Tigers pull away from Zionsville, back in Sectional 8 final

The REPORTER

Fishers is back in the Sectional 8 championship game.

The Class 4A No. 1 Tigers overcame an early deficit for a halftime lead, then pulled away in the second half to score a 57-41 win over Zionsville in the Sectional 8 semifinals on Bill Shepherd Court at Carmel’s Eric Clark Activity Center.

Zionsville flew through the opening minutes of the game, building a 7-0 lead. JonAnthony Hall got Fishers on the board at the 4:23 mark of the first quarter, then hit a 3-pointer seconds later. The Tigers worked their way back to a 12-12 tie before Drew Snively scored to give the Eagles a 14-12 lead after one.

“They were clicking on all cylinders,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said of Zionsville. Meanwhile, Winegar said his team “had some really good looks in our first few possessions,” but didn’t finish.

Neither team scored in the second quarter until the 5:42 mark, when Justin Kirby drove in for a layup to tie the game at 14-14. Kirby then gave Fishers its first lead of the game with a putback with 3:49 left. The Tigers were now up 16-14.

Zionsville jumped ahead 19-16 after Rylon Gore made a 3, but Fishers’ Jason Gardner Jr. answered that immediately with a traditional three-point play. The Eagles had one more lead at 20-19 before the Tigers finished the half with a 7-2 spurt. Millen McCartney’s triple gave Fishers a 26-22 lead at halftime.

The Tigers pulled away in the second half. Cooper Zachary took over the game in the third quarter, pouring in 11 points. That included three 3-pointers.

All of Fishers’ other baskets in the second half were two-point baskets, as Winegar said he felt his team “had an advantage inside,” and credited the Fishers players with doing “a much better job” of going inside and attacking the paint.

Fishers led 43-32 going into the fourth period and used its balance to extend the lead in that quarter. Gardner and Hall both scored four points, with five different players getting points in the fourth.

“We average about 21 assists a game,” said Winegar. The coach called that “a credit to our guys, being unselfish, being willing to pass up good shots for great shots.”

“They don’t care who scores, they just care about winning,” said Winegar.

Zachary and Hall both finished with 15 points, while Gardner added 11 points. Kirby had eight points.

The Tigers are 26-0 and play Noblesville at 7 p.m. tonight for the Sectional 8 championship. Fishers beat the Millers 74-40 in their regular-season game on Dec. 6, on a night when Winegar said his team “shot like 70 percent” from 3-point range.

“Obviously it will not be like that in the tournament,” said Winegar. “I think we’ve gotten better, but they’ve gotten a lot better. I expect a very close game.”