Fishers was dealt its first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling to Lafayette Jefferson 68-65 in overtime at the Tiger Den.
It was a battle of two Class 4A Top 10 teams, with the Tigers ranked No. 4 and the Bronchos rated No. 6. The game was as close as those rankings in the first half, with Jefferson leading 16-14 after the first quarter. Fishers stayed with the Bronchos, though, and were within 31-30 at halftime. Jeffrey Simmons had 13 points in the first half.
Lafayette Jeff took control in the third quarter to lead 45-37, but the Tigers came storming back in the fourth, scoring 23 points to tie the game at 60-60 by the end of regulation. Free-throw shooting was a major factor, as Fishers was 11-of-11 from the line in the quarter. Justin Long made all six of his foul shots. That sent the game to overtime, where the Bronchos outscored the Tigers 8-5.
Simmons led Fishers with 21 points, followed by Long with 12. Isaac Farah added 10 points.
The Tigers are 12-1 and host Pike on Friday.
LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON 68, FISHERS 65
(overtime)
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Dominic Castellani 2 2-2 7 3
Justin Long 2 8-10 12 3
Charlie Smith 4 0-0 8 3
Jeffrey Simmons 8 5-8 21 1
Isaac Farah 4 1-3 10 3
Drew Turner 1 0-0 2 1
Bryce Williams 2 0-0 5 2
Geoffrey Brown 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 23 16-23 65 16
Score by Quarters
Lafayette Jeff 16 15 14 15 8 – 68
Fishers 14 16 7 23 5 – 65
Fishers 3-pointers (3) Castellani 1, Williams 1, Farah 1.
Fishers’ Charlie Smith makes a drive to the basket during the Tigers’ Tuesday game with Lafayette Jefferson. (Kirk Green)