“But when it went in, it’s like, alright yeah we’re fine with that,” Trent said. “I mean, that’s a crazy shot. ... We’ll take it and ultimately that helps momentum a little bit too.”
The unlikely 50-foot basket that went through without even touching the rim proved crucial as it allowed Fairmont to lead by 13 going into the fourth quarter and it held off Wayne for a 66-62 win Friday in Huber Heights.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Stringer hit another three — shooting at a much closer distance this time from the line in the corner — to open the fourth and build the Firebirds lead to its largest of the game at 55-39. Wayne (1-1, 0-1) produced a 9-0 run after to get back in the game and cut its deficit to four going into the final minutes.
A hustle play by senior Kam Thornton helped the Firebirds halt the Warriors charge. Thornton attempted to dribble away from traffic in an effort to run clock and had a pass stolen by Wayne senior Kaden Post. Thornton ran back and beat everyone to the other end of the floor and stepped in front of Post to draw an offensive foul and prevent a potential layup.
“I felt like we were being patient and then Wayne does a great job of speeding you up,” Trent said. “Within a few minutes they diminished that lead that we had, and then we didn’t make as many free throws as we would have liked.”
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Fairmont (1-1, 1-0) won its first game of the season after dropping its season-opener to Mason by one point. Firebirds senior Jayden McGraw led all scorers with 26 points. The Warriors had four finish in double figures with Isaiah Thompson producing 17 points and Dontay Chivers adding 16.
The first half was back and forth with the two sides trading leads until Wayne capped an 8-2 run with an and-one basket by Chivers to lead by seven points late in the first quarter. Fairmont got closer again thanks to a pair of three-pointers by sophomore Ashton Adams and senior Kaden Ralston.
Wayne led 32-31 at halftime. Fairmont came out of the locker room using a 10-0 run to take control with senior Sawyer Newman hitting from beyond the arc to cap the strong start. Fairmont held Wayne to two points over the initial seven minutes of the third quarter.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“The biggest thing was we started hitting shots, but we also defended a lot better,” Trent said. “In the first half, we were being kind of lazy just away from the ball and they were getting wide open shots and making us pay for them. So that adjustment of really locking in on defense is really what did it.”
Fairmont finished second in the GWOC last season. They were eliminated in the first round of the postseason by Wayne.
Friday’s win was a measure of revenge for that, but Trent was happy for he and his team to get their first win.
“The GWOC we really feel like is one of the toughest conferences in the state,” he said. “We lost the first game to a tough team, and we knew we’re starting with another one at Wayne, so I think this, it’ll help their belief within themselves now. They see they can do it, they can beat good teams.”
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