Free Fallin': Lions take advantage from free-throw line; top Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — The Highland County matchup was full of defense, but it was the Fairfield Lions who outlasted the McClain Tigers' defense onslaught. FHS took advantage of 33 attempts from the free throw-line, including 23 in the fourth quarter for a 60-47 victory Tuesday at Grandle Gymnasium.
The Lions (5-4) finished 24-of-33 from the free-throw line, including a 17-of-23 effort in the final eight minutes as they took advantage of the Tigers (1-5) being forced to foul them to save time on the clock, but it was a little too late as the loss was the fifth straight for MHS.
"They shot 21 more free throws than we did, and that was the difference in the game," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "We shot free throws better than we usually do. When they shoot 21 more free throws than us, and we basically lost the game by 10 points … you can't beat a team when they shoot that many more free throws than us.
"We were just reaching too much and fouling too much, I guess."
In a game where the Lions never trailed, they led 14-7 after the first frame and 23-18 at the half. After three quarters, FHS led 35-26.
Then came the final eight minutes, where the teams combined for 44 points with the Lions outscoring the Tigers 23-21 to end the game, but the closest the Tigers got to the lead in the fourth quarter was nine points with 16 seconds left in the game.
Each team had 17 fouls.
"We fouled way too much tonight, especially at the end, but this was a good team win," FHS head coach Matt Carson said. "This ball game was exactly like I thought it was going to be. It was a nip-and-tuck affair, and both teams played hard tonight.
"They gave us trouble with their zone, and it was hard for us to get out and establish a good lead (Tuesday)."
The Lions were led in scoring by Brad Clay and Blake Hildebrant with 12 points each. Clay was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line (all in the fourth quarter), and Hildebrant was 9-of-12 in free-throw shooting, all in the final eight minutes. Hildebrant made eight consecutive free throws.
The leading scorer for the game was McClain's Ryan Faulconer with 18 points. Faulconer broke away in the fourth, scoring 12 points. Teammate Evan Mustard finished with 10 points.
MHS finished unofficially with 14 turnovers, and FHS unofficially had 11 turnovers.
"In the second half, we had four turnovers, which is good, but turnover-wise we've struggled," Eaton said. "It's just something we haven't corrected completely.
"I also don't think we did a very good job rebounding, and we just struggled to score. We are going to have games like that."
The tempo of the game was set in the opening eight minutes as it was clear the game was going to be settled with defense, but it was Clay who started with four points in the first 1:40 for a 4-0 lead.
After Clay made it a 6-2 game, Mustard came up with a three-point play for MHS, making it a one-point game with 3:00 left in the opening quarter. The three-point play was answered with a 3-pointer from Austin May from the corner in front of the Tigers' bench, leaving 2:15 on the clock. May ended the quarter with his second 3-pointer for a seven-point Lion lead. May wrapped up the game with nine points as he sank his third 3-pointer in the third quarter.
"Our bench scoring was a good thing for us tonight," Carson said. "Give credit to a lot of our guys … it was about guys stepping up at key times in key situations when we needed them.
"This was about as much as a team win as we have had in a long time."
The Tigers were first to score in the second with points from Trey Lytle, and the score was later cut to four points by MHS with a layup by Mustard at 15-11. FHS took a six-point lead with 4:00 left in the quarter off two free throws from Gage Montgomery. Montgomery ended the game with nine points, all from the free-throw line as he finished 9-of-12.
After a layup by Fairfield's Quentin Williams, the Tigers answered with five consecutive points, all from John Turner, including a 3-pointer with 2:36 left in the quarter, cutting the Lions' lead to three points at 19-16.
Once both teams exchanged a couple points, it was the Lions who ended the first-half scoring with two free throws by Montgomery.
McClain got their deficit back to one point at the start of the third when Faulconer and Mustard combined for four points, making it a 23-22 score with 6:55 left in the quarter.
After a strong layup by Cole Putnam, the Tigers again made it a one-point game with points from Brent Shannon. May answered with a 3-pointer, and following a layup by Shannon, it was Hildebrant who knocked down a 3-pointer, putting the Lions up 31-26. Those points began what turned into a 7-0 run to end the frame with the Lions ahead nine points.
