Top-ranked Tigers outlast No. 2 Shamrocks, move on to semifinals

By CRAIG ADKINS

For The Reporter

CARMEL – In a matchup that should have been a sectional championship bout, Fishers and Westfield showed every bit of why they are the top two teams in the state.

For every small run that the Shamrocks had in them, the Tigers responded that much more to grab a first-round win, 54-47.

From the opening tip, it was the intense battle that it was dubbed to be. This high-octane matchup gave the fans their money’s worth and more.

A pair of ties and another couple lead changes kept the first quarter tight with Fishers up by two, 17-15.

Back-and-forth again to start the second, a Durante Morton layup gave Westfield a 22-19 lead with 4:00 left until halftime. JonAnthony Hall dunked on a pass from Baker to cut it to 22-21. Justin Kirby gave the Tigers a 24-22 lead at halftime on a layup and free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play.

“We made some adjustments offensively at halftime about things we thought we could get good looks on,” said Fishers head coach Garrett Winegar.

That only fueled Fishers, as the Tigers went on a 16-0 run until the midway point of the third. Four consecutive from Jalen Malone and an offensive rebound putback from Drew Haffner halted that run and got it under 10 at 35-28.

“Obviously, a big turning point in the game was that third quarter run when they were able to make a run. But our guys never quit. We had the same situation last week at Mount Vernon. We had to fight and claw to get back in it,” said Westfield head coach Shane Sumpter.

“I think it’s three things. They’ve got really smart kids who play really hard. They’re very well-coached. Coach Sumpter does a great job and it’s tournament time,” said Winegar.

A pair of baskets on two straight possessions from Jason Gardner, Jr. and Nathan Baker gave Fishers a 39-28 advantage heading to the fourth period.

Gardner scored four in a row to begin the fourth for the Tigers’ largest lead of the night.

Westfield fought right back, as expected. The ‘Rocks cut it to seven again at 43-36 with consecutive threes from Haffner and Will Harvey, along with an eight-foot floater from Haffner.

Fishers kept trying to find more space and build a bigger lead, but Westfield’s defense just wasn’t allowing another big run.

A Cooper Zachary 1 for 2 trip at the foul line and a JonAnthony Hall layup got Fishers its last double-digit lead at 46-36.

After that, Westfield went on a 9-2 run that made it 48-45 with 1:28 left.

“You’re playing for your life. People are going to play to the last minute, regardless of the score. We try to pride ourselves on that and they did that a little better late. I thought we took some shots that we didn’t need to take, had some turnovers late,” continued Winegar.

“We were right there at the end. I knew our guys wouldn’t lay down. It’s just not in our character and it’s who they are,” said Sumpter.

The Tigers used a 6-2 run in the final minute with Gardner scoring, along with two more Zachary free throws. Hall put the icing on the cake off an inbound pass from Gardner and the senior Hall dunking for the final count of 54-47.

“We made the plays when we needed to. We got a stop there at the end and got a denial. Credit to our guys to keep fighting,” Winegar said.

Westfield (18-4) snaps its six-game winning streak. The Shamrocks were led by Drew Haffner’s game-high 19, along with 10 out of Jalen Malone, seven from Will Harvey and five from Brock Detamore.

“I’m just really proud of this group. This is one of the most enjoyable teams I’ve ever coached. The four seniors and what they’ve done. We’ve proved a lot of people wrong this year. It’s just a really special group. They play for each other and don’t care who gets the credit. They’re just a high character bunch of kids and it shows every time they play,” said Sumpter.

Fishers (25-0) continues its state-best 38-game winning streak as they head into the second semifinal against Zionsville (12-12) on Friday, which tips off around 7:45 p.m. Noblesville (18-5) takes on Hamilton Southeastern (13-11) in the first semifinal at 6 p.m.

The Tigers were led by a team-high 15 points from JonAnthony Hall. Gardner (13) and Kirby joined him in double-figures. Millen McCartney (seven) and Nathan Baker (six) were also key contributors.