Top-ranked FSHS does in Riders
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FAIRMONT -- While the Weir Red Riders proved that they were no pushover, the strength and speed of the Fairmont Senior Polar Bears proved to be too much as, just like in football and girls' basketball, FSHS ended Weir's season, this time by a 105-64 score in Tuesday's Region I Section 2 boys' basketball semifinal at the 201st Fairmont Senior High School Field House.
Despite the 41-point victory, which earned FSHS a berth in the sectional title game Friday at home against North Marion, the Red Riders (6-18) did not make things easy for coach David Retton's Polar Bears, as Weir jumped out to an early 5-0 lead.
"I wanted our kids to come out aggressive and do what we do," Weir coach Mike Granato said. "That was my big thing about coming down here. We knew they had a great ball club that's state-championship material."
In response to Weir's early run, Retton called a timeout to refocus his troops.
"We just needed to play harder," Retton said. "That's a big thing that we're after with our guys -- on every possession having the ability to play hard. We did that for the better part of the game."
Once Fairmont found its groove, however, it began to roll, closing out the first quarter on a 33-6 run to carry a 33-11 lead into the second period.
While Weir struggled to find good looks at the basket against Fairmont Senior's swarming defense, the Polar Bears used an array of crisp passes and drives to the basket to find quality looks at the basket all night.
With Zyon Dobbs and Taevon Horton driving to the basket and Jalen Bridges and DeAndre Payne knocking down their shots from outside, Fairmont Senior had found the rhythm it lacked to start the game.
By halftime, the Polar Bears held a 51-26 advantage while shooting 61 percent from the floor on 19 of 31 shots. Weir, conversely, only managed to convert on 35 percent of its shots (9 of 26) in the opening half and that, coupled with nine turnovers, allowed FSHS to take a comfortable advantage into the halftime locker room.
The Polar bears would not remain cozy for long, however, as Weir, led by Matt Anderson, Lavelle Hall and Levi Mikula, came out in the second half on fire, hitting three 3 pointers to open the third quarter, once again forcing Retton to use an early timeout.
"They shot the ball really well," Retton said. "They came out in the second half very confident. They shot the ball. I thought our guys did a good job of shutting them down after they made some initial baskets in the third quarter."
Halfway through the third quarter, Weir used a 17-7 run to cut what was a 25-point halftime deficit to just 15 at 60-45.
As was the case in the first quarter, however, the Polar Bears would get right back to work and used a 16-5 run of their own to take a 76-50 lead into the final quarter. Sparking the FSHS run were the same culprits as in the first half as Horton, Dobbs, Bridges and Payne made things tough for the Weir defense.
Horton finished the contest with a game-high 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals. Dobbs pitched in 25 points, six rebounds and five assists while Bridges and Payne scored 19 and 11 points, respectively.
As Retton and Granato emptied their benches late in the contest, the reserves closed out the game as FSHS picked up a section win, 105-64.
For his Red Riders, who battled through injuries and opened the season 0-11 before finishing 6-6 prior to Tuesday's loss, Granato was pleased with what his boys were able to accomplish.
"My kids haven't quit all season," Granato said. "We lost our starting point guard (Cameron Pierce) in the seventh football game of the season with a torn ACL. We lost our starting center (Cody Enrietti) in the ninth football game of the year to a torn ACL. … For these kids to bounce back from an 0-11 start and go .500 the rest of the way is a pretty good statement about our seniors and how the didn't quit."
Anderson led Weir with 13 points while Mikula and Hall each scored 11.
FSHS will now host the North Marion Huskies at 7 p.m. Friday.
Fairmont Senior 105, Weir 64
Fairmont Senior (20-3): Horton 11 0-0 26, Dobbs 10 5-5 25, Briges 6 3-7 19, Payne 4 0-0 11, Lee 4 1-2 9, Stills 2 1-2 5, Jones 1 2-4 4, Shields 2 0-0 4, Amos 0 2-2 2, Davis 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 40 14-22 105. 3-pointers: Horton 4, Bridges 4, Payne 3.
Weir (6-18): Anderson 5 0-0 13, Mikula 4 2-3 11, Hall 4 1-2 11, Gresko 3 0-0 7, Krutilla 2 2-5 6, Hudacheck 2 0-0 5, Washington 1 1-2 4, Faulks 1 0-2 3, Tripano 1 0-0 2, Buffington 1 0-0 2, Riggs 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 24 6-14 64. 3-pointers: Anderson 3, Hall 2, Hudacheck, Faulks, Washington, Gresko, Mikula.