Leaving points on the board: Falcons come up short against rival Teays Valley
ASHVILLE – It was just one of those kind of nights for the Fairfield Union boys’ basketball team on Saturday.
The visiting Falcons missed two straight uncontested layups to start the game against Teays Valley, and it just seemed like they were fighting an uphill the rest of the way. Those weren’t the only point-blank shots the Falcons missed inside, and in the end, those missed opportunities proved to be costly.
In a battle of two of the top two teams in the Mid-State League-Buckeye Division, the Vikings used a 12-2 run to start the fourth quarter to take a 16-point lead. The Falcons showed a lot of grit by fighting back in the final minute, but it wasn’t quite enough in a 62-58 loss.
“We missed four shots, for sure, that were uncontested, and when you go into the fourth down six knowing that we left a lot of points on the board, it's tough,” Fairfield Union coach Travis Shaeffer said. “Teays Valley hit some timely shots at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but I am proud of how we fought back at the end, and that’s what we are capable of.
“We are still getting there, and there is still a lot of room for our younger and more inexperienced guys to grow, but to get punched in the mouth a little bit and continue to battle back and understand the urgency of the situation, there are some bright spots even though it doesn’t feel like it right now.”
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Teays Valley coach Brian Barnett said the difference was the Vikings’ defense.
“That fourth-quarter run started at the defensive end,” Barnett said. “We did a nice job of bottling them up and being physical with them inside and then controlling the boards then getting out in transition. Once we got them in transition, I thought we were in good shape and made it tougher for them to defend us.”
Fighting an uphill battle
Those early misses were tough for the Falcons to overcome. Teays Valley led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter and 31-25 at halftime. The Falcons were also handcuffed a little because senior Caleb Redding was in foul trouble. He had three fouls at halftime and picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings took a 41-35 lead into the fourth quarter and then proceeded to go on their run, which was led by their top three returning players Brody Field, who knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, Kole Nungester, who had a steal and layup, and Sam Miller, who scored four points inside. When the dust had settled, Teays Valley had built a 53-37 lead with five minutes remaining.
Fairfield Union did a nice job of fighting back but just couldn’t get over the hump to come out on top.
Stats that matter
Fairfield Union senior Caleb Schmelzer had a huge game and just missed a triple-double as he finished with a game-high 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. He also went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line and scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Redding, Keegan Arnett and Isaiah DeLong added eight points each for the Falcons, who committed eight of their 10 turnovers in the first half.
The Vikings had four players in double figures, led by Fields, who finished with 20 points. Nungester had 17, while Miller and Luke Burgett added 11 points each.
Fairfield Union slipped to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the league, while the Vikings improved to 4-1, 3-0.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Missed opportunities haunt Fairfield Union in MSL loss to Vikings
