In his first three seasons playing basketball for East Hamilton, Zach Harris did everything in his power to prove to coaches he belonged. He got to the gym early and stayed late to work on his game, and in between he would he would dive across the court for a loose ball at practice.
That dedication has paid off for Harris and the Hurricanes, who are headed to the District 6-AAA tournament championship game against visiting Red Bank.
The senior shooting guard did not miss a shot while scoring 11 points in Friday’s home semifinal win, 81-33 against East Ridge, while Red Bank won 87-52 against Central as Haden Spurgeon had 29 points and seven 3-pointers and Nick Smith scored 18 points for the Lions.
East Hamilton (18-10), seeking its first district title, will host the Lions (23-4) at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“I told the guys in the locker room that any time we threw the ball Zach’s way, it was an assist,” East Hamilton coach Andy Webb said. “When he gets it going, he is tough. He has worked his tail off. That kid has been a program guy for three years before this. He finally got a chance this year, and he has run away with it. All of our guys love him to death.”