Lions use defense to gain win at Adena
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Pres-
FRANKFORT — Twenty-four hours following a double-digit road loss, the Fairfield Lions were back on the court, and this time they didn't have a letdown. Fairfield played their second road game in consecutive days, defeating the Adena Warriors 38-31 Saturday night at AHS.
This night, the Lions (6-5, 9-8) sat down and played defense and won the game without the services of season-leading scorer junior Quentin Williams, who didn't play due to medical reasons.
"It wasn't pretty … we had some missed shots and free throws, but I'm proud of the defensive effort," FHS head coach Matt Carson said. "This might not be the most exciting basketball, but the kids are comfortable with this style.
"Our defensive play made life hard on their (Adena) guards in the fourth quarter. The team that showed up (Saturday) was the team I've seen all season."
Carson spoke about his team refocusing following their loss to Lynchburg-Clay on Friday.
"Saturday we sat down and talked about some things," he said. "We've refocused, and we've got back into gear. Lately, we've lost focus of who we are … and we are a defensive team."
Though the scoring was low, the Lions didn't care, as defense was the name of their game at Adena. The Lions held AHS to five points in the opening quarter, as FHS led 9-5 in the eight-minute span.
Adena rallied in the second for a 15-point quarter, but the Lions nearly equaled the mark with 14 points in the same quarter, for a halftime lead of 23-20.
[[In-content Ad]]In the third, the Lions led 10-5 for the quarter scoring, and in the final frame FHS scored 14 points, holding the Warriors to 11.
Gage Montgomery led the Lions with 13 points and seven rebounds. Montgomery made four two-point baskets, along with five free throws.
Blake Hildebrant followed with nine points, and Cole Putnam scored eight points, adding five rebounds.
"Cole had a great game on the boards," Carson said. "Everybody who touched the floor played a great game defensively. Every one of our kids answered the bell."
Also scoring for the Lions were Austin May (2), Brad Clay (2), Austin Hildebrant (3) and Ryan Bates (1).
Auston Hottinger led the Warriors with 12 points.
From the free-throw line, the Lions were 15-of-32 (47 percent), while the Warriors were 5-of-9 for 55 percent. FHS had eight turnovers.
Fairfield will return to the court on Tuesday as they travel for the third straight game, for a non-league game at Miami Trace.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
FHS 09 14 10 14 — 38
AHS 05 15 05 11 — 31
INDIVIDUAL STATS
FHS (38)
A.May 1 (0) 0-0 2
B.Hildebrant 1 (1) 4-7 9
G.Montgomery 4 (0) 5-12 13
B.Clay 1 (0) 0-0 2
A.Hildebrant 0 (0) 3-4 3
C.Putnam 3 (0) 2-5 8
R.Bates 0 (0) 1-4 1
TOTALS: 10 (1) 15-32 38
This night, the Lions (6-5, 9-8) sat down and played defense and won the game without the services of season-leading scorer junior Quentin Williams, who didn't play due to medical reasons.
"It wasn't pretty … we had some missed shots and free throws, but I'm proud of the defensive effort," FHS head coach Matt Carson said. "This might not be the most exciting basketball, but the kids are comfortable with this style.
"Our defensive play made life hard on their (Adena) guards in the fourth quarter. The team that showed up (Saturday) was the team I've seen all season."
Carson spoke about his team refocusing following their loss to Lynchburg-Clay on Friday.
"Saturday we sat down and talked about some things," he said. "We've refocused, and we've got back into gear. Lately, we've lost focus of who we are … and we are a defensive team."
Though the scoring was low, the Lions didn't care, as defense was the name of their game at Adena. The Lions held AHS to five points in the opening quarter, as FHS led 9-5 in the eight-minute span.
Adena rallied in the second for a 15-point quarter, but the Lions nearly equaled the mark with 14 points in the same quarter, for a halftime lead of 23-20.
[[In-content Ad]]In the third, the Lions led 10-5 for the quarter scoring, and in the final frame FHS scored 14 points, holding the Warriors to 11.
Gage Montgomery led the Lions with 13 points and seven rebounds. Montgomery made four two-point baskets, along with five free throws.
Blake Hildebrant followed with nine points, and Cole Putnam scored eight points, adding five rebounds.
"Cole had a great game on the boards," Carson said. "Everybody who touched the floor played a great game defensively. Every one of our kids answered the bell."
Also scoring for the Lions were Austin May (2), Brad Clay (2), Austin Hildebrant (3) and Ryan Bates (1).
Auston Hottinger led the Warriors with 12 points.
From the free-throw line, the Lions were 15-of-32 (47 percent), while the Warriors were 5-of-9 for 55 percent. FHS had eight turnovers.
Fairfield will return to the court on Tuesday as they travel for the third straight game, for a non-league game at Miami Trace.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
FHS 09 14 10 14 — 38
AHS 05 15 05 11 — 31
INDIVIDUAL STATS
FHS (38)
A.May 1 (0) 0-0 2
B.Hildebrant 1 (1) 4-7 9
G.Montgomery 4 (0) 5-12 13
B.Clay 1 (0) 0-0 2
A.Hildebrant 0 (0) 3-4 3
C.Putnam 3 (0) 2-5 8
R.Bates 0 (0) 1-4 1
TOTALS: 10 (1) 15-32 38