FAIRMONT, W.Va. — With both Fairmont Senior and Wheeling Park unbeaten ahead of Monday’s matchup between the top-ranked team in their respective classifications, Polar Bears’ coach Corey Hines was eager to see who would deliver the first blow.
Hines found out early into the showdown at the Fairmont Senior Field House, with the Polar Bears using a 15-0 first quarter run to make a major difference in their 70-61 victory over the Patriots.
“We figured whoever could get first serve was going to have an advantage,” Hines said. “We were very appreciative that we were able to get first serve. We applied pressure and I know it probably surprised them a little bit, because usually they’re the team that applies a lot of pressure. But once we were able to get stuff started, get into a rhythm and play our type of basketball, everything was great.”
Fairmont Senior improved to 7-0, while Wheeling Park fell to 5-1.
WPHS coach Ryan Young called a timeout 1:16 into the action after his team was flustered by the Polar Bears’ fullcourt pressure, which led to Fairmont Senior building a 7-2 lead.
But the Polar Bears kept their momentum out of the timeout, reeling off the next eight points to hold a 15-2 lead. All five Fairmont Senior starters made a field goal by the time the team had 13 points.
“It was a slow start and you can’t do that against a Fairmont team,” Young said. “You come down here and you know you’re going to get pressure.”
The Patriots settled in some and cut the deficit to 17-9 after one quarter.
Wheeling Park put together its best stretch of the half after falling behind by 12 early into the second period. A 13-6 Patriots’ spurt began with Asia Roby’s layup and featured separate conventional three-point plays from Bella Abernathy.
But after pulling to within 27-22, the Patriots allowed the Polar Bears to close the opening half on a 7-2 run — with Meredith Maier’s stickback, a Marley Washenitz three-pointer and Emily Starn’s layup off a steal providing the scoring punch for the Polar Bears.
Washenitz and Maier combined for 16 of their 30 rebounds in the opening half.
(Washenitz and Maier) were great on the glass,” Young said. “Every time they missed, it seemed like they cleaned up the rebound.”
A follow-up from Washenitz was followed by a Maier layup in the third quarter, allowing FSHS to build a 44-29 lead.
The Patriots ran off the next seven points and pulled to within eight on yet another three-point play from Abernathy with 2:59 left in the quarter, but the Polar Bears got nine points from reserve Reagan Blesher late in the third to take a commanding 54-38 lead into the fourth. Blesher was the only Fairmont Senior reserve to score.
“Sometimes as coach you wish you could play everybody, but this was a game we knew we’d have to shorten our bench a little bit if we wanted to come out with the victory,” Hines said. “I was very happy that Marley, Meredith and a couple people played anywhere from 28 to 32 minutes and in this type of season when you have games every other day, that’s tough.”
The Patriots used a 12-2 fourth quarter run to cut a 58-40 deficit to eight points following a pair of Roby free throws with 2:36 remaining. But the Polar Bears answered with six straight points to build their lead back up to 14 and put the game out of reach.
Washenitz finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists while giving the Patriots fits on both ends throughout the contest.
Maier added 12 points and 16 boards, helping FSHS hold out-rebound Park, 45-22.
Laynie Beresford added 11 points in the victory.
Abernathy had 25 points in seven rebounds, while Roby scored 14 points in the loss. One game after making 12 three-pointers in a victory over Buckhannon-Upshur, Patriots’ guard Lindsey Garrison scored 10 points.