Aaron Snyder
Richmond — Fairview coach Derek Cooksey is not much on comparing teams on paper, but even he had to admit Fairview’s chances of advancing were about 50-50.
“They were real equal with us,” Cooksey said. “If we played 10 times, it’d probably go five and five.”
Fairview and Owensboro Catholic dueled to the end of a see-saw opening-round game of the Kentucky Touchstone Energy All “A” Classic at McBrayer Arena on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University Thursday night.
The Aces overcame a six-point deficit in the last three minutes to edge Fairview, 56-53, to advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will face University Heights tonight.
Fairview (15-3) had only 9 seconds with which to set up a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
The original plan was to set up a double screen for Caleb Collins, but Collins met a double team as he crossed midcourt, which left teammate Trey Stai open for a look with two ticks left.
“(Owensboro Catholic) did a great job of reading it,” Cooksey said. “Trey Stai was left open. He can knock that down.”
Stai’s shot grazed the front of the rim, and when Mike Terry finally got a handle on the offensive rebound, it was too late, erasing his last-effort 3-pointer that went through the net a second tardy.
“Usually the team that’s playing a little harder — the calls and breaks tend to go their way,” said Owensboro Catholic coach Ben Murphy. “That’s what happened at the end.”
Fairview used a furious third-quarter rally, during which the Eagles forced six turnovers on seven Aces’ possessions, to turn a seven-point halftime deficit into a 38-33 lead and temporarily take control of the game.
The Eagles switched to a 2-2-1 defense to open the quarter, which, according to Cooksey, pumped life back into his squad.
“The pressure was working,” Cooksey said. “We got some easy steals and were able to make a run on them.”
As Cooksey looked like a puppeteer, motioning players as if they were marionettes being pulled by strings attached to the coach’s hands, Fairview cut into lanes and formed halfcourt traps that led to an offensive outpouring, led by Collins, a senior.
“This young man (Collins) basically rallied the troops and they got behind him,” Cooksey said. “That says a lot about his character.”
Collins had two steals and five points during the 14-0 third-quarter surge, and finished the game with 22 points.
“I really wanted to win this game,” Collins said. “I think we were better than that team.”
At the time, it looked as if Collins was correct, but Owensboro Catholic remained within striking distance with solid free-throw shooting, as aggressive play sent the Aces to the stripe.
The steady shooting hands of Owensboro Catholic senior Will Payne drained 10 of 12 attempts from the free-throw line, heading up a 18-for-24 team effort.
“I really didn’t think about them,” Payne said of the pressure-filled foul shots. “I just went up there and knocked them down.”
Payne hit two free throws to bring the Aces to within one point, at 53-52, with less than two minutes remaining.
The two teams exchanged four consecutive turnovers before Owensboro Catholic (13-5) went to the foul line. Matt Terry missed both, but Jordan Sloan got the offensive rebound and putback, giving the Aces their first lead since the six-minute mark of the third quarter.
On the ensuing Eagles’ possession, Fairview’s Terry mishandled a pass, giving the Aces the ball and two more shots from the free-throw line, which they nailed.
Of Fairview’s 10 total turnovers, four came in the final quarter.
“That had a lot to do with defensive pressure; they got up in the passing lanes,” Cooksey said. “It might have been fatigue. They are a little deeper than us.”
Owensboro Catholic’s group includes six seniors, which erased bitter memories of opening-round losses in this tournament as freshmen and sophomores.
“The past couple times we were here we were embarrassed,” said Aces senior Neil Lanham. “This time we wanted to come out and make a name for ourselves.”
Fairview’s next challenge comes at home against Ashland on Saturday, and while the Eagles have to shed the loss, they won’t forget about the experience of making it to the All “A” Classic for the first time since 2006.
“I’m proud of them,” Cooksey said. “In this type of atmosphere, and for the kids that haven’t been in this type of environment, there’s no reason to hang our heads.”
Senior Brent Jackson provided 12 points and Terry contributed 11 as the Eagles came up just short.
AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664.
