SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Fairland 55
Chesapeake 49 final 2 OTs


... Fairland entered Friday night's OVC marquee matchup at 17-1 ... Chesapeake 18-1 ...with first place or at least a tie for first place on the line in the OVC ... rivalry game ... not often do I leave home at 2:30pm for a 6pm JV game & 7:30ish Varsity contest ... but as it has been of late (ie. South Webster @ Minford) if you don't get there when the doors open - you might not get a ticket/seat in the gym ... great high school hoops atmosphere, I was greeted by Mr. Gorby, the Fairland AD as I entered the gym ... he had set me a seat on the floor at the scorers table! - thank you sir ... pfloyd made it to the big time! I was the "filler" at halftime of the varsity game on the Codgers & Crew's livestream Fairland HS broadcast! David Carroll & Coach guided me through it LOL ... Fairland 55 Chesapeake 49 double OT final ...

... a packed house at the Carl York Center/Gymnasium ... HOF Induction Ceremonies between the JV and Varsity games ... on rivalry night it's not just a rivalry in the varsity game - the JV game was equally outstanding! ... the Fairland JV team headed by Coach Zach Tooley took the Chesapeake Panther JVs ( I believe,, an only 1 loss Peake JV squad) to the wire losing 44-46 ... great game to watch ...

... rivalry games seem to start out with teams being tight, wall to wall people in the stands - all seemingly sucking the air outta the gym ... on the Fairland end of the floor there must not have been any air as the Dragons offensively played "ugly" - shot the ball "ugly" going 1 for 8 from 3 point land with only a trey by 6-3 jr. Cliff Fransen on the scoreboard... 2 other fgs in the quarter by FHS as 6-3 sr Gabe Polcyn took it to the rim baseline for 2 pts ... 6-0 sr Brody Buchanan drove the lane for 2 pts to close out the Fairland scoring ... as bad as the offense looked on the Fairland side of the court, Chesapeake's end was working like a well oiled machine as the Panthers put on an offensive clinic - sr. PG Ethan Kerns drained a three from behind the arc ... 6-5 jr Karson Frecka took a nice entry pass, laid it off the backboard for 2 pts ... jr. 2 guard Kaden Perkins used his quickness to drive the left side of the lane for 2pts ... when things are going well, missed shots turn into points as Frecka pulled down a CHS miss and got the stickback bucket 2pts ... 6-3 soph Maddox Kazee driving right finishing at the rim for 2pts ... the quarter couldn't have gone better for the Panthers - Fairland was struggling to find the range from downtown, the Panthers were limiting second shots , and the Peake had gotten 4 of 5 starters in the napkin stat line with points ... Chesapeake 13 Fairland 7 after one ... as the 2nd period played out, the Panthers of Coach Ater found the hot hand and road it the entire quarter ... Maddox Kazee "was feeling it" as the outstanding sophomore guard/swing foward put up all 13 of the 'Peakes points in the frame ... warming up with a pair of FTs 2/2 ...drilling back to back triples (6pts) ... a strip and score transition bucket for 2pts before knocking down his 3rd three pointer in the period,13 pts in qtr/15 for the half ... Fairland's shooting woes continued as the Dragons went 2 for 8 from three in the qtr/ 3 for 15 in the opening half ... the Dragons weren't getting their normal shots, not really running the motion offense that is a trademark of the Dragons, I didn't see the sharp cuts that usually lead to backdoor buckets at the rim... penetration and kicks to the corner for 3's - passes weren't made ... the scoring line in the quarter was better than the 1st but the Dragons lost ground to the Panthers on the scoreboard - Buchanan added a trey and midrange jumper for 5pts, 6-3 sr. forward Keegan Smith got on the stat sheet with a three pointer ... 6-3 jr Cliff Fransen still having a tough night from behind the arc was able to chip in 2 pts down on the left block ... Chesapeake 26 Fairland 17 after 2 ... for a rivalry , high intensity game, both teams played virtually a turnover free game through 2 qtrs - Fairland with 3 miscues and Chesapeake with 1 (a change of possession on a jumpball) ... as the 3rd period unfolded Fransen came out of the locker room unfazed by his struggles from behind the arc, the 6-3 jr. dropped his first trey of the game and qtr from the left corner 3 pts. / Gabe Polcyn pulled down an offensive board , backup for 2pts ... the Dragons looked to close the gap ... 6-5 jr Karson Frecka for the Panthers had other ideas as the lefty post player had a rebound & stickback 2pts ... he followed the putback with 2 nice moves through the paint on back to back possessions going to his left for 4 pts ... stretching the lead again to 10 points ... FHS jr. 2 guard Trevor Lochow found the bottom of the net from deep 3pts to keep the Panthers in reach ... Ethan Kerns for CHS used a quick first step to get by his defender, going left, finishing at the rim 2pts ... off the bench for CHS, 6-6 Jacob Skeens scored down the blocks 2pts ... Buchanan for Fairland scored on a floater across the lane 2pts ... when the dust settled, the 3rd quarter was a draw - Fairland having its best scoring quarter of 13 points while Chesapeake turned in it's third 13 point quarter in a row on the night ... neither team had a turnover in the 3rd ... Chesapeake 39 Fairland 30 after 3 ... even though Fairland didn't close the gap in the 3rd period - some things had changed - the defensive intensity had picked up ... the Dragons WERE cutting sharper AND they were seeing and getting the ball to shooters (3/6 from three in the 3rd) ... 