Neither team led by more than seven at any point in the game. In the end, Harbor Creek came away with a 52-45 win to advance to the PIAA state playoffs. Warren’s season has come to an end.

“This is a tough one,” Warren coach Jeff Berdine said. “It’s disappointing, but I’m so proud of this group. They worked so hard this season.”

Harbor Creek (17-8) took a 37-34 lead into the fourth quarter. Warren’s (15-10) Ryan Arnold quickly erased it with a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the frame.

Sam Howell answered with a three of his own a minute later to put the Huskies back on top. Neither team scored again until Cody Smith put in a layup with 4:37 to go.

Warren’s Ryan Arnold (1) reacts after drawing a charge during the fourth quarter of the District 10 Class 4A consolation game against Harbor Creek at the Hagerty Family Events Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Arnold made a number of plays in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies were able to hold on for a 52-45 win over the Dragons and a trip to the PIAA state playoffs.

Arnold knocked down his second triple of the quarter, and third of the game, to cut the deficit to 42-40. Thomas Bablak’s bucket with 2:19 left tied it at 42. Smith was fouled on the other end and went 1-2 from the line for a 43-42 edge with just under two minutes to go.

The game turned on the next three Warren possessions.

Warren turned the ball over each time. Casey Smith was fouled after the first turnover and went 2-2 at the line. Ryan Whitman missed the front end of a 1-and-1 after the second turnover, and Cody Smith put in a layup after the third to give Harbor Creek at 47-42 edge with 54 seconds to play.

“It was a 1-point game and we turned the ball over three times,” Berdine said. “We’ve said all season that we need to make plays in the last four minutes of the game and we didn’t do that.”

Howell hit both free throws after Bablak’s fifth foul with 39.6 seconds left, but Warren wasn’t going to go quietly.

Warren's Thomas Bablak (10) puts up a shot over Harbor Creek's Cody Smith (23) during the fourth quarter of their District 10 Class 4A consolation game at the Hagerty Family Events Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Bablak had 12 points for the Dragons, but Smith had a game-high 16 to lead the Huskies to a 52-45 win and a trip to the PIAA state playoffs.

Ben Berdine knocked down a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to make it 49-45. It would be the Dragons final points of the night.

Cody Smith, Scott Stanyard and Howell each went 1-2 from the line for the final tally.

“Ryan Arnold hit a couple big shots to keep it close, but we just couldn’t make enough plays,” Berdine said.

Things started well for the Dragons.

They forced a pair of turnovers on the Huskies’ first two possessions and Bablak was fouled on the offensive end, going 3-4 from the line, each time for an early 3-0 lead.

Warren's Ben Berdine (5) puts up a shot past Harbor Creek's Ben Howell (3) during the third quarter of their District 10 Class 4A consolation game at the Hagerty Family Events Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. The Huskies topped the Dragons, 52-45.

Avery Ennis got Harbor Creek on the board and Howell followed with his first three of the game to swing the advantage to the Huskies.

Berdine and Casey Smith traded buckets, then Mitch Grosch went on a run for the Dragons. The senior guard hit a pair of threes to close out the quarter with Warren up 11-9.

The Dragons carried the momentum into the second. Payton Barnes was fouled on a 3-pointer and knocked down all three free throws. Grosch followed with another basket and suddenly the Dragons had a 16-9 advantage.

Harbor Creek answered with a 7-0 run to re-take the lead.

Gavin Ennis got things started with a triple and Whitman and Stanyard knocked down three free throws to cut the deficit to one. Cody Smith’s first bucket of the game put the Huskies back on top, 17-16. The teams traded points to a 20-20 tie, then Arnold connected on his first deep ball of the game for a 23-20 Warren advantage.

Back-to-back baskets from Stanyard and Whitman put Harbor Creek back up one, but Ryan Rafalski’s bucket with 17 seconds left looked like it might give the Dragons a halftime lead.

Casey Smith had other plans. The senior knocked down a three with three seconds left to put Harbor Creek up 27-25 at the half.

Casey Smith got the first points of the second half and Warren spent the rest of the third quarter trying to tie while Harbor Creek fought just as hard to keep the lead. The Dragons cut the lead to one three times in the frame, but couldn’t get the stop on the other end. Casey Smith got a buzzer-beating layup to fall to give the Huskies the 37-34 lead going to the fourth quarter.

“They do a good job offensively,” Berdine said. “They’re patient. But we have to make plays in crunch time.”

Cody Smith finished with a game-high 16 points. Casey Smith added 11 and Howell nine.

Bablak led the Dragons with 12 points and three steals.

“He’s had a good senior year,” Berdine said. “He’s worked very hard to get to this point.”

Ben Berdine had nine points and four rebounds, Arnold had nine points, Grosch eight and Barnes five to go with his four boards. Rafalski added three assists.

– – –

HARBOR CREEK (52)

Whitman 2-2-5-6, Ca. Smith 4-2-2-11, Howell 2-3-4-9, A. Ennis 1-0-0-2, G. Ennis 1-0-0-3, Stanyard 1-3-4-5, Co. Smith 7-2-4-16, Total 18-12-19-52

WARREN (45)

Arnold 3-0-0-9, Rafalski 1-0-0-2, Berdine 4-0-0-9, Bablak 3-5-6-12, Grosch 3-0-0-8, Barnes 0-5-5-5, Gustafson 0-0-0-0, Swanson 0-0-0-0, Total 14-10-11-45

By Quarters

Harbor Creek 9 18 10 15 – 52

Warren 11 14 9 11 – 45

Three-point FGs: Harbor Creek (4) – Howell 2, Ca. Smith, G. Ennis. Warren (7) – Arnold 3, Grosch 2, Berdine, Bablak.