Jarvis Haywood didn't let Harding High down when big plays were required.

The senior forward drained back-to-back 3-point shots in the third quarter to ignite the Rams' 67-50 win against Charlotte Catholic in a MEGA 7 3A-4A game at Harding. Haywood's shots countered a Catholic rally that shaved two-thirds of Harding's 15-point advantage to 34-29 with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the third. The Rams closed the quarter with a 12-2 run that turned the tide for good.

"Big-time players perform when their team needs them," said Haywood, who led all scorers with 21 points. "I just knew my team needed me, so I put it on my back and got the job done."

Harding won the girls' game 55-40 behind Alexius Hampton's 13 points and Abrea Harris' 11, including eight in the first half. The Rams (15-2, 8-1) broke open a close game with an 18-7 second quarter to seize a 27-17 halftime advantage and were never challenged after that. Sophie Rossitch led Catholic with a game-best 15 points while Taylor Brock chipped in 10 for the Cougars (11-10, 5-4).

Harding (17-3, 6-3), which lost to Catholic (17-4, 7-2) 76-63 on Jan. 3, got a measure of payback as well as pulling to within a game of the second-place Cougars. The Rams used their speed to get into transition and improved their defensive intensity to offset Catholic's size.

"We came out focused and playing hard and we just played together and got the job done," Haywood said.

Emmanuel Patton pumped in 13 points for Harding and Christian Hill added 11 off the bench. Jack Wohlfert paced Catholic with 19 points and Mark Pollack added 12 for the Cougars, but it wasn't enough to stem Harding's advantage.

"We were up, like 18, 17 (points) and that's how we wanted to keep it going," Haywood said. "We just wanted to stay up and not let them come back."

Girls

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 40- Sophie Rossitch 15, Taylor Brock 10, Edwards 7, Hendershott 6, Tomchin 2.

HARDING 55- Alexius Hampton 13, Abrea Harris 11, Morrow 9, Griffin 7, Drakeford 6, Hamrick 5, Currence 2, Martin 2.

Boys

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 50- Jack Wohlfert 19, Mark Pollack 12, Champion 5, Webster 5, Brodowicz 4, Barkley 2, Mainsah 2, Anderson 1.

HARDING 67- Jarvis Haywood 21, Emmanuel Patton 13, Christian Hill 11, Linton 7, Burrough 6, Byers 5, Brooks 2, Wilson 2.