No. 1 Fishers routs No. 4 Lawrence North: 'This is definitely a statement for us.'

FISHERS – It was not quite the shiny, battle of undefeated teams it looked like it might be for much of the high school basketball season.

But it was still No. 1 vs. No. 4. And Fishers vs. Lawrence North felt a little larger than a normal Tuesday night game. Some wondered if it might even be a Class 4A state championship preview.

“We’re likely going to have to see this team again,” Fishers senior Keenan Garner said, “if we go as far as we want to.”

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If it was just Round 1 between the teams, Fishers emerged Tuesday as the clear favorite. The top-ranked Tigers closed the first half with an avalanche of 3-pointers, layup and dunks to take a 16-point lead into halftime and cruise to a 90-79 win over the fourth-ranked Wildcats.

“This is definitely a statement for us but at the end of the day it’s just another win,” said the 6-6 Garner, who had a mix of Division I, Division II and NAIA schools watch him score 27 points and pull down 10 rebounds. “They have a lot of talent but we came out and were prepared. I’m really proud of the guys.”

Fishers (20-1) led by eight points in the first quarter, but Lawrence North (19-3) quickly fought back and led 23-20 with six minutes left in the first half.

Then, everything changed.

Lawrence North coach Chris Giffin was still trying to process Fishers’ 25-6 run to close the first half after the game. Freshman Cooper Zachary made three 3-pointers during that stretch and senior Taden Metzger drilled two.

“They shot the heck out of the ball,” Giffin said. “Some of those were mistakes, but not all of them. You have to realize, even when you make a mistake, they still have to make it. And they did that. We made mistakes at times with some of the things we were trying to do coverage wise, they made it. We didn’t make mistakes at times, they made it. I’m not saying it boils down to that but I really am. That game was won and lost at the 3-point line.”

Lawrence North (19-3) has now lost three of its past five games after a 17-0 start. The Wildcats fell behind by 22 points with five minutes left in the third before rallying to get within 13 on two occasions late in the third quarter. But Fishers slammed the door again with a 7-0 run capped with a Justin Kirby 3-pointer to push the lead back to 20.

Lawrence North got as close as 15 again in the fourth quarter before Fishers stretched it out to a 26-point lead midway through the fourth. The benches cleared for both sides and many of the fans headed for the exits.

“I think everybody knows in our sectional anyone can win it or anybody could lose on the first night,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said. “I don’t think (Tuesday’s win) matters in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it tells our guys they can play with anybody in the state and they are capable of beating anybody if they play with that kind of energy and intensity.”

Zachary finished with 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line and Metzger added 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3. The Tigers connected on 14 3-pointers total.

“I felt like once I hit the first one, it might be scary,” Zachary said. “Once I hit the second one and third one it was like alright, ‘I might be feeling it.’”

Azavier Robinson led Lawrence North with 17 points. Davion Hampton added 14 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats host Pike on Friday night with a chance to secure a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference title with the winner of the Ben Davis-Lawrence Central game on Feb. 20.

“I thought in many respects our offense was much better than it was when we played Ben Davis,” Giffin said of the Wildcats’ 60-53 loss to Ben Davis on Friday. “Our ball movement was better, our cuts were sharper. We got better looks that weren’t so forced. That part was better. But obviously defensively, you look at the score and can’t say you were good. But they made everything. But hopefully we can find the mojo. We have Pike and then Hamilton Southeastern on Tuesday for senior night. We have to find some mojo by playing better defense.”

JonAnthony Hall added nine points, Justin Kirby had eight and freshman Jason Gardner Jr. added seven for the Tigers in a balanced effort. Fishers closes the regular season with a game at Zionsville on Friday before hosting North Central on Tuesday.

It may not have been the down-to-the-wire showdown fans were expecting Tuesday. But there were no complaints from the home side.

“A lot of people say close games are fun,” Zachary said. “I like a blowout because you know you won. Winning is fun and blowing teams out is fun.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA boys basketball: No. 1 Fishers buries No. 4 Lawrence North