Harrison's big shots lift Proviso West

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:48PM

Proviso West guard Arissa Harrison was colder than the air outside in the first half Tuesday night, missing all seven of her shots from the floor.

That didn't stop the 5-6 junior from continuing to fire away from the perimeter with the game on the line. Harrison made her final two shots, including the three-pointer that put the Panthers ahead to stay in their 63-60 West Suburban Conference Silver Division victory over host Hinsdale Central.

It was the second straight year Proviso West (3-6, 2-1) has beaten the Red Devils in Hinsdale.

"We just had to play hard, had to finish it out," said Harrison, who finished with seven points and 3-for-12 shooting. "I can't stop shooting because the only way I'm going to get better is if I keep shooting. So I just kept shooting and eventually it fell at the right time."

The Panthers twice trailed by nine in the second half and didn't take the lead until Jasmine Jackson scored inside with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter to put the visitors up 53-52. The game was tied at 55 when Harrison drained her decisive three-pointer, her only trey of the night, with 1:15 remaining to give Proviso a 58-55 lead. Breanna Shields, one of three freshmen making their varsity debut, later scored on a fast break with :46 to go and Hinsdale Central (0-7, 0-3) never recovered.

"She did struggle today," Proviso West coach Kellee Robertson said of Harrison. "She's struggled the last few games. When she's hot, she's hot. But when she's not, she's not.

"I still have confidence in her and I know that she still has confidence in herself. I actually have to slow her down. She could be 0-for-50 (and still shoot) and that's a good thing and a bad thing. Some people shut down. She's going to keep shooting."

The Panthers turned the game around with defense, forcing 26 turnovers, five of which came during an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. Freshman Mikaela Boyd had all six of her steals and seven of her eight points in the second half, while Shields contributed eight points, three assists and three steals. Jackson, a three-year varsity starter, led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds, but Kanitral Averhart had a big game as well with 15 points and six steals.

Christine Rush led the Red Devils with a career-high 21 points while Avery Anderson scored a career-high 17 points, including a 6-for-6 effort from the free-throw line. Hinsdale Central coach Tom McKenna won 407 games in 23 years at St. Ignatius, but is still looking for his first win with the Red Devils.

"We're really getting a lot better," McKenna said. "Sometimes we have two freshmen and a sophomore on the floor and they make freshman and sophomore mistakes. I thought our seniors played a great game, but we're not quite there yet. We made some mistakes and it cost us, but I think we're getting a lot better."

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