fairfax v. poly

SoCal High School & Prep Report

MLK Challenge: Game 5--
Fairfax v. Long Beach Poly--(January 19, 1998)

Once again, this was a terrifically fun game. So we won't keep you in too much suspense, here's the score: Fairfax Lions 55, Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits 61. There, now with that said, here's the real story.

So, here we are again.

After a short break, we're about to watch our fifth straight game in 7 hours of sitting, watching, writing, talking, and schmoozing. Interestingly, the announcer in this game decides to tell us that this game features Fairfax as the "home" and LBP as the "visitors", which is weird because we're at a neutral site. Oh well.

Long Beach starts:

Wesley Stokes (5'-8" So. PG)
Shelton Diggs (6'-2" Sr. G)
Shea Anderson (6'-6" Jr. F)
Ricky Anderson (6'-9" Sr. C)
Mike McIntyre (6'-3" Jr. F/G)

Fairfax starts:

Greg Jefferson (6'-5" Sr. F)
Stanley Thorne (5'-10" Jr. G)
Scottie Stern (6-4" So. F)
Flinder Boyd (6'-0" Sr. PG/SG)
Jason Morrissette (6'-4" So. F/C)

First blood is drawn by LB, and S. Anderson hits for two. Diggs manages to draw his first foul, and then Ricky blocks Morrissette's shot from inside. Wesley Stokes is at the point, and Shea Anderson misses a layup badly. Greg Jefferson then comes down and scores off a drive, and then gets the turnover. Ricky Anderson telling his team to "keep shooting", looks better and better, but this time down he just can't stop Morrissette, and with 4:38 to play in the quarter, it's Fairfax 6, Poly 2. Jefferson then airballs for Fairfax, and in this game, which has taken 3:47 so far, there have been at least 5 airballs. Stan Thorne then hits the front of the rim, and the teams switch gears, put on their track shoes, and it's a race again, back and forth with both teams missing their shots . At 3:11 to play, with almost 5 minutes gone, it's still 6-2, when Stern of 'Fax picks up a foul on Diggs's shooting. Diggs goes to the line, misses them both, but Ricky Anderson makes the put back on the last one, and it's 6-4, with less than 2:50 to play. This is not an entertaining game, and both teams are tight, but Flinder Boyd manages to get loose, driving and twisting in the lane and brings it to 8-4. Fairfax manages to push it again, and now Morrissette hits, then Diondre Carter gets the putback, and brings the score to 12-4. But then Carter commits a foul, and LBP scores the two point basket, and converts the ft, and at the end of the first quarter, the score is 12-7 Fairfax.

This is a slow game. Probably a good time to go get lunch, but then if I move from my spot at the press table, no doubt the game will pick up.So I'm glued here. For better or worse.

Start of the second quarter, Waltower is in for Anderson, and Carter is passing to Sargent who is airballing, but fortunately McIntyre hits the two. Flinder Boyd, an excitingly quick player who can take Stokes fairly easily off the dribble, tries repeatedly to penetrate, but the lanes are closed down. Fortunately for Fax, Stanley Thorne hits a three, and it's back to 15-9. Stokes, who rarely shoots, misses a three airballing it, and then Greg Jefferson converts the two, and it's now 18-9 with 6:12 to play. Flinder then hits a three, and this is turning into a runaway at 21-9. Lute Olsen is over in the corner, not really paying attention, and it's clear that he'd rather network with his buddies than watch a game which seems to have little flow and is almost painful to watch, even if it involves one of his future players in Ricky Anderson. With 4:28, Ricky is missing way too many putbacks, and the foul shooting is taking over the scoring on the floor. With 4:03 left to play, its 22-11, and Poly has only scored six points in the second quarter. Ismael Torres scores for Fairfax and then in rapid succession, Fairfax just manages to continue to score, and score, and score, and LB just can't figure a defensive strategy that works. Poly does manage a tremendous alley-oop from Stokes to Shea Anderson, who scores and hits the extra foul shot, and at the end of the quarter it's 35-21 Fairfax pretty much just overwhelming the Jackrabbits.

Second half, Fairfax goes with Thorne, Morrissette, Stern, Boyd, and Jefferson. Ricky Anderson comes out smoking, finally makes a layup in the paint, and now Diggs is at the point, and he scores. But Thorne hits for three, and then Ricky Anderson comes right back with the two from the right side layup, and with 6:22 to play, it's an 11 point game, Poly down 38-27. McIntyre, not a small figure to begin with is pounding, and Shea Anderson hits a j nicely in the lane, and brings them to within 9, 38-29. Stokes gets a steal, draws the foul from Boyd, and shooting two from the line hits the first, misses the second. 8 point game 30-38. Boyd steals, doesn't pass in time, and the teams are off to the races, but Ricky is shooting j's instead of driving into the hole, and with 4:01 after both teams miss on alternating possessions, Fairfax calls a full time-out to regroup and come up with a strategy which will help them pull away again with a big lead.

If they can. We'll see. Fax comes out with Thorne at point, Boyd on a wing, and Boyd, trying to do too much "creating" , travels. Diggs hits for three and ;with 2:47 to play its now only a 5 point game 38-35 Fairfax, and they're losing a bit of momentum, while Poly is regaining it's composure. McIntyre then hits for a three (luckily) while Ricky Anderson is wide open under the hoop, and with 1:41 left to play, its a two point game 36-38 Fairfax. This is getting interesting.

