Fairmont’s 43-9 second half run erases 16-point deficit
By Tim Langevin
A tale of two halves. Label it Fire and Ice.
A brilliant first half performance transposed into a second half nightmare, leaving the Sidney boys with a sour taste on Sunday at the Nutter Center.
Mounting a 17-7 first quarter lead and expanding it to a comfortable 35-19 halftime advantage, Sidney fell – yes fell – 62-44 to Fairmont in a Division I sectional final.
“What’s there to say,” Sidney coach Tom Clark said. “We were outscored 43-9 in the second half. We made 1-of-26 shots.”
In the fist half, the Yellow Jackets were on fire, shooting 58.3 percent from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point-land. In addition, the Jackets accounted for 10 assists and held a 19-12 rebound edge. It was the Perfect Storm.
Zach Michael was 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the foul line for a perfect half of shooting en route to 10 points.
However, it was Daniel Ocke who dazzled the crowd with 16 points. The 6-6 junior dominated, scoring inside and outside, draining 7-of-10 field goals, plus two long-range trifecta’s. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists.
Sidney looked in control, clicking on all cylinders, as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Then, a not so funny thing happened along the way. Fairmont flipped the momentum.
In the second half, the Firebirds dropped 18-of-28 field goals for a sizzling 64.3 percent, while committing just three turnovers and grabbing 24 rebounds.
There’s more. Fairmont scored 28 points in the paint, eight second chance points, and eight more on fast breaks.
The one-two punch of Mark Shadowens and Adam Westbeld scored nine points each compared to just six first half points combined.
Despite the flurry, Sidney maintained a slim 39-37 lead after three quarters. Forty seconds later, Kevin Sharick knotted the score 39-39 on a one-handed jump hook. The Jackets forged ahead 41-39 on two Ocke foul shots, but then Shadowens tied it again on a wide open drive down the lane.
Then the Sidney meltdown started at the 5:48 mark. Westbeld converted a 3-point-play for Fairmont’s first lead of the game 46-43. Zach Yinger split a pair of free throws to close the gap 46-44 with 5:31 left. But that would prove to be the final point for Sidney as the Firebirds exploded with a 16-0 run to close out the contest.
Sidney shot 3.8 percent from the floor (1-of-26 shooting) in the final 16 minutes.
Ocke led all scorers with 18 points and a game high 11 rebounds. Michael finished with 11 points and Yinger added seven points for Sidney.
Four Fairmont players landed in double figures guided by Sharick with 17 points.
Shadowens scored 13 and Matt Lee and Westbeld each tallied 11.
On a more positive note, Clark concluded, “In my 34 years of coaching, this group ranks up there as the most interesting. They are great guys. No clicks. No pecking order. All get along. They really like each other and have fun together on and off the court.”
The Jackets finish the season with a 14-8 mark, the school’s best since the 1999-2000 campaign.
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