LEFT: Fishers’ Jean-Claude L’Homme scored 11 points for the Tigers during their win over Class 2A No. 1 Parke Heritage on Tuesday. RIGHT: Cooper Zachary scored 12 points for Fishers. (Julie Brown)
By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
FISHERS – Over the weekend, the top-ranked Class 4A Fishers Tigers survived. Back home on Tuesday night, the unbeaten Tigers thrived.
Without their leading scorer for a second straight game, the Tigers (7-0) jumped out quickly inside the Jungle and never relinquished, handing Class 2A No. 1 Parke Heritage (6-1) its first loss of the season, 60-38.
Senior Kai McGrew finished with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Tigers had three players in double figures, as the program continued to regroup after the loss of junior standout Jason Gardner Jr. to a fractured left hand.
“It’s hard without him, but we just have to adjust,” McGrew said. “We’ve got to adjust as a team, make new offenses and keep it going.”
Gardner was averaging 21.0 points per game through five games this season and posted 20 points during Fishers’ 68-61 win against Mudsock rival Hamilton Southeastern on Friday, Dec. 19 at the Fishers Event Center.
Gardner suffered the injury during the annual rivalry, which will sideline him anywhere from four to eight weeks. On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Tigers narrowly escaped 3A Indianapolis Shortridge, 64-62, to complete their back-to-back weekend road trip.
For their first home game since Dec. 5, the Tigers collectively found a rhythm from the opening tip-off with a 12-0 run to start. They later strung together a 20-4 run in the second half to run away from the Wolves.
“It was mostly defense. We pressured the ball more,” McGrew said. “The last few games, we weren’t pressuring like that, but as soon as we got in the full court, we started pressuring, and then everything turned out wrong for them.”
Parke Heritage went scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 18 seconds before cutting into Fishers’ lead, 12-2, in the first quarter.
The Wolves turned the ball over six times in the frame and 16 times overall and shot 1-for-5 through the first 8 minutes, while the Tigers won the overall rebounding battle 25-18.
“I think for maybe the first time all season, we had a true team win on both ends of the floor,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said. “It’s a credit to just being locked in and focused. We’ve won a lot of games here lately, and they’re a 2A, a smaller school, and credit to our guys for watching the film that we showed and listening to us on the scouting report. That’s a really good team, and we had to take them seriously.”
The Wolves were averaging 72.2 points per contest and allowing 44.8, but the Tigers worked inside to McGrew and focused on perimeter ball movement to shoot a crisp 56 percent.
Senior Jean-Claude L’Homme, who started in place of Gardner Jr., had 11 points, four assists and six steals. Junior Cooper Zachary finished with 12 points and five assists with two steals.
“It’s a challenge (without Gardner Jr.), and it’s a bigger challenge because of the way we’ve been playing as a team. We’ve not been playing very well,” Winegar said. “So, with him out, we have to play the game the right way, run offense and screen for each other and get good shots and get good touches.”
The Wolves pulled within eight points by halftime, 25-17, and sliced the margin 29-21 in the third quarter, but the Tigers’ late run put the game out of reach.
Tigers’ senior Torey Breland and junior Levi Walker provided six points with three rebounds apiece. Walker added four assists, a steal and a block.
“My hope is that in the long run this can make us better because other guys get some confidence,” Winegar said. “We start playing the right way, and then when (Gardner Jr.) comes back, we add him, and we’re playing a better brand of basketball and playing for each other a little more. I thought we did that tonight.”
Junior Carter Crum led the Wolves with 12 points followed by senior Isaac Pickel with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers are off for the holidays until Jan. 2 when they host their own two-day tournament that includes 4A No. 16 Evansville North and 4A No. 8 Chesterton.
