Basketball is a game of runs, and that was demonstrated perfectly Thursday night at the Tiger Den between Fishers and Westfield.
The Tigers got the final run of the game, outscoring the Shamrocks 14-7 in an overtime period to win 63-56. The terrific 3-point shooting of Jeremy Szilagyi and free-throw shooting of Willie Jackson helped propel the Tigers to a Hoosier Crossroads Conference win as well as their first overtime victory of the season after two OT losses.
“There were two games that were played out there,” said Fishers coach Matt Moore. “That first stretch for us where we were really hitting offensively. And they made a run and I thought we did a good job of just staying composed and had poise.”
The Tigers led 15-10 after the first quarter, with Szilagyi draining three 3-pointers on his way to 11 points in the period. Fishers then jumped ahead 31-26 at halftime; Szilagyi threw in two more triples and had 19 points.
Westfield’s Caleb Welch quickly tied the game at the beginning of the third quarter, with a basket and a 3-pointer. The Tigers responded with a 9-0 run to go up 40-31. Four different players scored for Fishers, including three points (layin and free throw) for Willie Jackson.
A ‘3’ from Zach Banks ended the run, but the Tigers led 44-34 with 1:07 left in the third. It was time for the ‘Rocks to start their roll in the fourth quarter, and they did. Actually, Westfield’s run began early, with two free throws from Banks with 5.4 seconds left in the third.
Josh Van Dyke then nailed back-to-back 3s in the early stages of the fourth, getting the Shamrocks within 44-42. Banks then tied the game on another 3, at 45-all.
Chris Chin pushed Westfield ahead 49-47 with his basket off a steal, and Josiah Matthews answered with two free throws with 1:17 left. That was the final score of regulation, which ended in a 49-49 tie.
Chin’s 3-pointer put the Shamrocks ahead 52-51 early in the overtime, but Szilagyi answered with a jumper – his 23rd point of the game – and Fishers was up 53-52. The Tigers would steadily increase their lead during the extra period, with Jackson getting it done from the line. Jackson went 8-for-8 during the game’s final 45 seconds.
“That’s what he does,” said Moore. “He’s going to go down when he graduates from here as probably the all-time free throw attempts person and free throw makes person. He’s got a unique skill to get fouled and he shoots a pretty decent percentage. And that’s what makes him unique.”
Szilagyi’s 23 points led all scorers, while Jackson finished with 13. Brendhan Russom and Jordan Jones also had some big baskets during the late stages of the game; they finished with eight and six points respectively.
Banks scored 22 points for Westfield, including four 3-pointers. Van Dyke totaled 15 points and three 3s, while Chin had 12 points.
“I thought we played well,” said Westfield coach Shane Sumpter. “It certainly came down to a lot more than the end of the game. Obviously, we let 21 (Szilagyi) have a big first half, and then we did a little bit better job in the second half. Offensive rebounds were big, really big, especially in the third quarter. But defensively, I thought we did a much better job in the fourth quarter and I thought our guys hung tough.”
The Tigers are now 2-3 in HCC play and 8-8 overall. They are back in action Tuesday at Anderson, the beginning of a four-game road trip. The Shamrocks are 1-4 in the conference and 6-9 overall; they are back at The Rock on Tuesday to host Harrison.
Fishers 63,
Westfield 56
(overtime)
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Zach Banks 5 8-10 22 3
Josh Van Dyke 5 2-2 15 0
Chris Chin 5 0-1 12 4
Caleb Welch 3 0-0 7 4
Camden Simons 0 0-0 0 1
Benji Welch 0 0-0 0 1
Garret Pollard 0 0-0 0 1
Michael Koza 0 0-0 0 1
Totals 18 10-13 56 15
Westfield 3-pointers (9) Banks 4, Van Dyke 3, Chin 2.
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Josiah Matthews 1 3-5 5 3
Willie Jackson 1 11-12 13 2
Jeremy Szilagyi 9 0-0 23 1
Brendhan Russom 4 0-0 8 3
Terry Hicks 1 1-2 3 1
Alex Szilagyi 1 0-0 3 3
Jordan Jones 3 0-0 6 4
Luke Hernandez 0 0-0 0 0
Jack Maller 1 0-0 2 1
Totals 21 15-19 63 18
Fishers 3-pointers (6) J. Szilagyi 5, A. Szliagyi.
Score by Quarters
Westfield 10 16 10 13 7 – 56
Fishers 15 16 13 5 14 – 63
Westfield’s Josh Van Dyke is guarded by Fishers’ Jordan Jones during the Shamrocks-Tigers game Thursday night at the Tiger Den. Fishers beat Westfield in overtime 63-56. (Richie Hall)