2 teams, one 17-1 , the other 18-1 ... there are "players" on the floor for both sides ... Kaden Perkins for CHS got a transition putback basket 2pts to push the Chesapeake lead to 11 pts ... Fairland has more "players" of the senior variety - one in particular might be the best player in the Southeast district - Brody Buchanan ... when the balls aren't falling that normally do for TEAM , "players" step up, "players" find a way ... Buchanan with a lefthand drive & finish - 2pts - miss on the "& 1" ... Dragon defensive stop ... Buchanan with a midrange jumper 2pts. 'Peake 41-34 with 6:41 to play ... Buchanan drive left & finish 2pts ... 41-36 the 'Peake 5:39 to play ... Buchanan drive , miss but fouled ... 2/2 from the line ... 5:00 Chesapeake 41-38 ... Fairland defensively getting stops, Chesapeake turning the ball over (5 turnovers in the 4th quarter) ... Chesapeake forced an FHS turnover, Perkins again took it to the rim for 2pts ... CHS defensive stop ... Perkins another drive left with the finish- 2pts ... the Peake run getting separation was finished off by Kazee on a drive to the rim ... Chesapeake 47 Fairland 40 with 2:39 in regulation ... big moments - sometimes they're too big ... Chesapeake had just put up 6 unanswered points ... stretched the lead to 3 possessions ... sports -oft times put players in uncomfortable situations ... situations where failing IS a very plausible option ... success? success and what it takes to succeed - THAT has to be found within ... Brody Buchanan with a midrange jumper 2 points, FHS defensive stop , Buchanan drains a deep three - 3pts ... inbounds Panthers, ball to half court - Buchanan with the strip, steal and transition bucket ... 3 defensive stops by the FHS TEAM, 3 offensive scores from "HIM" ... 47-47 with 1:42 to play ... time management in the final 1 minute 42 seconds ... Panthers with a turnover and missed opportunities ... Fairland with the ball and 1.4 on the clock ... a Buchanan deep three ... on line ... just short ... 47-47 end of regulation ... Fairland got the tip in OT, held the ball before turning it over in the left corner ... Chesapeake nothing to show on their end as they too turned it over ... 47-47 end of OT number one ... Chesapeake with the tip in the second OT ... Dragon on ball defense was outstanding in the 2 OTs ... pressure looked to rattle the perimeter players for CHS ... Keegan Smith was fouled on a drive to the rim 1/2 FTs 1:58 on the clock ... defensive boards for Fairland ... Buchanan a drive and score 2 pts with :39.9 to play 50-47 FHS ... breathing room ... Buchanan 1/2 from the line... 51-47 ... Buchanan 1/2 FTs 52-47 Dragons ... Perkins for CHS on the drive, fouled 2/2 from the stripe ... 52-49 FHS ... Fransen 1/2 FTs with 16.6 on the clock ... 53-49 ... 'Peake ball ... player control foul called on a pick down low ... Fairland ball ... Buchanan 2/2 from the line to close out the game ... from courtside , Fairland had every opportunity to "throw in the towel" - shots weren't falling, every shot FHS made the Peake had an answer - senior leadership, TEAM, players who aren't built to "throw in the towel" and leader in Brody Buchanan who literally and figuratively "put the team on his back" in the 4th qtr and 2 OTS ... outstanding game by 2 excellent ball clubs ... game #2 on February 12th in Chesapeake (with a possible game 3 in a D5 district final at the Convo)... Fairland 55 Chesapeake 49 a final ...

Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Cheaspeake

Scoring ... Maddox Kazee 17, Karson Frecka 11, Kaden Perkins 10, Ethan Kerns 9, Jacob Skeens 2
3 Pointers ... 4/12 … Maddox Kazee 3, Ethan Kerns 1 ( CHS went 4/8 in the 1st half... 0/0 in the 3rd/4th/OT1 ...0/4 in 2nd OT)
FTs ... 5/7
TOs ... 9 (1 thru 3 qtrs ... 5 in the 4th period ... 3 in the 2 OTs)
PnP ... 15 fgs/ 30 points in the paint
PnT ... 2 fgs/ 4 points in transition
Pbk ... 2 fgs/ 4 points on putback buckets

Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Fairland

Scoring ... Brody Buchanan 30, Cliff Fransen 12, Keegan Smith 6, Gabe Polcyn 4, Trevor Lochow 3
3 Pointers ... 7/27 ... Cliff Fransen 3, Brody Buchanan 2, Keegan Smith 1, Trevor Lochow 1
FTs ... 8/14
TOs ... 6
PnP ... 11 fgs/ 22 points in the paint
PnT ... 1 fgs/2 points in transition
Pbk ... 2 fgs/ 4 points on putback buckets

Good write up Pfloyd, a few missed calls but turnovers hurt us to let them tie it up and then get the win. Fairland goes by Buchanan. He is tough and they loose a bunch of seniors.
Round 2 at home on Wednesday.

peake71 wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:45 am Good write up Pfloyd, a few missed calls but turnovers hurt us to let them tie it up and then get the win. Fairland goes by Buchanan. He is tough and they loose a bunch of seniors.
Round 2 at home on Wednesday.

