By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – The Fishers boys basketball team hosted its first ever Holiday Tournament this week, and the Tigers will get to keep the trophy in their own gym.
Fishers, the No. 1 team in Class 4A, played superb basketball in all three of its games, culminating with a 74-42 win over Chesterton in Friday’s night championship. The Tigers recovered from an opening jolt by the Trojans, then sped away in the third quarter thanks to their solid depth. All 11 Fishers players that took to the floor scored at least one point.
“We just got a really deep roster, so after a while they just start to wear down,” said Tigers senior Keenan Garner. “We got so many people that can come in and play for us, so after a while they start to get tired and we still have bodies we can rotate in.”
Chesterton had Fishers down 10-4 early in the first quarter, but the Tigers skipped off on a 15-0 run and never trailed again. Taden Metzger made the first of many 3-pointers to begin the spurt, and another one of his triples finished the run and gave Fishers a 19-10 lead. In between, Garner scored five points, JonAnthony Hall made a pair of free throws and Justin Kirby was good on a layin.
The Trojans battled back in the second quarter, at one point scoring seven unanswered points. That’s when Jason Gardner Jr. asserted himself, scoring eight points in the period to keep his team ahead. Hall helped out with an early and-1. As a result, Fishers led 30-25 at halftime.
The Tigers blasted through the third quarter, scoring 27 points. Metzger got red hot during the period, throwing in four more triples. One of those 3s came with 4.8 seconds left in the half, and while he was being fouled; Metzger made the free throw to complete the rare four-point play.
“We all play well off each other and my teammates know when to give me the ball when I’m open, and I know when to make them,” said Metzger.
Fishers’ Keenan Garner (left) and Taden Metzger (right) were named the
tournament Co-MVPs. (Joshua Herd)
Fishers continued to roll through the fourth quarter, with a quick 6-0 run getting the Tigers ahead 63-33. Hall made a dunk, Millen McCartney scored with a layin and Cooper Zachary added two free throws.
“Having depth is really hard because everybody wants to play the whole game,” said Fishers coach Garrett Winegar. “You have to not only have depth but have great kids that are bought into what we’re doing, and that’s what we have. No matter the minutes they got, they’re coming in and they’re making the most of those minutes.”
Metzger’s six 3s and free throw gave him 19 points, while Garner finished with 14. McCartney finished with 10 points, including a pair of second-half triples.
In their semifinal game, Fishers beat Portage 62-45. The Indians led the Tigers 13-9 after one quarter before Fishers came back to lead 26-22 at halftime. Metzger nailed two 3s in the second period, totaling nine points in the quarter. After a tight third quarter, Fishers ran away in the fourth, outscoring Portage 21-6.
Garner led with 18 points, while Metzger threw in 3s on his way to 12 points. The two seniors were named Co-MVPs at the end of the tournament.
Fishers is now 11-0 for the season and hosts Pike next Friday.
FISHERS 62, PORTAGE 45
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Taden Metzger 4 1-1 12 1
Millen McCartney 3 0-0 7 1
Cooper Zachary 0 2-2 2 3
JonAnthony Hall 3 3-4 9 2
Keenan Garner 7 4-9 18 1
Jason Gardner Jr. 4 0-0 9 2
Justin Kirby 1 1-1 3 3
Parker Perdue 1 0-1 2 1
Nathan Baker 0 0-0 0 0
Bryson Seymour 0 0-0 0 0
Logan Sigler 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 23 11-18 62 14
Score by Quarters
Portage 13 9 17 6 – 45
Fishers 9 17 15 21 – 62
Fishers 3-pointers (6) Metzger 3, McCartney, Gardner Jr., Kirby.
FISHERS 74, CHESTERTON 42
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Taden Metzger 6 1-1 19 0
Millen McCartney 4 0-0 10 1
Cooper Zachary 0 2-2 2 2
JonAnthony Hall 3 3-3 9 2
Keenan Garner 3 7-7 14 1
Jason Gardner Jr. 4 0-0 8 1
Justin Kirby 1 2-2 4 4
Parker Perdue 1 0-0 2 2
Nathan Baker 0 2-2 2 1
Bryson Seymour 1 0-0 3 2
Logan Sigler 0 1-2 1 1
Totals 23 18-19 74 17
Score by Quarters
Chesterton 13 12 6 11 – 42
Fishers 19 11 27 17 – 74
Fishers 3-pointers (10) Metzger 6, McCartney 2, Seymour, Garner.