Oh-fer no more: Bulldogs knock off Harrisburg Cougars

The Wilson Bulldogs have finally ended a long and painful losing streak.

Cameron Jones’ layup in the final seconds of the first half gave them the lead for good and they pulled away in the fourth quarter to record a 67-55 non-league victory at Harrisburg Wednesday night, their first ever over the Cougars.

The Bulldogs (12-5) had been 0-9 all-time against the Cougars (4-17), with five of the losses coming in the District 3 Tournament. The one that hurt the most came in 2019 when fifth-seeded Harrisburg knocked off the top-seeded Bulldogs in a semifinal in West Lawn, 63-61. Harrisburg went on to beat Reading High in the title game.

The Cougars, struggling through a rare down season, were within 43-39 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter Wednesday before Foday Sillah sparked a 9-2 run to give the Bulldogs some working room. Twice he broke free long against a fullcourt press; he turned the second of those buckets into a three-point play and 52-41 lead with 5:26 left.

Wilson put it away with a 10-0 run a few minutes later, with Seamus Breslin hitting eight straight free throws, the last of them making it 62-43 with 3:10 left. Wilson coach Matt Coldren cleared his bench at that point.

Wilson was good on 19-of-24 shots from the foul line.

Jones finished with a team-high 14 points, all in the first half. Breslin and Cleveland Harding each scored 12 points. Sillah had 11, nine in the final quarter.

Freshman Madyx Gruber hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the third quarter to spark a 10-0 run that put Wilson on top 38-27.

The win will bolster Wilson’s chances for the District 3 Class 6A Tournament. It entered the night ranked No. 8 in the power ratings; the top 12 teams qualify.

Reading High won 77-60 at Harrisburg earlier this season.

The Cougars handed the Bulldogs a painful loss in 2013, scoring on a putback at the buzzer to win a district semifinal 58-56 at Giant Center.