T-L Photo/RICK THORP Harrison Central’s Kobe Mitchell, left, drives past Martins Ferry’s Ruben Hilson on Tuesday night. Additional images can be viewed at timesleaderonline.com

CADIZ — When teams face Harrison Central this winter, most of their attention will be focused squarely on the Huskies’ sensational do-everything guard Kobe Mitchell.

And rightly so.

The junior is a threat to go off any night, and Tuesday was another shining example as he torched Martins Ferry for 40 points in a 67-48 victory inside Harrison Central High School.

But as the Huskies moved to 3-0, they built a 16-3 lead. And while Mitchell scored most of the points during the early burst, it was a stable of other starters who provided the intangibles that head coach Justin Clifford knows will be needed if his team is to keep moving toward achieving its goals.

Cruz Capers, Cale McAfee, John Vermillion and Sam Santile all provided valuable contributions in the Buckeye 8 triumph, one in which Harrison Central led by as many as 21 early in the second half.

“They’re starting to find their roles a little bit and gaining more confidence,” Clifford said. “I know we have confidence in them, but they’re starting to gain more confidence in themselves.”

“I know Cale hit a big 3 there in the first half. Cruz hit a big 3. Sam had some nice post moves. John made some key buckets and Skyler (Mazeroski) came off the bench and played well defensively.

“They’re trying to figure out what what they need to do.”

Mitchell still anchors everything, and he scored seven points in the opening quarter as the Huskies grabbed an 11-point lead.

Martins Ferry (1-2) struggled early to find any rhythm, especially on the offensive end, where it was an ice-cold 20 percent from the field in the first half.

“We just came out flat,” Purple Riders head coach Derek Edwards said. “We didn’t look very focused. We weren’t really running the offense as planned. I think that had something to do with what (Harrison Central) was doing.”

It’s true.

The Huskies were limiting Martins Ferry to one shot, for the most part, then converting defensive boards into transition buckets on the other end.

“We played pretty well,” Clifford said. “They missed some shots, but I think we had a little bit to do with that.”

Once Harrison Central established its double-digit lead, it didn’t let go of it.

Martins Ferry tried to cut into it, especially during the early stages of the second half.

There, Logan Smith scored six of his team-high 17 points and the Purple Riders trimmed their deficit to 15 points midway through the period. But each time Martins Ferry clawed close, the Huskies answered, usually with a shot by Mitchell, who went for 10 in the third, including two of his team-best three 3s. His last one gave the hosts a 48-29 advantage with 2:23 left in the quarter.

“We had some bright spots,” Edwards concluded. “But we just have to get back to work.”

Clifford isn’t getting too giddy about his team’s unbeaten start, although he’s enjoying how his team is working together.

“They like each other, and that means a lot,” he said. “Any coach that’s been around knows that when you care about each other and you play for each other you play batter.

“I think we’re doing that right now and it’s paying off for us.”