Peebles sophomore Bo Johnson drives through traffic in action form the Indians 67-63 overtime win over Fairfield on December 19. Johnson led the winning Indians with 19 points. (Photo by Trantow Productions)
Peebles junior J0sh McClary, far left, sees a trio of Fairfield defenders on his way to the basket as the Indians battled Fairfield in SHAC action on December 19. It was a three-pointer by McClary late in regulation that sent the game into overtime where the Indians went on to a 67-63 victory. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Lynn Photography)
Off the bench, Peebles freshman Keegan Puckett (40) scored 10 points in the Indian’s 67-63 overtime win over the Fairfield Lions on December 19. (Photo courtesy of Mandy Lynn Photography)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Two of the boys basketball squads expected to compete for titles in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference met in an early season showdown at Peebles High School on December 19 as the Indians entertained the Fairfield Lions. The Lions were shorthanded, missing head coach Quentin Williams, who is sidelined while dealing with some health issues, but despite his absence the Lions and Indians turned in a thriller that fans were expecting when they paid their admission.
Trailing by three with time running out in regulation, the Indians got a three-pointer from Josh McClary with 45 seconds left to tie the game and send it into overtime where the Tribe scored the first seven points, then held off the Lions to claim a 67-63 victory.
“Fairfield has been so good the last few years and they are good again this year,” Peebles head coach Josh Arey told C103 Radio. “This was a back and forth game and our kids kept their composure down the stretch but I think our defense was key tonight , especially Colyn Sims on Brody Smith.”
“We have to just keep getting better, especially at defensive rebounding. Hats off to our kids for battling and pulling this out tonight. If you can get through these early season battles it’s a blessing.”
It was the home team jumping out early in this contest as a McClary try plus buckets by Connor Gross and Paxton Ryan gave Peebles a 7-2 advantage. After gaining their bearings, the Lions came right back with five straight to tie the score. The two teams five times as the first quarter progressed, a Brody Smith three-ball putting Fairfield up two but a late basket by Gross tying the score at 13 as the opening period came to an end.
The back and forth continued as the second stanza began with Fairfield opening up an 18-14 advantage on another three-pointer by Smith. The Lions’ Caleb Rice connected from long distance to put the visitors up 21-16 and the red-hot Smith nailed another trey to extend the Fairfield lead to six.
The Indians sliced into that deficit in a big way, holding the Lions scoreless for the final four minutes of the first half, while finishing that half on a 12-0 run of their own. That run began with a pair of Ryan free throws, followed by a basket and a free toss from Keegan Puckett, an old-fashioned three-point play from Bo Johnson, a bucket from Gross and finally a pair of Johnson free throws. After all that action from the home side, the Tribe went to halftime holding a 32-26 lead.
The third period began with Fairfield’s Griffin Friend scoring five points on the Lions’ first two possessions, but the Indians later responded with a 6-0 run that included a pair of COlyn Sims charity tosses and consecutive baskets from Ryan and Johnson, putting Peebles on top 40-31. Friend continued with the hot hand, hitting a shot from behind the arc and another from inside the arc, part of a 7-2 Lions spurt that closed the gap to 42-38.
The Indians again had an answer, a three-point play from Puckett and a coast-to-coast score from Gross that pushed the lead to 47-48, but a bucket in the quarter’s final seconds from Friend cut the Peebles lead to seven as the two teams headed for the final quarter.
Things looked real good for the home team when McClary nailed a three on their first possession to open up a double digit lead, but again the Lions rallied, and in a big way, going on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to suddenly tie the game at 50 apiece. Peebles forged back ahead on a three-pointer from Ryan, but Friend matched that and the contest was deadlocked again. A Johnson free throw with 4:51 to play put the Tribe back in front but just over a minute later a basket by Smith gave the Lions a 55-54 lead.
Scoring then became scarce in the final minutes of regulations, Fairfield going up by three on a basket by Caleb Rice and it looked like the Lions might pull of the big road win, but with 43 seconds left McClary drilled a step back three o tie the fame at 57. The visitors chose to hold for the final shot on the road but the Peebles defense was up to the challenge, not even allowing a final shot and the thriller headed for the four-minute overtime period.
That overtime period belonged to the Indians, as they opened with seven straight, staring with a Johnson triple on their first offensive possession, followed by baskets from McClary and Puckett and the home side was up 64-57 and in the driver’s seat. A basket by Friend with 1:45 left in overtime cut the Peebles lead to five but a Puckett score with less than a minute to pushed the lead back to seven at 67-60. The Lions got a later three-pointer from Smith but time ran out on the visitors as the Indians stayed unbeaten at 5-0, all the wins in conference play.
The winners placed a quartet of players in double figures, led by sophomore Bo Johnson’s 19 points, with senior Paxton Ryan next up with 12. Junior Josh McClary added 11, including a trio of three-pointers while freshman Keegan Puckett came off the bench with a solid effort of 10 points and four rebounds.
The Indians were back in action on Saturday, December 27, hosting the East Clinton Astros in non-conference action. It was Hall of Fame Night with the Justice three, Blake, Beau and Jacey being the latest inductees. Look for more on that special evening in the January 7 edition of The People’s Defender.
