Fishers uses full court trap to get past Westfield
The turning point for Fishers 58-53 win in the first game of the Noblesville Sectional started when Westfield’s Charlie Warner went down after taking an inadvertent shot to the face. The Shamrocks had been leading the entire game and were…
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Continue ReadingThe turning point for Fishers 58-53 win in the first game of the Noblesville Sectional started when Westfield’s Charlie Warner went down after taking an inadvertent shot to the face. The Shamrocks had been leading the entire game and were up 24-14 late in the second quarter behind Warner’s nine first half points when he went to the floor.
He’d leave for the rest of the half and Fishers decided it was time to turn up the pressure. The Tigers started to run a full court trap with just more than 1:30 left in the first half. During the last few minutes of the first half and the beginning of the second half, Fishers went on an 18-2 run. The change in strategy flummoxed Westfield as it caused turnovers and 10-second violations and allowed Fishers to take control behind the scoring of Lance Dollison and Reid Stephens.
“Was just talking to the guys saying we have to play hard, can go after them,” Dollison said. “When Charlie (Warner) went down, that’s their best player, we decided to trap them and force them to turn the ball over and that’s exactly what they did.”
This allowed Fishers to turn that deficit into a lead and then the fourth quarter was all freshman Willie Jackson and senior Cameron Wolter to close the game out. The duo went 13-for-14 from the free throw line in the second half to close the game out for the Tigers.
Fishers Top Stat Lines:
Lance Dollison – 16 points (6/10 from field), 2 rebounds
Cameron Wolter – 15 points (6/6 from FT), 4 rebounds
Willie Jackson – 11 points (6/7 from FT)
Westfield Top Stat Lines:
Charlie Warner – 21 points, 4 rebounds
Ian Kristensen – 12 points, 2 rebounds
Kyle Nicole – 7 points, 2 rebounds
Player of the Game:
Lance Dollison – 6’6 SF – Senior
This was a tough call because truly it was the Fishers trap defense that changed this game and Wolter was also strong despite battling foul trouble, but during that run Dollison was the emotional leader. He especially was critical to start the second half. When Fishers turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a lead in the third quarter, Dollison was the focal point of the offense. He was often isolated and called on to do what he could and he responded by putting together eight points in the third quarter.
Next Up:
Fishers moves on to the Sectional semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. vs. Guerin Catholic.
Westfield finishes the season 11-12.