Lions, Indians scorch nets in shootout
Lead Summary
By
Colin Ryan-
HILLSBORO – The Fairfield Lions and the Hillsboro Indians battled in a shootout, but Fairfield won the county rivalry game, 72-68 Thursday at HHS.
The Lions had four players score double-digit points, led by Tucker Ayres with 22. Other top scorers for the Lions included Sam Buddelmeyer with 14 and Cody Gragg and Bryson Simmons each with 12.
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The Indians were led by Ethan Watson with 21 points, followed by Mason Swayne with 16, Phillip Mycroft with 12 and Jakwon Clark and Caleb Crawford each with eight.
Hillsboro’s Clark scored in the opening seconds of the game, then scored yet again on the next possession for the Indians. Fairfield’s Buddelmeyer answered Clark’s early baskets with four of his own in the opening quarter.
Mycroft of the Indians scored five of his 12 points in the first. The Lions went perfect from behind the three-point line to end the first, going 3-for-3 from shooters Ayres and Simmons, giving their team a 19-15 lead.
Fairfield continued to shoot the ball impressively in the second quarter. Gragg, Ayres, Simmons, Buddelmeyer, Wyatt Willey and Griffin Irvin all scored in the quarter to push their team’s lead further. Willey scored five of his seven total points in the quarter.
For HHS, Swayne, Mycroft, Clark and Crawford combined for ten points before the end of the first half. Ayres led the Lions on defense, blocking a shot early to set the tone. The Lions’ offense propelled them to a 14-point lead at halftime, 39-25.
The Indians came out in the third looking to catch up to the Lions. Crawford and Swayne each added four points to help their team close the gap. Watson had 11 of his 21 total points in the third alone, including three 3-pointers. Mycroft and Clark were perfect at the free-throw line, both going 2-for-2.
The Lions didn’t slow down, despite the Indians’ offense heating up. Gragg scored eight points in the quarter to lead his team. Ayres added five more to his total, and Buddelmeyer and Simmons each scored three, helping keep the lead at double digits, 58-48.
The fourth quarter was an offense-fueled shootout between the two teams. Hayden Haines of the Indians started the quarter off with a 3-pointer to cut the Lions’ lead to single digits for the first time since the second quarter. Ayres, Gragg and Willey responded with three made baskets of their own to push Fairfield’s lead back to double digits.
Swayne and Watson of the Indians took control on offense, each scoring nine points in the quarter. Fairfield spent a lion’s share of the quarter shooting from the free-throw line, scoring eight of their 14 points in the quarter from the line. Simmons, Ayres and James Bentley helped keep the Indians at bay with their free-throw shooting.
The Indians tried to play the clock, forcing the Lions to the free-throw line 15 times in the quarter. The Indians’ offense brought the game to its closest margin since the first, but it wasn’t enough to propel them to a comeback victory. Watson made the last basket of the game, scoring two more points at the buzzer, ending the game at 72-68.
After the game, Fairfield’s head coach Josh Howland was happy with how his offense performed.
“We shot the ball exceptionally well from the field,” Howland said. “We need to work harder on our free-throw shooting.”
Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles was happy with his team’s second-half effort.
“I can’t be more thrilled with how my team played in the second half,” Miles said. “The coaches and I challenged the team at halftime to step up. We attacked the baskets.
“Watson and Swayne both had good games for us.”
Prior to the game, both Fairfield and Hillsboro wore “Team Chad” shirts to honor Fairfield assistant coach Chad Hodson, who is currently battling cancer.
The Lions had four players score double-digit points, led by Tucker Ayres with 22. Other top scorers for the Lions included Sam Buddelmeyer with 14 and Cody Gragg and Bryson Simmons each with 12.
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The Indians were led by Ethan Watson with 21 points, followed by Mason Swayne with 16, Phillip Mycroft with 12 and Jakwon Clark and Caleb Crawford each with eight.
Hillsboro’s Clark scored in the opening seconds of the game, then scored yet again on the next possession for the Indians. Fairfield’s Buddelmeyer answered Clark’s early baskets with four of his own in the opening quarter.
Mycroft of the Indians scored five of his 12 points in the first. The Lions went perfect from behind the three-point line to end the first, going 3-for-3 from shooters Ayres and Simmons, giving their team a 19-15 lead.
Fairfield continued to shoot the ball impressively in the second quarter. Gragg, Ayres, Simmons, Buddelmeyer, Wyatt Willey and Griffin Irvin all scored in the quarter to push their team’s lead further. Willey scored five of his seven total points in the quarter.
For HHS, Swayne, Mycroft, Clark and Crawford combined for ten points before the end of the first half. Ayres led the Lions on defense, blocking a shot early to set the tone. The Lions’ offense propelled them to a 14-point lead at halftime, 39-25.
The Indians came out in the third looking to catch up to the Lions. Crawford and Swayne each added four points to help their team close the gap. Watson had 11 of his 21 total points in the third alone, including three 3-pointers. Mycroft and Clark were perfect at the free-throw line, both going 2-for-2.
The Lions didn’t slow down, despite the Indians’ offense heating up. Gragg scored eight points in the quarter to lead his team. Ayres added five more to his total, and Buddelmeyer and Simmons each scored three, helping keep the lead at double digits, 58-48.
The fourth quarter was an offense-fueled shootout between the two teams. Hayden Haines of the Indians started the quarter off with a 3-pointer to cut the Lions’ lead to single digits for the first time since the second quarter. Ayres, Gragg and Willey responded with three made baskets of their own to push Fairfield’s lead back to double digits.
Swayne and Watson of the Indians took control on offense, each scoring nine points in the quarter. Fairfield spent a lion’s share of the quarter shooting from the free-throw line, scoring eight of their 14 points in the quarter from the line. Simmons, Ayres and James Bentley helped keep the Indians at bay with their free-throw shooting.
The Indians tried to play the clock, forcing the Lions to the free-throw line 15 times in the quarter. The Indians’ offense brought the game to its closest margin since the first, but it wasn’t enough to propel them to a comeback victory. Watson made the last basket of the game, scoring two more points at the buzzer, ending the game at 72-68.
After the game, Fairfield’s head coach Josh Howland was happy with how his offense performed.
“We shot the ball exceptionally well from the field,” Howland said. “We need to work harder on our free-throw shooting.”
Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles was happy with his team’s second-half effort.
“I can’t be more thrilled with how my team played in the second half,” Miles said. “The coaches and I challenged the team at halftime to step up. We attacked the baskets.
“Watson and Swayne both had good games for us.”
Prior to the game, both Fairfield and Hillsboro wore “Team Chad” shirts to honor Fairfield assistant coach Chad Hodson, who is currently battling cancer.