Fairview didn’t take long to scorch the nets, which in return didn’t take long to put the game away.
The Warriors made 11 of their first 14 shots to build up a 25-9 lead early on and rolled wire-to-wire for a season-opening 73-59 win over Firelands on Dec. 1.
Fairview (1-0) played its style of basketball to perfection running up and down the court and creating turnovers. There were plenty of open layups, the 3-pointers were going in and the lead continued to grow.
“If you’ve been watching Fairview basketball over the years, I think there’s only one team that we didn’t try and run with,” Fairview coach Ryan Barry said. “It’s nice to get back to our roots and what we do best. Just push it, make the right play and be unselfish.”
This year’s Fairview team returns some players, but there was a void to fill losing two senior leaders in Colin Meany and Jacob Rehor. As a freshman last year, Will Allen got some time, but he’s a major contributor for the Warriors as a sophomore. He dropped 13 points in the first half on the way to scoring 17 total. Collin Lucas wound up leading the team in points with 21 and Burke Lowry put up 19.
“I’ve been playing with these guys since grade school. We were made for this moment,” Allen said. “… I’ve been working all offseason for this (expanded role), I knew it was coming. It feels amazing, I’m so excited for the season.”
By the same token, Firelands (0-1) played right into the Warriors’ hands in the first half. Fairview sped the game up and it sped up the Falcons, too.
Trailing after one quarter, 25-12, Firelands was unable to find its groove in the second. Fairview finally started to miss some shots, but the Falcons only scored two points in the quarter on a basket by Max Stinson. The Warriors scored 11 straight points to start the second and increased the lead to 27 at the break.
“Give Fairview credit, they came ready to play,” Firelands coach Colin Myers said. “They were hungry and I told our guys that we didn’t come off the bus focused and ready to play. As mostly seniors, I told them that this feeling is going to hurt if we finish a game like this. We came out and started playing like we’re capable of.”
The Falcons have high hopes for this season, and they played like a team who can accomplish things in the second half. Niko Gotsis scored all of team-high 16 points in the final 16 minutes and Chris Radman added eight in the fourth quarter. A dunk by Gotsis midway through the third cut the deficit to 16 for the first time since the early second.
It was a solid comeback attempt, but the first half proved to be too much. Firelands got as close as 11 in the final two minutes of the game, but Fairview protected the ball and got continuous layups against the Falcons’ pressure. The Warriors shared the ball to get open looks all night long and that showed up in the box score with three players with 17 or more points.
“We have kids that are so unselfish and they know that I’m a little open, but the next guy is more open and he’s going to knock it down too,” Barry said. “I think they believe in each other and I certainly believe in them. That goes a long way.”
Fairview returns to its home court on Dec. 5 to host Normandy. After a tough loss to open the season, the good news for Firelands is that it must have a short memory because the Falcons are right back at it on Dec. 2 with a home against Edison.
“That’s we told them, we’re lucky that we play tomorrow,” Myers said. “This feeling stings, it’s going to leave a sour taste in their mouths. Luckily, we’re back at it to have a chance to get back on the other side.”