Lions fall in regional semifinal game
The tournament run and season of the Fairfield Lions came to a close, but not without their best effort of the season Tuesday in the Division IV Regional Semifinals.
The Lions battled the odds by standing toe-to-toe with the Harvest Prep Warriors, a private school, for three quarters, but once regulation had ended in the fourth quarter, the Lions saw their season come to a close as they lost by a 72-51 score at the Ohio University Convocation Center in Athens.
For the first three quarters, the Lions (17-9) showed that a public school could battle a private school from Canal Winchester as the score was tied 17-17 after the opening eight minutes.
"I'm proud of the effort they gave and proud of the game we played," FHS head coach Everett Snyder said. "I wish the outcome would have been a little different."
The Lions were even within nine points of the Warriors' lead, trailing 34-25 at halftime, and by the end of the third frame, the Lions got to within four points of being even with the now 25-1 Warriors as they trailed 49-45. With 12 seconds left in the quarter, the Lions were down by just two points.
"The first quarter and half of the second half, we played well and took it to (Harvest Prep), and we knew if we took the ball down the middle, they couldn't stop us there," FHS head coach Everett Snyder said. "Almost every time we had three-on-two situations, but we needed to do a better job of finishing under the basket.
"That opportunity was there. It was basically the same game they were looking to play against us, but I think our defense was excellent that first quarter. We also came back in the third and played some great basketball then. It might have come down to fatigue in the fourth. We played three games in six days, and last Wednesday was the last time they played. They had time to rest and prepare, and that could have been a factor."
As for the opening eight minutes of the regional semifinal, the first time the Lions had played in a game of this high stakes since 1996, the Lions came out and played "fearless," as described by Coach Snyder.
The Lions trailed early, but senior Joey Wilson put FHS on the board with points in the paint at the 6:35 mark for a 2-2 score. The Lions took their first lead of the game with 5:31 on the first-quarter clock with senior Gage Montgomery adding two points via layup.
As the score was tied a total of six times in the first frame, it was senior Ryan Bates who broke a 4-4 tie with two free throws with 4:38 left in the opening quarter, and Montgomery broke another tied score with 4:25 on the clock for a 8-6 FHS advantage.
Later in the first, Wilson put the Lions within one point of the Warriors with put-back points, and later, senior Blake Hildebrant knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:59 on the clock for a 13-13 score.
The Lions continued to surprise their state-ranked opponent in the first frame with Wilson putting the Lions ahead by two points with 1:25 left in the quarter, and it was Montgomery who tied the score with 7.0 on the clock for the 17-17 score after a very tough first frame.
The Lions continued to be a thorn in the side of the Warriors with Montgomery putting the Lions in the lead for the fifth time in the tournament game with a layup at the 7:35 mark of the second, and later, he extended the lead of the Lions with two more points at the 5:21 mark for a 21-17 advantage.
The Warriors responded with a 10-2 run in a span of a little over 2:00, with Bates scoring the two points of the Lions in that time frame.
Bates brought the Lions a little closer with 2:02 left in the first by connecting twice from the free-throw line for a 27-25 deficit, but the Warriors had another quick rally in them, ending the final 1:29 of the first half with a 7-0 run and a nine-point lead.
"At the end of the first half and in the fourth, we let too many transition baskets take place," Snyder said.
The Lions didn't allow the Warriors to run away with the game in the third frame, even as HP extended their lead to 13 points with around 7:00 left in the quarter.
Montgomery and senior Cody Bennett combined for four consecutive points, and with 5:05 left in the third, Wilson sank a jumper, which was followed by a 3-pointer from Hildebrant to bring the Lions within six points of tying the score halfway through the third.
Later, the Lions went on a 9-3 run with points by Wilson, Bates, Montgomery and Hildebrant to get to within two points of tying the score near the end of the third with the Convocation scoreboards reading 45-43 in favor of the Warriors. WIth 12 seconds left in the third, Bates, again, brought the Lions to within two points of tying Harvest Prep, but eventually the Warriors led by four points as the third frame closed.
FHS ran out of gas in the final frame with Harvest Prep controlling the final eight minutes by outscoring the Lions, 22-7.
The Lions were led in scoring by senior Gage Montgomery with 14 points, followed by senior teammate Joey Wilson with 12. Fellow seniors Ryan Bates (nine), Blake Hildebrant (eight) and Cody Bennett (six) also contributed to the team's scoring. Also scoring for FHS was Brant Huff with three points.
Harvest Prep was led by juniors David Dennis Jr. and Rael Windley, who finished with a team-high and game-high 16 points each.
Fairfield ends the season as the Division II Southern Hills Athletic Conference, sectional and district champions, while finishing the postseason at 3-1.
"A lot of people said we didn't have a chance, but the team came out and played hard," Snyder said. "The past couple days, they didn't show they doubted themselves or their chance in this game.
"There was no fear in their eyes."
Snyder also spoke bout his six seniors in Montgomery, Bennett, Hildebrant, Bates, Wilson and Wyatt Crothers.
"That group I've been with them five of their six years," he said. "I coached them in seventh grade where we won the league. As freshmen, we went 17-2; as JV, we went 18-2 that year when they were sophomores.
"The last two years have been excellent seasons and have won numerous games, and not just basketball. They all play soccer and baseball. They've all done well in anything they've done. They've done a lot for this program and will be missed."
FHS was also the final SHAC team eliminated from the postseason, as the Peebles Indians boys basketball team lost their regional semifinal game, 57-40, to Columbus Africentric earlier in the evening.