... good to see and talk to you before the game last night peake71 ! ... Brody Buchanan IS a next level player ... I've seen it all year, he has the skill set where he can takeover a game ... he's not afraid to fail - he WANTS to be THE guy ... trusts his own skills - fun to watch ... the turnovers in the 4th by the Panthers was the difference in the game - Fairland as a team turned up the pressure, a stretch where FHS trapped out front for maybe 3 or 4 straight possessions ... you could feel a change in the momentum - throw in a Brody Buchanan who exudes a confidence that let's his TEAM know "I've got this ... WE'VE got this" ... your Panthers are an excellent team! ... the more times they are put in positions like last night - the better and better they will get ... valuable learning game last night for the young Panthers ... Maddox Kazee ... a sophomore ... has all of the skills - showed it in that 13 pt 2nd quarter on his own ball ... have to give credit to the Fairland D - they took Kazee's offense out of the game - only 2 pts the rest of the way while shutting out Phillip Thacker 0 pts in the game ... rematch on the 12th and as I posted a very high possibility that they meet for a 3rd time on a neutral court , at the Convo in a District Final ...

I was there , I thought it was an evenly called game , calls were missed for both teams , none were big difference makers . Fairlands D at the end was the difference , they turned up when they had to , it made for a terrible first half of shooting for the Dragons . Ive learned to never count a Speed coached team out of any game , hes one of the best around .

I also believe that Fairland will share the title this season with the Panthers

84Dragon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2025 12:19 pm I was there , I thought it was an evenly called game , calls were missed for both teams , none were big difference makers . Fairlands D at the end was the difference , they turned up when they had to , it made for a terrible first half of shooting for the Dragons . Ive learned to never count a Speed coached team out of any game , hes one of the best around .

I also believe that Fairland will share the title this season with the Panthers

... Coach Speed with now 337 wins under his belt ... I have always loved the way the Dragons play the game - hard nosed man to man defense, motion offense with the high post , all of the backdoor cuts/pick and rolls ... find the open three pointer shooter ... this preseason was a definite "where pfloyd was wrong" ... I had Fairland #31 in the preseason ... I looked at what graduated, what the Dragons had coming back, asked myself the question "Where are the points going to come from????" - Brody Buchanan was a given BUT to be successful as a team you want to have 3 tried and true scorers - at least ... the only proven scorer was Brody ... Coach Speed & Company ... the rest of the team - Keegan Smith, Cliff Fransen, Trevor Lochow have made themselves into outstanding offensive threats and scorers - off season work, they're all outstanding athletes in multiple sports - and now they are the same on the court ... the 5th player in the Fairland lineup - Gabe Polcyn ... outstanding soccer player, played with this group of seniors on the basketball court up through the 8th grade - they were an excellent group ... played for the OVC 8th grade championship vs Ironton ... Gabe came back out for basketball this his senior season - a difference maker in the team - at 6-3 , he is the man in the middle of the Dragon offense ... gets to the high post , sees the floor, great decision maker, finds the open man whether in the corner, cutting back door, makes the good interior passes ... with Polcyn on the floor - all of the other athletes on the floor can play where they are comfortable and do what they are comfortable doing ... Gabe P is a tenacious rebounder even when he is outsized both height wise and weight wise... as outstanding starting lineup for Coach Speed ... the problem is lack of depth, not even sure you can call it a rotation past the starting 5 ... Jeremiah Fizer and Maddox Gue give them solid minutes when they are call on off the bench ... 18-1 ... Coach Speed and TEAM have figured things out ... proved pfloyd wrong in my preseason pick ... I was court side last night , beside the Fairland bench ... as tough as everything was for Fairland the first 3 quarters , Coach Speed & Co. were all calm, which in my mind gets transmitted to the players on the floor ... excellent coaching staff and team in Proctorville ...

Seemed like a pretty good game on stream. @pfloyd enjoyed your quick interview at halftime. It linked up with our halftime in McDermott, so I was able to watch. If you ever want to come on the pod over the next 2-3 weeks, let me know — we’d love to have you.

unclequis wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:40 pm Seemed like a pretty good game on stream. @pfloyd enjoyed your quick interview at halftime. It linked up with our halftime in McDermott, so I was able to watch. If you ever want to come on the pod over the next 2-3 weeks, let me know — we’d love to have you.

... could be fun ! post season coming up too ...