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By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
02/25/208

The Quad City Riverhawks lead the Premier Basketball League's West Division by three games.

The hometown pros also won a seventh straight game Sunday, holding off a bunch of Reading Railers, who a night before handed league-best Rochester its second loss of the season.

"We're good, but we need to get a lot better," QC coach LaTroy Farrow said, unwilling to let the 11-3 'Hawks rest on their laurels after a gritty, 96-93 win at Moline's Wharton Field House.

Anthony Hardin scored a team-high 20 points and Ryan Edwards (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Bobby Anderson (15 and 14) added double-doubles against the Pennsylvanians (5-8), who pushed QC into overtime just 17 days ago.

"We still have mental breakdowns and defensive rotations can improve," Farrow said. "Offensively, as the year goes on and guys better learn each other's tendencies, that will make us a more efficient team and cut down our turnovers.

"We have to get better because other teams are going to get better. If we stay how we are now, we'll have trouble finishing the season how I want to finish it (late next month), in the championship game with a chance to win it all."

That said, Farrow was plenty pleased with winning Sunday's "pride" game. Both teams played Saturday, and Reading had to travel early Sunday from Pennyslvania to make the 4 p.m. tip.

"This says a lot about our guys," Farrow said. "The guys showed a lot of heart and determination. When you can pull out the close games, that's a mark of a good team, especially when it's not your best night.

"That was probably our best defensive performance. Offensively, it wasn't a very good night, but to pull out the win anyway shows how far we've come with toughness and gritting out close games."

A Reading rally got as close as 93-91 in the final minute. However, Edwards hit a pair of free throws with 18.6 seconds left. Then, Hardin secured the victory, splitting a pair of freebies with 5.1 ticks remaining before skying high to rebound a last-chance 3-pointer on the other end.

Quinnel Brown (15) and Willie Mitchell (14) also scored in double figures for the shorthanded 'Hawks, who will get reinforcements this week, Farrow said. QC is down to eight players -- two under the roster max.

However, suspensions could be coming from a fight late in QC's win Saturday night. Farrow doesn't believe Edwards will be punished, despite being ejected, and said the game tape should bear out that feeling with the league.

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