Fairfield Lions keep close, fall to Blue Lions
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — In the annual battle of the Lions, both Fairfield and Washington had their moments and kept the score close, but in the end, the Blue Lions were too much for the Fairfield Lions as Washington won 72-67 in the second of three games in the the SCOL vs. SHAC Challenge at Hillsboro.
The contest between the two neighboring county counterparts was close for all four quarters with Fairfield controlling the paint, while Washington took control from beyond the arc.
There really was no quarter that proved to be the biggest difference ... what it came down to was the Blue Lions (4-3) outscoring FHS in the first three quarters by a total of five points as the fourth frame was tied with each team scoring 24 points.
Fairfield did tie the score with 50 seconds remaining, but a foul by FHS put Washington at the free-throw line, which eventually propelled them to a win.
"We tied the score in the fourth but made a mistake in fouling Washington after the score was tied," FHS head coach Everett Snyder said. "It wasn't just that one thing that cost us a win. We had other plays throughout the game where we made mistakes, and they all added up.
"We needed the score to be close to compete. Washington is on the rise (winners of four straight games), and we've been through a tough part of our schedule. That can only help us as we continue the season."
FHS (3-6) was led in scoring by senior Quentin Williams with 24 points (six steals), with 20 of those points coming in the second half. Williams totaled three 3-pointers (two in the fourth frame) along with a 5-of-6 day from the free-throw line.
Ryan Bates followed with 22 points for FHS, as he scored 16 points in the first two quarters, including 10 points in the second quarter. Bates earned a double-double by adding 16 rebounds.
"Ryan played an excellent game, as did Quentin," Snyder said. "Quentin is where we want him to be with scoring, but also with his rebounds, assists and steals."
Washington was led by Derek Shaw with 21 points, with balanced scoring in all four frames. His best scoring quarter was eight points in the fourth.
Connor Eckles and Garret Phipps each totaled 16 points as Phipps made five 3-pointers. Trevor Bain scored 13 points.
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For the Washington first quarter, the score was tied at 6-6 with 3:55 on the clock, but from there, the quarter was controlled by the Blue Lions with a 13-0 run from the 3:35 mark to the 1:58 mark.
In that run, Phipps sank three 3-pointers, along with Eckles and Shaw adding two points each for a 19-6 lead.
FHS scored the final six points of the quarter with Bates scoring on a put back and Williams scoring the final four points of the quarter.
The Lions from FHS scored 21 points in the second with Bates totaling 10 of those points. Gage Montgomery, Tyler Sims and Elijah Carmean each added points in the frame, with Carmean sinking a 3-pointer at the 5:26 mark, cutting the WSHS lead to 22-19.
Montgomery followed with points to make it a one-point game with 4:50 left and again at the 4:03 mark, but the FHS Lions never tied the score of took the lead in the second frame as they trailed 35-33 at halftime.
Washington scored the first five points of the third by Bain and Shaw, which eventually turned into a run of 8-2 for a lead of eight points with 4:50 left in the quarter.
Williams brought FHS closer in the quarter with seven straight points (including a 3-pointer), cutting the FHS deficit to 43-42.
In the fourth, Carmean sank a 3-pointer, but it was followed by the fifth 3-pointer by Phipps to put Washington ahead, 51-44.
Later in the fourth, Blake Hildebrant and Williams brought FHS to within three points of tying the score (64-61) with under two minutes in the game.
FHS eventually tied the game at 67-67 with a 3-pointer by Bates with 50 seconds left in the quarter.
The Blue Lions took the lead when they were fouled with 46.2 on the clock at 68-67 by Eckles. Washington followed that with four more free throws to seal the win.
FHS will play again on Saturday, Dec. 29 at McClain.
The contest between the two neighboring county counterparts was close for all four quarters with Fairfield controlling the paint, while Washington took control from beyond the arc.
There really was no quarter that proved to be the biggest difference ... what it came down to was the Blue Lions (4-3) outscoring FHS in the first three quarters by a total of five points as the fourth frame was tied with each team scoring 24 points.
Fairfield did tie the score with 50 seconds remaining, but a foul by FHS put Washington at the free-throw line, which eventually propelled them to a win.
"We tied the score in the fourth but made a mistake in fouling Washington after the score was tied," FHS head coach Everett Snyder said. "It wasn't just that one thing that cost us a win. We had other plays throughout the game where we made mistakes, and they all added up.
"We needed the score to be close to compete. Washington is on the rise (winners of four straight games), and we've been through a tough part of our schedule. That can only help us as we continue the season."
FHS (3-6) was led in scoring by senior Quentin Williams with 24 points (six steals), with 20 of those points coming in the second half. Williams totaled three 3-pointers (two in the fourth frame) along with a 5-of-6 day from the free-throw line.
Ryan Bates followed with 22 points for FHS, as he scored 16 points in the first two quarters, including 10 points in the second quarter. Bates earned a double-double by adding 16 rebounds.
"Ryan played an excellent game, as did Quentin," Snyder said. "Quentin is where we want him to be with scoring, but also with his rebounds, assists and steals."
Washington was led by Derek Shaw with 21 points, with balanced scoring in all four frames. His best scoring quarter was eight points in the fourth.
Connor Eckles and Garret Phipps each totaled 16 points as Phipps made five 3-pointers. Trevor Bain scored 13 points.
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For the Washington first quarter, the score was tied at 6-6 with 3:55 on the clock, but from there, the quarter was controlled by the Blue Lions with a 13-0 run from the 3:35 mark to the 1:58 mark.
In that run, Phipps sank three 3-pointers, along with Eckles and Shaw adding two points each for a 19-6 lead.
FHS scored the final six points of the quarter with Bates scoring on a put back and Williams scoring the final four points of the quarter.
The Lions from FHS scored 21 points in the second with Bates totaling 10 of those points. Gage Montgomery, Tyler Sims and Elijah Carmean each added points in the frame, with Carmean sinking a 3-pointer at the 5:26 mark, cutting the WSHS lead to 22-19.
Montgomery followed with points to make it a one-point game with 4:50 left and again at the 4:03 mark, but the FHS Lions never tied the score of took the lead in the second frame as they trailed 35-33 at halftime.
Washington scored the first five points of the third by Bain and Shaw, which eventually turned into a run of 8-2 for a lead of eight points with 4:50 left in the quarter.
Williams brought FHS closer in the quarter with seven straight points (including a 3-pointer), cutting the FHS deficit to 43-42.
In the fourth, Carmean sank a 3-pointer, but it was followed by the fifth 3-pointer by Phipps to put Washington ahead, 51-44.
Later in the fourth, Blake Hildebrant and Williams brought FHS to within three points of tying the score (64-61) with under two minutes in the game.
FHS eventually tied the game at 67-67 with a 3-pointer by Bates with 50 seconds left in the quarter.
The Blue Lions took the lead when they were fouled with 46.2 on the clock at 68-67 by Eckles. Washington followed that with four more free throws to seal the win.
FHS will play again on Saturday, Dec. 29 at McClain.