"The effort from both clubs was there all night," Carson said. "It was just a hard-fought ball game from both sides. I was proud of both teams this game."
FHS began the fourth with a three-point play from Clay and scored seven of the first nine points of the final eight minutes with Williams adding a 3-pointer and a free throw, leaving 5:09 left on the clock while giving the Lions a 42-28 advantage.
Williams made another 3-pointer with 4:06 on the clock for a 14-point FHS lead, and Hildebrant put the Lions up 16 with two free throws, his third conversion from the charity stripe of the fourth. Williams finished with 11 points.
Lytle came back with a 3-pointer, and though MHS went on a 9-4 run in a span of just under two minutes, they never could get closer than nine points of the FHS lead in the fourth.
The Lions improve to 5-4 overall, and the Tigers fall to 1-5 on the year.
The Tigers will play again on Thursday, Dec. 29 when they host the Adena Warriors. FHS will play again on Friday, Jan. 6 when they host the North Adams Green Devils.
In the JV game, the Lions won 44-22. Leading FHS was Gage Montgomery with 21 points. Leading the Tigers was Phillip Thompson with eight.
In the freshman game, MHS won 28-23. Jarrod Ralph led MHS with 10 points. For the Lions, Mathew Leach led with seven.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MHS 07 11 08 21 — 47
FHS 14 09 12 23 — 60
INDIVIDUAL STATS
FHS (60)
Q.Williams 2 (2) 1-2 11
A.May 0 (3) 0-0 9
B.Hildebrant 0 (1) 9-10 12
G.Montgomery 0 (0) 9-12 9
E.Carmean 1 (0) 0-0 2
B.Clay 4 (0) 4-5 12
W.Willey 1 (0) 0-0 2
C.Putnam 1 (0) 1-4 3
TOTALS: 9 (6) 24-33 60
MHS (47)
B.Shannon 1 (0) 0-0 2
T.Lytle 1 (1) 2-2 7
R.Faulconer 8 (0) 2-4 18
T.Schrader 2 (1) 1-1 8
J.Savage 1 (0) 0-0 2
E.Mustard 2 (1) 3-3 10
TOTALS: 15 (3) 8-12 47[[In-content Ad]]
The Lions (5-4) finished 24-of-33 from the free-throw line, including a 17-of-23 effort in the final eight minutes as they took advantage of the Tigers (1-5) being forced to foul them to save time on the clock, but it was a little too late as the loss was the fifth straight for MHS.
"They shot 21 more free throws than we did, and that was the difference in the game," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "We shot free throws better than we usually do. When they shoot 21 more free throws than us, and we basically lost the game by 10 points … you can't beat a team when they shoot that many more free throws than us.
"We were just reaching too much and fouling too much, I guess."
In a game where the Lions never trailed, they led 14-7 after the first frame and 23-18 at the half. After three quarters, FHS led 35-26.
Then came the final eight minutes, where the teams combined for 44 points with the Lions outscoring the Tigers 23-21 to end the game, but the closest the Tigers got to the lead in the fourth quarter was nine points with 16 seconds left in the game.
Each team had 17 fouls.
"We fouled way too much tonight, especially at the end, but this was a good team win," FHS head coach Matt Carson said. "This ball game was exactly like I thought it was going to be. It was a nip-and-tuck affair, and both teams played hard tonight.
"They gave us trouble with their zone, and it was hard for us to get out and establish a good lead (Tuesday)."
The Lions were led in scoring by Brad Clay and Blake Hildebrant with 12 points each. Clay was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line (all in the fourth quarter), and Hildebrant was 9-of-12 in free-throw shooting, all in the final eight minutes. Hildebrant made eight consecutive free throws.
The leading scorer for the game was McClain's Ryan Faulconer with 18 points. Faulconer broke away in the fourth, scoring 12 points. Teammate Evan Mustard finished with 10 points.
MHS finished unofficially with 14 turnovers, and FHS unofficially had 11 turnovers.
"In the second half, we had four turnovers, which is good, but turnover-wise we've struggled," Eaton said. "It's just something we haven't corrected completely.