Fairfax is getting way too cute for their own good, and instead of going for the good outside shot, or the patient penetration, they're rushing the shots, and doing way too much passing in the lane. And when they get open looks, they're passing them up. At the end of the third quarter, the score is now 38-36, and Fairfax's lead is in some real jeopardy. This is anybody's game.

Wesley Stokes manages to let Boyd hit in the lane, and with 7:13, it's now 40-36. Poly needs a score badly, but instead Greg Jefferson hits for three over Waltower, who played very well in Vegas, but isn't really doing much here today. So the margin is getting bigger, and more insurmountable for Poly. 43-38, and now Jefferson goes to the line on a nice feed from behind the back by Thorne, which doesn't drop because of the foul. Keyon Cooley, now in the game, comes right back down the floor, and brings it back to a 5 point game 40-45 Fairfax. Cooley is long, willowy and fast, and teamed with Shea Anderson, the two of them are trying to work the ball inside-out. But Thorne manages a steal, and Diggs fouls, picking up his third. With 5:04 to play, Thorne ten misses a driving layup in the lane, and Poly is still alive. Ismael Torres then fouls, picking up his second allowing Poly to reset for Diggs to come off the screen for the nice little J in the lane, and its back to 45-42. Diggs then feeds to Cooley, and suddenly it's a one point game, Fairfax 45, Poly 44. Stokes gets the steal, and is fouled by Boyd goes to the line and makes them both, finally putting Poly ahead 46-46 with 3:35 left to play.

Yes, this is still anybody's game.

So with a time out, and at 3:00 to play with Fairfax with the ball, Stokes commits his third foul of the game, sending Jefferson to the line. He makes them both, and now Fax is back, 47-46. Jefferson hammers Ricky Anderson from behind the back, and he hits, bringing the game back to Poly, 47-48. Now it seems that on every possession, someone is fouling on the rebound, and with 2:26 to go, Fax turns it over, and Stokes fouls out of the game at 2:19 on a very silly offensive push on a motion play coming off a pick. Poly calls a time-out to figure out who's going to run the court. Boyd then goes to the line, makes the first to tie it, and makes the second. Fax is up 49-48. Less than two minutes to play. Ricky Anderson takes a good look, turns around j, and it goes in and out from less than 5' away. Anderson then goes over the back, and sends Jefferson to the line for Fairfax, and now it's a two point lead for Fax with about a minute and a half to play. Jefferson manages a steal, then tries to showboat, travels in the lane with no one near him, and he gets called for traveling. Turnover.

But Fairfax manages to score again and it's now 51 to 48 Fairfax with less than a minute to play. Morrissette then commits his fourth foul. With less than 34 seconds to play, Keyon Cooley hits a big, veryyyy big three, and he ties the game at 51-51.

The announcer decides to say "overtime is possible". Please, no.

Let this game end. Somebody score. Quickly.

Fairfax brings it up incredibly slowly, maybe figuring that they'll use up as much of the clock as possible before shooting, but with 14 seconds left on the clock, and the same time on the shot clock, Fairfax calls a time-out to plan for the last shot.

Thorne brings it up slowly, Boy sets a pick, and then inexplicably avoids the open look, and takes a three which misses by about 5'.

Oh no. Overtime. I can't stand it. 4:00 more minutes. Somebody shoot this horse. It's time to move on to Crenshaw v. Etiwanda. And we're already running a bit late anyway.

It's a great game, but it should be over. Really.

Overtime begins. Shea Anderson commits only his first personal, and sends Torres to the line, who misses. Still tied, 51-51. Oh my.

Greg Jefferson then fouls Shea Anderson, who's shooting 1-1 and he misses but Cooley makes the putback, and thankfully the tie is broken. We really don't care who wins, just end this. Then Morrissette scores on a driving layup from Torres. Tied again. Oh no.

Finally Ricky Anderson makes a layup standing, literally standing under the hoop, and Poly is back in front again 55-53 with 2:09, and on the ensuing Fairfax possession, Poly ties them up, and the arrow goes their way. Anderson again comes back after missing from inside, and this time scores a little jumper in the lane. Poly now leads by four and with 1:44 to play, it's 57-53 Poly.

Fairfax calls a time-out. Boyd misses a three pointer and all Poly has to do is not turn it over. So ;what do they do, Boyd steals, goes in for the layup, misses the open layup and gets fouled, shooting two. He makes the first one, then the second, and it's back to a two point game, 55-57 with 1:18 to play. Fairfax time-out again.

Please, either score or don't, but end this. Thankfully that was Fairfax' last time-out, I think. At least I hope so.

So, now there's 1:18 to play, it's 55-57 Poly leading, and Fairfax has the possession arrow in their favor. No press, instead a 2-3 zone way up at the half court. But with time running out, Jefferson commits a foul on Ricky Anderson about 40' from the basket. Unbelievably, he misses the free throw (a 1-1) and with 20 seconds left in the overtime, Thorne commits a foul on No. 20 (who is this guy anyway??? he's not on the roster, and he's the same guy the refs called for fouling Flinder Boyd last time down when he missed the open shot.) The announcer doesn't know either but the guy makes both free throws. Ricky Anderson finally makes just a huge block on Flinder Boyd's shot, and then Marcus Sargent is fouled, goes to the line, and makes them both.

Mercifully, it's over. Poly finally wins it 61-55.

And actually, come to think of it, this was a pretty good game, with a fine comeback from Poly. Great game, and the house is filling up. Must be 8,000 by now. Look out, here comes Etiwanda v. Crenshaw. Game 6.