A little more than two weeks ago, St. Paul Harding held off St. Paul Washington in a shootout at the Trinity at River Ridge tournament. Harding won 109-106 as senior Simeon Sharp went off for a St. Paul City Conference-record 58 points.
On Friday, Harding and Washington gather again. It could be another 200-point night, given there will be no shortage of scorers on Washington's floor.
Sharp, a senior guard, averages 27.4 points a game and has played in only one matchup this season when he's scored fewer than 23. After losing its first seven games, Harding (3-8, 1-0) has won three of its last four contests.
Washington (4-6, 0-1) counters with a pair of seniors, forward Drewjuan White and guard Zaveon Smith, who each average 24.2 points a game. Smith tallied 43 points the last time Washington played Harding. Those two career 1,000-point scorers combine to provide nearly 60 percent of the team's scoring.
It's Washington's scoring capability that has coach Mark Bauch optimistic about his team's prospects for this season. Bauch has been trying to work his team's defense into shape.
"We can scare a few teams if that clicks," he said. "This is a special team. They just gotta believe."