By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
FISHERS – Their highly-anticipated showdown against fourth-ranked Pike was moved up a day, but the top-ranked Fishers Tigers were weekend ready on Thursday night, and junior Cooper Zachary punctuated it – twice.
Hillsman
Zachary finished with 12 points – one of four Tigers to reach double figures – and set the tone inside The Jungle with a pair of buzzer-beating, deep 3-pointers to end the first and second quarters, as unbeaten Fishers (11-0) won 76-67.
“Going into a game like this is always fun,” Zachary said. “I’ve played with those guys my whole life and against them. At the end of the day, like nine times out of ten, we should come out with the win.”
The Tigers solidified their chances to extinguish the red-hot Pike Red Devils (9-2) with a quick 9-2 run to start and a 10-3 swing to end the first quarter capped by a near, halfcourt 3-pointer from Zachary that put Fishers ahead 19-9.
Fishers built a 38-23 lead by halftime after Zachary drilled an NBA-range 3-pointer before the horn sounded.
“Obviously, I’m not going to go finish over Isaiah (Hill). He’s seven feet, so I felt like my best shot was a 30-, 45-footer. Luckily, two of them dropped tonight,” Zachary said. “The first one felt good. The second one fell a little bit to the left, but then it found its way. It was a good moment going into the half.”
Coached by former NBA star Jeff Teague, Pike showcases 7-foot Isaiah Hill and 6-2 guard Jahari Miller, both juniors, along with 6-6 sophomore Landon Lampley.
All three were key during Pike’s 48-44 double-overtime win at Noblesville on Tuesday, and against the Tigers, they produced.
Miller posted 13 points with four steals and four rebounds. Lampley had 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior TJ Davis scored a team-high 20 points. Junior Kenneth Lampley III had 10 points, while Hill finished with eight points, six rebounds and five blocks.
Pike’s slow start and Fishers’ pressure defense and depth put the game seemingly out of reach in the third quarter, as the Tigers led by as many as 22 points.
“I thought our guys did a good job of defending actions, doing what we wanted to do for the most part in ball screens, and they had a good preparation yesterday, and we’re locked in on what we’re trying to do,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said.
“We’re going to just find a way, and now, this group and this program has gotten to that point where with what we’ve done the last two and a half years, I think they always believe regardless of the score, regardless of the opponent that we expect to win.”
The Tigers’ readiness and adaptability since junior Jason Gardner Jr. went down last month with a left-hand injury was evident.
Senior Ethan Hillsman led the Tigers with 20 points, followed by senior Kai McGrew’s 16 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Levi Walker had 15 points and six rebounds. Senior Jean-Claude L’Homme added seven points and three steals, but Zachary supplied the daggers.
Zachary shot 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. The team shot 11 of 22 overall with McGrew burying 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range.
The Tigers ended the night 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep while out rebounding the Red Devils 37-20 in a game that featured back-and-forth dunks, 3-pointers and up-tempo transitions.
“It’s not like an arrogance of expecting to win. We know we’ve put in the work. We’re prepared, and we’ve been diligent about what we’re trying to do,” Winegar said. “So, we have confidence no matter the moment that we can find a way to win.”
The Tigers were tested in the fourth quarter. A stretch of 10 consecutive turnovers as Pike applied the half-court trap cut their advantage to seven points, but late buckets by Hillsman and 4 of 6 free-throw shooting fended off the Red Devils.
“I told the team, I’m very proud of them, but I’m glad it happened that way,” Winegar said. “If we pull away and keep going and win by 30 or 35, there’s not a lot you can come back to the next day and learn from.”
