Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WESTERVILLE — When Fairfield and Malvern clashed on Sunday afternoon, something had to give.
Fairfield was in a regional final for the first time since 1978, looking to make it to the Final 4 for the first time in school history. Meanwhile, Malvern was in a regional final just two seasons ago, but the Hornets had also never brought home a regional title.
And when Fairfield held a 10-point lead with 5:23 to go, it looked like the Lions were going to run away with another piece of history.
But they were unable to close the deal.
The Hornets (19-9) outscored Fairfield by a 14-1 in the remaining time and Delonte Simmons’ go-ahead jumper with 13.1 seconds left lifted Malvern to a 57-54 victory — bringing Fairfield’s Final 4 hopes to a screeching halt.
“It just seemed like after that point, our baskets just didn’t go in, especially right there at the rim, and that’s just part of the game. Sometimes, it’s just not your day,” Fairfield coach Raymond Friend said. “I’m proud of the kids. They battled and they went through a lot this year. I couldn’t be more proud of our seniors, Quentin McIntosh and Zach Ahsaruk. In fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade, those guys barely saw the floor. To be a part of this team is something special for them and the effort they put in.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
The two teams started by alternating baskets before Quentin McIntosh knocked down two freebies to extend Fairfield’s lead to 9-6 with less than three minutes left in the first. It was the Lions’ largest lead of the frame. However, Malvern stayed within striking distance to hold the deficit at 13-11 at the end of the first.
In a contest that was all but a stalemate, Malvern used the 3-point shot to earn momentum in the second.
Trailing 18-16 at the 3:39 mark, Josh Untch connected on a triple to give Malvern a one-point lead. Following a stop on the defensive end, Brennan Mitchell buried another from downtown, extending the lead to 22-18 with 3:13 to go.
It didn’t stop there, either.,
Tripp Tucci knocked down a corner 3 at the 1:31 mark to give his team a 27-21 lead and, after Griffin Friend made good on two free throws late in the half, Grady Barkley hoisted one up from the wing through a double team and watched it sail through the net at the first-half buzzer, giving the Hornets a 30-25 advantage at the break.
Fairfield (19-7) wouldn’t lay down easily, though.
With his team down 34-31, Brody Smith knocked down a tying triple before McIntosh scored a put-back basket to give Fairfield a 36-34 lead with 4:16 left in the third. Tucci put Malvern back on top after draining a 3 with three minutes left, but Fairfield responded when Caleb Rice spotted up from beyond the arc and cashed in, giving his Lions a 43-41 edge going into the final eight minutes.
“[Rice] changed the season. At the beginning of the season, they’d take away Griffin and Brody, but him being able to make the shots he does, that opened up the floor,” Raymond Friend said. “That allowed us to do what we wanted to do on offense. You’ve got to respect a kid like that, you can’t just leave him open. He’s put a lot of work in. He was never one of our best 3-point shooters, but in the last year or so, he’s developed into that and put a lot of work in.
PHOTOS: Images from Fairfield’s regional final loss to Malvern
That wasn’t just the momentum shift Fairfield needed — it also marked the start of the Caleb Rice takeover.
Malvern scored on a goaltending call to start the fourth, but Rice answered right back with another 3. Then, Griffin Friend stole the ball and found Rice for a runout score, putting the Lions ahead 48-43 with 6:24 to go. Rice then connected from outside once more, giving him 11 straight points, before a technical foul against Malvern sent Griffin Friend to the line — where he made both shots to give Fairfield a 53-43 advantage with 5:23 left.
It appeared to be winning time for the Lions.
Up by double-digits with possession, it was only a matter of time before they pulled away and punched their Final 4 ticket — until it wasn’t.
Fairfield’s offense became stagnant, and Malvern took full advantage.
Simmons went to work for the Hornets and scored back-to-back baskets to cut Fairfield’s lead to 54-52 with 2:58 left. The junior then attacked the basket and drew a goaltending call, knotting things up at 54-54 before a block from Luke Thomas gave the Hornets an opportunity to take back the lead with 1:25 to go.
Simply put, Fairfield couldn’t figure out how to stop Simmons.
After Malvern possessed the ball for over a minute, Simmons drove inside before floating one up and watching it fall for two points with 13 seconds left, putting the Hornets ahead 56-54.
The Lions quickly got an opportunity to tie the game, but it was all for naught.
McIntosh grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul with 6.7 seconds left. But both attempts from the stripe were no good, and the ball ended up back in the hands of Simmons.
He had a chance to put the game away at the foul line, but he only made one shot, keeping the door cracked open for one final attempt from Fairfield. Griffin Friend threw up a prayer at the buzzer from half court, but he was unable to connect, leaving Fairfield devastated by a 57-54.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“The crowd was into it. Maybe that technical foul gave [Malvern] some energy. I don’t know and I don’t have an answer,” Raymond Friend said. “Some of their shots went off the top of the backboard and it seemed like they still went in. That’s a tough, well-coached Malvern team. You can look back to about five minutes left, and it will be a hard one to watch.”
Rice led the way for the Lions in scoring with 17 points. Griffin Friend followed up with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. McIntosh ended the game with 10 points and a game-high 19 boards in his final game in a Fairfield uniform.
Malvern will now play in a Division VII state semifinal at noon, Friday at Wright State University.
There, the Hornets will match up with Delphos St. Johns, who beat Botkins by a 62-39 final to advance.
Meanwhile, Fairfield’s season comes to a close after a district title and the school’s first trip to the regional final in 48 years.
The Lions will also say their goodbyes to their two seniors — Ahsaruk and McIntosh.
“They’ll take examples from those guys, with how hard they’ve worked and how much fun we had at the end of this year, I think people will be very excited for next year,” Raymond Friend said. “I get my strength from the kids. They’re just a resilient bunch. To lose like this, it’s going to be a tough one to swallow, but each and every one of them are going to be better because of it.”
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