By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – When a big game is on the line, no one will remember how you win. Just as long as you win.
The Fishers boys basketball team will remember its Friday game for a long time to come. The Tigers claimed their first Mudsock trophy in four years by holding off Class 4A No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern 45-44 in the Tiger Den. The last time Fishers had beaten the Royals in boys basketball was Dec. 19, 2014.
“They’re undefeated. I’ve never had this win before,” said senior Josiah Matthews. Southeastern had won its first six games of the season before Friday night, and came close in this one. But the Tigers were able to hold their rivals off in the end.
Neither team scored in the final minute of the game, although both teams did make some key rebounds and steals. The biggest rebound of them all came in the final few seconds, when Fishers senior Terry Hicks grabbed the ball after an HSE 3-point shot just missed. It was the final big play of a game that saw Southeastern lead by 10 midway through the second quarter, after which the Tigers came back to lead by nine early in the fourth.
“It’s the toughness,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “I thought our guys showed a lot of resolve, being down 10 early in the game. And I thought you saw that same resolve when we started chipping away, got it to two at halftime, and then took our lead early in the third.
“There’s nothing real shiny and polished up about us,” said Moore. “We’re going to be gritty. We’re going to do it as a team and I’m going to coach guys hard because there’s a lot of expectation that I have for them and they met that expectation tonight.”
Southeastern led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter, with Chris Grubbs scoring five points for the Royals. The junior started the game with a free throw, then made two jump shots in the middle of the quarter.
Grubbs also made a big play in the second, when he stole the ball and took it in for a dunk. That gave HSE a 25-15 lead. Aaron Etherington started the second quarter with two 3-pointers, then Noah Smith added six points.
But the Tigers began to make their run in the second half of the period. Senior Willie Jackson made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 3:17 of the half, the major part of a 10-2 run that got Fishers within 27-25 at halftime. Alex Szilagyi scored the other two points off a steal.
Jackson made back-to-back layins to start the second half, and that put the Tigers up 29-27, a lead they would keep for the remainder of the game. Matthews hit a 3, then freshman Jeffrey Simmons scored on a putback. Fishers allowed HSE only four points in the third quarter, which ended with a Hicks 3-pointer and the Tigers up 41-32.
“Sometimes you just need a win,” said Jackson. “Sometimes you need a tough game to understand that you can hang in these games. You can hang with the best.
“It’s not about who gets the most points, it’s not about who plays the best, it’s about winning,” said Jackson. “When you win as a team, people start noticing.”
Etherington made a pair of foul shots to begin the fourth quarter, but Justin Long’s layin pushed the lead back up to nine, 43-34. The Royals ended the game on a 10-2 run, with Bradley Beemon hitting a 3, then Etherington adding four more points, including a dunk. Hicks scored on a rebound with around two minutes left, and Fishers’ defense did the rest.
“Get a stop and come together,” said Matthews. “Most important thing we had to do. Get a stop and come together.”
Jackson led all scorers with 16 points, while Simmons and Hicks both had nine. Hicks grabbed nine rebounds, Simmons had eight and Jackson collected five. Hicks handed out four assists, while Simmons blocked two shots.
Etherington led the Royals with 14 points, while Grubbs cleared 10 rebounds to go with nine points and four steals. Smith also scored nine and dished out four assists. Landon Morris blocked two shots.
Fishers is 4-3, and 2-0 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. Next for the Tigers is a game at Lafayette Jefferson on Thursday. The Royals are 6-1, 1-1 in the HCC. Southeastern’s next game is next Friday at Pendleton Heights.
Fishers 45, Hamilton Southeastern 44
Southeastern FG FT TP PF
Noah Smith 3-9 3-6 9 2
Aaron Etherington 4-11 4-4 14 4
Kole Hornbuckle 0-2 0-0 0 1
Chris Grubbs 4-10 1-3 9 2
Mabor Majak 1-3 1-2 3 2
Vinny Buccilla 0-0 0-2 0 4
Landon Morris 2-4 2-4 6 4
Bradley Beemon 1-3 0-0 3 2
Brandon Miller 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 15-42 11-21 44 21
Southeastern 3-point shooting (3-12) Etherington 2-7, Beemon 1-3, Smith 0-1, Hornbuckle 0-1.
Southeastern rebounds (24) Grubbs 10, Etherington 4, Morris 3, Buccilla 2, Majak 2, Smith 1, team 2.
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Josiah Matthews 3-4 0-0 7 3
Willie Jackson 4-9 8-10 16 1
Alex Szilagyi 1-5 0-0 2 1
Jeffrey Simmons 4-5 1-4 9 3
Terry Hicks 3-11 2-5 9 2
Geoffrey Brown 0-0 0-0 0 2
Luke Hernandez 0-1 0-0 0 2
Justin Long 1-4 0-0 2 4
Dominic Castellani 0-0 0-0 0 0
Emmanuel Davis 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 16-39 11-19 45 18
Fishers 3-point shooting (2-10) Hicks 1-4, Matthews 1-1, Szilagyi 0-4, Hernandez 0-1.
Fishers rebounds (34) Hicks 9, Simmons 8, Jackson 5, Szilagyi 4, Long 3, Matthews 1, Hernandez 1, team 3.
Score by Quarters
Southeastern 10 17 5 12 – 44
Fishers 8 17 16 4 – 45
The Fishers boys basketball team won an exciting Mudsock game over Hamilton Southeastern Friday, 45-44 at the Tiger Den. Fishers held the lead throughout most of the second half and held off a big comeback by the Royals. (Richie Hall)
Fishers’ Willie Jackson makes the breakaway for an easy basket and foul shot for the Tigers during their game with Hamilton Southeastern on Friday. Pictured for the Royals are Aaron Etherington (left) and Vinny Buccilla. (Kirk Green)