CINCINNATI — Michael Lewis scored a team-high 17 points, Daviawne Crim added 14 and Fairfield beat Lakota East 49-42 in a Division I regional semifinal on Wednesday night at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
The Indians (18-7) will face Lakota West in a regional final at noon on Sunday at Cintas Center.
Gabe Clemmons chipped in with nine points and 14 rebounds for Fairfield, which shot 16 of 34 (47%) from the floor. Clemmons scored all nine of his points in the second half. Matthew Hilvert scored all nine of his points in the first half.
“Typically, if you look at our wins, we’re going to have four guys hovering around double figures,” Fairfield coach D.J. Wyrick said. “Matt got his early, and Gabe got his late. With Dav and Mike, it was kind of balanced with them.
“But balanced scoring is huge for us. We can’t have one guy getting 25 and a bunch of guys with three to six. We’re not winning that way. It was good that it ended up going that route.”
Fairfield split with Lakota East during the regular season. The Thunderhawks won 65-49 on Jan. 11, while the Indians won 51-46 on Feb. 7.
“We came in and we knew it was going to be a good game,” Clemmons said. “… We didn’t want to be done yet. We came out, and we played hard.”
The score was tied at 9-9 heading into the second quarter, but it was the Indians who owned a 23-15 at halftime.
Clemmons started the fourth quarter off with two quick buckets to put Fairfield up 38-25 — the largest lead of the night.
J.J. Smith knocked down a couple of 3s to keep Lakota East within striking distance, but Fairfield was able to hold on down the stretch.
Sending off a leader
Trey Perry, who finished with a game-high 18 points, walked out of the locker room Wednesday night and gave his coach one last embrace.
Perry wrapped up a stellar career at Lakota East and will play at Miami University next season. The 6-foot-2 senior guard led the Greater Miami Conference with 22.3 points and 4.3 assists a game.
“That’s a young man that cares,” Lakota East coach Clint Adkins said of Perry, the District 15 Player of the Year. “He cares about the game, cares about his team, cares about his program. It’s heartbreaking. This is the worst day of the year.”
Lakota East (17-8) graduates Trey Perry, Michael Akindele, Enzo Tchetgnia, Gabe Gaither, Ibrahim Kebe, D.J. Samuels and Carson Springmeyer.
“It’s a special group of young men who got us back to Sweet 16 Day,” Adkins said. “Obviously, we’re going to miss them. They’re good basketball players, but more importantly, they’re awesome people.”
