Five players hit double digits as Whiteoak tops Fairfield, 64-55
Lead Summary
By
Colin Ryan-
MOWRYSTOWN – Five players dented the scoreboard for double figures Tuesday night as the Whiteoak Wildcats defeated the Fairfield Lions, 64-55 in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference game at Whiteoak.
Whiteoak’s Stephen Ross led the Wildcats with 14 points, followed by Zach Rand with 12 points, Trever Yeager and Michael Crowe with 11 each and Traeten Hamilton with 10 for the Wildcats’ scoring.
Tucker Ayres led the Lions with a game-high 22 points, and teammate Bryson Simmons added 13 for the Lions.
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The Lions (4-7, 9-8) — who have lost their past six games — began the game shooting the ball well, scoring nine points within the first two minutes of the rivalry game, seven of which belonged to Ayres, who finished with 10 points in the opening quarter.
Whiteoak (4-7, 8-9) scored their first point of the game via a free throw by Yeager. Whiteoak then went on a 5-0 run, cutting the Lions’ lead down to four with 4:30 remaining in the first frame. Wyatt Willey scored two points for the Lions in the quarter, as did Simmons and James Bentley. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the opening frame, ending in favor of the Lions at 19-17, though Whiteoak’s Crowe drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a two-point differential for the home team.
The defense of both teams worked hard in the second quarter. Whiteoak’s defenders racked up three charges against the Fairfield offense in the quarter alone, two on back-to-back possessions by the Lions. Fairfield scored a third of their points in the quarter from the free-throw line.
Charley Skinner was the leading scorer for the Wildcats in the second quarter with four points, as Skinner got a rebound after a missed free throw and subsequently scored two points on the put-back attempt. Griffin Irvin came off the bench for the Lions and logged in some game time to bolster their defense. The second frame ended with two made free-throws by Bentley on a last-second foul for the Lions, leaving the score 28-27 at halftime in favor of the Fairfield.
Yeager started the third quarter with four points for the Wildcats, including two after getting his own rebound on a missed free throw. Yeager and Rand each had six points in the third quarter for the Wildcats. Simmons and Ayres scored all nine points for the Lions in the third quarter. All of Ayres’ points came from shooting free throws, going 5-of-6. Crowe and Ross each scored two points for the Wildcats in the third as Whiteoak ended the quarter with the lead for the first time in the game, 43-37.
In an exciting fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored on three straight possessions, going on a 6-2 run to start the quarter. Fairfield’s Ayres, Simmons and Bentley kept the Lions close, combining for nine points in the first four minutes of the quarter.
Hamilton took charge of the Wildcats offense in the fourth, scoring six of his 10 points in the quarter. Crowe drained his third and final 3-pointer of the game in the fourth, extending the Wildcats’ advantage over the Lions.
The Lions slowed the game down by fouling the Wildcats late in the fourth. Austin Setty entered the game to provide defensive help for the Lions. Hamilton took advantage of these fouls, scoring four of his six points in the quarter from the line. Ross and Yeager each scored two points in the final minute for the Wildcats to provide them with a comfortable lead. Simmons and Ayres scored the final four points of the game for the Lions.
Whiteoak’s Stephen Ross led the Wildcats with 14 points, followed by Zach Rand with 12 points, Trever Yeager and Michael Crowe with 11 each and Traeten Hamilton with 10 for the Wildcats’ scoring.
Tucker Ayres led the Lions with a game-high 22 points, and teammate Bryson Simmons added 13 for the Lions.
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The Lions (4-7, 9-8) — who have lost their past six games — began the game shooting the ball well, scoring nine points within the first two minutes of the rivalry game, seven of which belonged to Ayres, who finished with 10 points in the opening quarter.
Whiteoak (4-7, 8-9) scored their first point of the game via a free throw by Yeager. Whiteoak then went on a 5-0 run, cutting the Lions’ lead down to four with 4:30 remaining in the first frame. Wyatt Willey scored two points for the Lions in the quarter, as did Simmons and James Bentley. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the opening frame, ending in favor of the Lions at 19-17, though Whiteoak’s Crowe drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a two-point differential for the home team.
The defense of both teams worked hard in the second quarter. Whiteoak’s defenders racked up three charges against the Fairfield offense in the quarter alone, two on back-to-back possessions by the Lions. Fairfield scored a third of their points in the quarter from the free-throw line.
Charley Skinner was the leading scorer for the Wildcats in the second quarter with four points, as Skinner got a rebound after a missed free throw and subsequently scored two points on the put-back attempt. Griffin Irvin came off the bench for the Lions and logged in some game time to bolster their defense. The second frame ended with two made free-throws by Bentley on a last-second foul for the Lions, leaving the score 28-27 at halftime in favor of the Fairfield.
Yeager started the third quarter with four points for the Wildcats, including two after getting his own rebound on a missed free throw. Yeager and Rand each had six points in the third quarter for the Wildcats. Simmons and Ayres scored all nine points for the Lions in the third quarter. All of Ayres’ points came from shooting free throws, going 5-of-6. Crowe and Ross each scored two points for the Wildcats in the third as Whiteoak ended the quarter with the lead for the first time in the game, 43-37.
In an exciting fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored on three straight possessions, going on a 6-2 run to start the quarter. Fairfield’s Ayres, Simmons and Bentley kept the Lions close, combining for nine points in the first four minutes of the quarter.
Hamilton took charge of the Wildcats offense in the fourth, scoring six of his 10 points in the quarter. Crowe drained his third and final 3-pointer of the game in the fourth, extending the Wildcats’ advantage over the Lions.
The Lions slowed the game down by fouling the Wildcats late in the fourth. Austin Setty entered the game to provide defensive help for the Lions. Hamilton took advantage of these fouls, scoring four of his six points in the quarter from the line. Ross and Yeager each scored two points in the final minute for the Wildcats to provide them with a comfortable lead. Simmons and Ayres scored the final four points of the game for the Lions.