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It was a stretch of more than five minutes in the second quarter that proved to be the difference when the Bay Rockets took a 62-55 Great Lakes Conference victory over visiting Fairview Park.
Holding a slim 13-9 lead going into the second quarter, the Rockets held the Warriors scoreless for 5:10 while running off 12 points. A layup by Collin Lucas broke the scoring drought, but by that time, Bay (2-11, 2-6) had a 25-11 advantage.
“I think our length and our 1-3-1 was giving them some issues tonight,” Bay Coach Jeff Sittinger said. “We took care of the ball tonight. We've had a big problem with turnovers this year.”
The run began with a pair of free throws by Evan Alexy, followed by a basket by Andrew Chesterfield. Then came a pair of 3-pointers by Carson Gergye. The Rockets would go on to a 19-point quarter. Chesterfield had 8 points, while Gergye had 5. Malachi Coursen added a 3-pointer and Alexy had another free throw.
“They went to a 1-3-1 (defense),” Fairview Coach Ryan Barry said. “We've been running against teams that run it and it's what we practice against every day. They didn't go to the right spots. The kids panicked all the way. We had a lot of turnovers. It's going to the wrong spot or not knowing where to go.”
Down 32-16 at halftime, the Warriors cut into the lead in the third quarter. After Bay took a 41-25 lead on an Alexy fast-break layup, Fairview went on an 11-4 run to end the period. Colin Meany had six points in that final 2:27 stretch.
A 3-pointer by Nolan Davis cut the Bay advantage to 52-46 with 3:47 left in the contest. But that's as close as the Warriors would get. The Rockets connected on 6 of 10 free throws in the waning moments to preserve the victory. It broke a five-game losing streak and marked the second victory this season.
“We've been close in so many games this year,” Sittinger said. “We've had several games that we could have won with one or two possessions. This was great for them. Their energy has never stopped. They continue to show up and practice harder every day. I keep telling people we aren't a 1-11 team.”
It wasn't just that second period burst that gave the Rockets an advantage. They opened the game by taking a 10-2 lead. After a free throw by J.R. Beato, the Warriors went scoreless for three minutes, while the Rockets scored 8 unanswered points.
“We need to be consistent,” Barry said. “We're a 6-7 team. We're average, but we're playing below average.”
Augie Payne led the Rockets with 18 points, while Alexy had 16 and Gergye had 15. Chesterfield added 8, while Coursen had 5.
For the Warriors, who beat Independence, 82-65, Saturday and lost to Medina 70-58 on Sunday, Meany was the leading scorer with 20 points. Beato added 9 points, while Nolan Davis had 9, Jacob Rehor had 7 and Collin Lucas had 2.
Fairview's next game will be at home 7 p.m. Friday against North Olmsted.
Bay, which beat Norton, 57-31, on Saturday and at Columbia on Sunday, will travel to Westlake for a 7 p.m. game Friday.
Sittinger is optimistic that his team is beginning to turn around the 1-11 start.
“We're starting to get a little healthier,” he said. “We're starting to get some guys back, guys that can make shots, guys that have some experience. So, some good things are ahead of us.”
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