Lions push Sciotoville East to the limit; drop sectional final

MCDERMOTT — The No. 8 seeded Fairfield Lions did all they could to gain a sectional title, playing a physical, competitive game against the No. 1 seeded Sciotoville East Tartans at McDermott High School in the Division IV SE District Sectional Finals.

During the Tuesday night tournament game, the Lions and Tartans exchanged the lead 15 times, and that’s not including the game being tied nine times in 32 minutes of play. Ultimately, the Tartans gained the final lead with 2:18 left in regulation, with the Lions falling in the sectional final game by a 83-76 score.

Fairfield gave East all they could handle and then some in the first half and even after the third frame, with FHS holding the lead after each of those quarters came to a close.

“I’m proud of the kids’ effort,” Fairfield head coach Everett Snyder said. “We executed our game plan. We just fell a little short there. The kids never gave up and kept fighting back each time. The clock just ran out on us at the end.”

As for the first frame, the Lions ended the first eight minutes with a 24-18 lead, as the two teams combined for 42 points in front of a packed Northwest High School gymnasium. Senior Ethan Putnam put the Lions on the board first with two points at the 7:40 mark of the first quarter, and from there, he sank a 3-pointer with 7:14 on the clock for a quick 5-0 lead.

Sciotoville came back with two points of their own, but the Lions answered with a trey by Klay Walker with 6:04 left in the opening frame. The Lions eventually took a 10-5 advantage with a jumper by Wyatt Evans and later a 12-7 lead off another two points by Evans.

Those points were followed by more scoring from the Lions, with a jumper from Wyatt Harris from the corner and a put-back basket by Jesse Current. Those two points by Current began a 10-0 run by the Lions to retake the lead, as Putnam sank a 3-pointer, Walker sank a 3-pointer and Putnam ended the quarter with two points at the buzzer for a 24-18 FHS lead.

Putnam led the Lions with 29 points, as he totaled six two-point baskets, five 3-pointers and had a 2-of-3 performance from the free-throw line.

“Ethan had a good game tonight,” Snyder said. “He started out well and was confident, and when he’s confident, his shots will fall. We told him, don’t leave any regrets on the court. You’ve got to come out to play and expect it to be the game of your life.”

Even with that great performance by Putnam, the leading scorer for the game was Sciotoville East’s Akia Brown with a game-high 43 points, as he made 17 two-point field goals and was 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Having a six-point lead to start the second frame, the Lions saw that lead stay between six points and one point, as they never trailed in the second quarter. The second frame was tied twice at 27 and 29 points, but each time, the Lions countered, with a basket from Evans to make to a 29-27 score and later a 3-pointer from Putnam put the Lions in front 32-29 with 4:14 left in the second. Evans finished the game with 11 points.

By the time the second quarter came to a close, the Lions led by a 40-37 score.

Fairfield lost the lead in the third at the 7:09 mark with East beginning the third with an eventual 6-0 run, to put the Lions back, 44-40 with 6:13 on the third-quarter clock.

That run of points was broken up with two points from Jensen Daulton, and as the quarter continued, the Lions eventually regained the lead from the Tartans with a 3-pointer from Putnam and two points off a jumper by Current for a 47-46 score with 4:09 left in the third frame. Dalton and Current each scored eight points.

“We didn’t use our usual rotation,” Snyder said. “I thought Mason Cain and Kadyn Lamb came in and gave us a few good minutes, and Jesse is a player that’s been improving all season long. He can tangle with the biggest of them.”

East took the lead back, building a 51-47 differential, but the Lions ended the third with six straight points from Current, Walker and Putnam to grab the advantage back by two points at 53-51 once the third came to a close. Walker finished the game with 10 points.

In the fourth frame, the lead exchanged hands seven times, but every time the Lions would tie the score, East answered with a basket that put them in front. FHS tied the score at 58, 63, 65, 67 and 69 points from the 6:47 mark of the fourth all the way to the 2:25 mark of the quarter.

Once East regained the lead off a layup with 2:18 left in the final frame of regulation, they never let go again, as the Lions got within a point, but each time, the Tartans answered with points of their own to extend their lead.

FHS was outscored in the final quarter, 32-23.

Also scoring points for the Lions were Mason Cain and Randy Lamme.

Seniors for the Lions are Randy Lamme, Ethan Putnam, Jake Fraley, Wyatt Harris and Trey Current.

“My five seniors are a good group of kids,” Snyder said. “They’re kids that are enjoyable to be around. I was hoping we’d get a district appearance with them and give them a chance to go to the Convo. A couple of them were on the team a couple years ago when we made it to the Convo, and we wanted to give them the opportunity to come back and play at the Convo with a bigger role than the last time we made it.

“They’ve got great futures ahead of them. We told them in the locker room to look at this being a positive and then use it the rest of their life in whatever they decide to do.”