FITCH JAMS OUT IN THE SECOND HALF
Austintown, OH- The Hickory Hornets traveled across the state line once again this time playing the Austintown Fitch Falcons. Hickory was looking to make its record 2-0 vs Ohio after beating Girard earlier this season. The Falcons got off to a slow start trailing at halftime 24-17, but exploded in the second half. Fitch scored 51 third quarter points to help guide them to a 66-51 victory.
Head Coach Brian Beany had some excellent halftime adjustments for his team. They turned Hickory over 25 times during the game. The second half was where Fitch brought the energy defensively for 16 straight minutes. Beany said “ what we did in the second half is extremely hard to do from the tip. It just exerts so much energy and we were able to gain back the momentum we had established earlier in the first quarter.”
Fitch had a number of players in double figures. Allen Hill was a presence inside for the Falcons. He scored 17 points and was 3 for 3 from the foul line. He also brought the effort on the defensive end. Carter Owens who struggled in the first half ended up red hot scoring 17 points while knocking down 3 big ones from beyond the arch. Marcel Finkley ended up with a quiet 15 points, while Alex Hill added 7. Hickory kept Deshaun Vaughn in check, but he found other ways to help out his team with rebounding, assists and getting steals.
After a solid first half from Hickory, shots were hard to come by in the second. Rylan Dye led the hornets with 11 points. Marco Miller chipped in 8 points while Braden Bittler and Uberti each had 6. The Hornets were able to turn Fitch over 21 times, but in the end it still was not enough.
Austintown Fitch improves to 5-1 with the win. The Falcons will look to keep things rolling at Erie Cathedral Prep on December 27. Hickory drops to 4-2 with the loss. The Hornets will look to get back in the win column vs Trinity also on December 27.
