' Cooper coach Marc Case said. ''They have a great defense, but we've seen that level of pressure before.

''We just didn't make plays at the end. I think at the end, some of our guys got to just watching Ryan.''

Harp joined Andrae Patterson as the only 2,000-point scorers in Cooper history when he tipped in a Joe Joe Jones miss with 6:33 to go in the third quarter. He finished with a game-high 19 points, but he was 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-1 from the foul line in the final two minutes.

''I really feel like I'm responsible,'' a teary-eyed Harp said. ''I love playing with these guys, and I feel like I let them down. But I'm proud of what we accomplished.''

Harp didn't have much help on this night. Senior post Andy Spears continued his strong late-season play with 16 points, but only two other Cougars scored: Jones and sophomore Rashad Barnes with two points apiece.

''When you put the ball in the hands of a guy 90 percent of the time, he's going to make some mistakes,'' Case said, referring to Harp. ''He made some mistakes, but we all did.''

Nine first-quarter offensive rebounds gave the aggressive Tigers plenty of early opportunities. Making the most of those opportunities was the problem. Mansfield shot just 8-for-33 in the first half (24.2 percent), a scoring slump that allowed Cooper to turn an early 11-6 deficit into an 18-13 lead on a layup by Spears with 2:28 remaining in the second quarter.

The 6-foot-10 Spears had a decided height advantage against a Mansfield team with only one starter (6-6 junior Cameron Frazier) taller than 6-1. When his teammates found him, Spears exploited that edge for 10 first-half points — all from point-blank range.

Spears' put-back at the buzzer gave Cooper a 20-17 lead at the half, and his two free throws with 5:04 to go started the Cougars' 6-0 run that gave them that 39-33 advantage.

Then came the premature ending.

''We had to keep on attacking them, but we made a couple of turnovers and had a few defensive lapses, and that ended up costing us the game,'' Harp said.

MANSFIELD (46) — Stepfan Taylor 1 0-0 2, Gary Talton 1 2-2 4, Cody Waldrop 3 0-1 6, Chase Gentry 4 0-0 8, Caleb Paulson 2 1-2 6, Corey Anderson 2 0-0 5, Alton Favors 0 5-8 5, Cameron Frazier 5 0-0 10. Totals 18 8-13 46.

COOPER (39) — Joe Joe Jones 1 0-0 2, Ryan Harp 6 7-11 19, Rashad Barnes 0 2-2 2, Andy Spears 7 2-3 16. Totals 14 11-16 39.

Mansfield 11 6 13 16-46

Cooper 8 12 10 9-39

3-point goals — Mansfield 2 (Paulson, Anderson); Cooper 0. Fouls — Mansfield 9, Cooper 15. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.

Records — Mansfield 23-10, Cooper 18-14.


Copyright 2007, Abilene Reporter News. All Rights Reserved.

[MustangStealth]

The Tigers (23-10) advance to face either Lubbock Monterey or El Paso Eastwood in the area round.

Well, at least one of my alma maters is having a good season.

[Hilltopper]

I tell you what, I like having players at SMU (or headed to SMU) who are so competitive that a big loss brings them to tears. I want guys who hurt when they lose. Get strong over the summer and come to campus ready to shoot the lights out, Ryan.

[Pony_Fan]

that subject certainly isn't cool...scared me for a second.

[smu diamond m]

I thought Harp left for a minute, not cool.