"I also don't think we did a very good job rebounding, and we just struggled to score. We are going to have games like that."
The tempo of the game was set in the opening eight minutes as it was clear the game was going to be settled with defense, but it was Clay who started with four points in the first 1:40 for a 4-0 lead.
After Clay made it a 6-2 game, Mustard came up with a three-point play for MHS, making it a one-point game with 3:00 left in the opening quarter. The three-point play was answered with a 3-pointer from Austin May from the corner in front of the Tigers' bench, leaving 2:15 on the clock. May ended the quarter with his second 3-pointer for a seven-point Lion lead. May wrapped up the game with nine points as he sank his third 3-pointer in the third quarter.
"Our bench scoring was a good thing for us tonight," Carson said. "Give credit to a lot of our guys … it was about guys stepping up at key times in key situations when we needed them.
"This was about as much as a team win as we have had in a long time."
The Tigers were first to score in the second with points from Trey Lytle, and the score was later cut to four points by MHS with a layup by Mustard at 15-11. FHS took a six-point lead with 4:00 left in the quarter off two free throws from Gage Montgomery. Montgomery ended the game with nine points, all from the free-throw line as he finished 9-of-12.
After a layup by Fairfield's Quentin Williams, the Tigers answered with five consecutive points, all from John Turner, including a 3-pointer with 2:36 left in the quarter, cutting the Lions' lead to three points at 19-16.
Once both teams exchanged a couple points, it was the Lions who ended the first-half scoring with two free throws by Montgomery.
McClain got their deficit back to one point at the start of the third when Faulconer and Mustard combined for four points, making it a 23-22 score with 6:55 left in the quarter.
After a strong layup by Cole Putnam, the Tigers again made it a one-point game with points from Brent Shannon. May answered with a 3-pointer, and following a layup by Shannon, it was Hildebrant who knocked down a 3-pointer, putting the Lions up 31-26. Those points began what turned into a 7-0 run to end the frame with the Lions ahead nine points.
"The effort from both clubs was there all night," Carson said. "It was just a hard-fought ball game from both sides. I was proud of both teams this game."
FHS began the fourth with a three-point play from Clay and scored seven of the first nine points of the final eight minutes with Williams adding a 3-pointer and a free throw, leaving 5:09 left on the clock while giving the Lions a 42-28 advantage.
Williams made another 3-pointer with 4:06 on the clock for a 14-point FHS lead, and Hildebrant put the Lions up 16 with two free throws, his third conversion from the charity stripe of the fourth. Williams finished with 11 points.
Lytle came back with a 3-pointer, and though MHS went on a 9-4 run in a span of just under two minutes, they never could get closer than nine points of the FHS lead in the fourth.
The Lions improve to 5-4 overall, and the Tigers fall to 1-5 on the year.
The Tigers will play again on Thursday, Dec. 29 when they host the Adena Warriors. FHS will play again on Friday, Jan. 6 when they host the North Adams Green Devils.
In the JV game, the Lions won 44-22. Leading FHS was Gage Montgomery with 21 points. Leading the Tigers was Phillip Thompson with eight.
In the freshman game, MHS won 28-23. Jarrod Ralph led MHS with 10 points. For the Lions, Mathew Leach led with seven.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MHS 07 11 08 21 — 47
FHS 14 09 12 23 — 60
INDIVIDUAL STATS
FHS (60)
Q.Williams 2 (2) 1-2 11
A.May 0 (3) 0-0 9
B.Hildebrant 0 (1) 9-10 12
G.Montgomery 0 (0) 9-12 9
E.Carmean 1 (0) 0-0 2
B.Clay 4 (0) 4-5 12
W.Willey 1 (0) 0-0 2
C.Putnam 1 (0) 1-4 3
TOTALS: 9 (6) 24-33 60
MHS (47)
B.Shannon 1 (0) 0-0 2
T.Lytle 1 (1) 2-2 7
R.Faulconer 8 (0) 2-4 18
T.Schrader 2 (1) 1-1 8
J.Savage 1 (0) 0-0 2
E.Mustard 2 (1) 3-3 10
TOTALS: 15 (3) 8-12 47[[In-content Ad]]