CINCINNATI — Fairfield High School boys basketball coach DJ Wyrick and the Indians knew there was a reason a couple of Greater Catholic League South opponents are slapped dab smack in the middle of the schedule.
Following a tight loss last week to St. Xavier, Fairfield was forced to try to rebound against Elder.
The Panthers had three score in double figures and took the Indians out of their offensive element to secure a 50-44 overtime victory on Tuesday night in the Holiday Hardwood Classic at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
“This is why we schedule those games. Come tournament time, we’re going to run into one of them,” said Wyrick, whose squad has lost two in a row while slipping to 7-2.
“It’s definitely a different style because you’re going to have to sit down and guard for 45 seconds at a time. On the other side of the ball, once you get a stop or a rebound, you have to take really smart shots against those teams.”
Fairfield got its typical performance from senior guard Deshawne Crim, who matched his season average with a 21-point night.
Elder, which moved to 6-1, got some production from Drew Murphy (13), Carson Browne (11) and Cam Williams (10) in the scoring column.
“Fairfield is so good at transition that we had to try and eliminate and minimize the number of buckets that they can get in transition because they’re so stinking fast,” Panthers coach Joe Schoenfeld said. “It’s usually coming down to our offense not turning the ball over and try and take decent shots.”
Fairfield moved out to a 14-5 lead on a Cashawn Ingram 3-pointer, capping off a 12-0 run with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
That’s when Elder went to its zone defense immediately after a timeout.
“We practiced that for the last week or so in case we wanted to use it,” Schoenfeld said. “Maybe if we get in the situation to want to change the tempo and maybe slow it down.”
“We’re going to see a lot of zone moving forward,” Wyrick added. “Everybody is playing it against us now. People obviously are hesitant to play man to man when you have two guards like Crim and Ray (Coney).”
The Panthers marched back with a 9-0 run and Tyler Johnson’s two free throws pulled Elder to within 17-16 with 4:07 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers took the lead, 24-22, when an Elder missed shot hit off the hands of two Indians attempting to grab the rebound and went in. Williams was credited for the bucket. Then Fairfield’s Gabe Clemmons laid in a putback to tie it up at 24-24 heading into the half.
“We knew they’d slow it down, and we anticipated some zone,” Wyrick said. “We missed a lot of shots around the rim. We got out in transition some. I feel like we got a little tired late. But you have to give them credit — they played with toughness and discipline. They don’t make many mistakes.”
Fairfield led by as many as six in the third quarter before Elder began to claw its way back. The Panthers mounted a 10-0 run and Murphy’s 3-pointer gave Elder a 39-35 lead with 6:30 remaining in regulation.
Crim scored the next seven points for Fairfield to tie the score and force overtime.
The Indians were outscored 6-2, didn’t make a single bucket and only got two free throws from big man Aamir Rogers in the extra frame.
“With a low possession game like that, what they wanted was for us to take the quick shot and then go down and work their offense until we broke down and got the shot they wanted,” Wyrick said. “We just have to guard for longer periods of time. I felt like we competed to get back in the game.
“The start that we had, if we could have just finished some of the those plays at the rim, we could have put them away in the first quarter. We missed some shots that we typically don’t. It just seemed like they wanted it a little bit more than we did.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Wyrick said he’s hoping to get other offensive producers in the mix outside of Crim and Coney as the season moves closer to tournament time.
“Those guys have to have confidence in our younger guys,” Wyrick said. “When they get downhill and they draw four dudes, we have to kick it out and trust that they’re going to shoot that thing with confidence. As the season progresses, those guys are going to have to be more comfortable in taking and making those shots.
“There are some games where it’s high possession, and you can afford a mistake or two. But in these low possession games, every possession is important. Every possession matters.”
A THRIVING CONEY
Despite only being held to just four points all game, Coney did enough work inside for the Indians to be a difference maker on Tuesday.
“Coney thrives in those types of situations,” Wyrick said. “People knew he was out there.”
The 6-foot-2 Coney pulled down 12 rebounds and gave Fairfield plenty of second-chance opportunities.
IN THE KNOW
Fairfield has lost four in a row to Elder. … Tuesday’s game was the first time they’ve played each other since the Panthers beat the Indians 79-67 on Dec. 17, 2019.
UP NEXT
Fairfield travels to Ross on Friday, while Elder hosts a team from Australia on Thursday.
