DRIVING THE LANE … Eli Keifer (pictured) had 13 points as the Vikings used a 14-0 run in the second half to beat the Eagles 51-31. VIEW ALL PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
FAYETTE (February 17, 2024) – For over two quarters Fayette had Evergreen in hibernation mode, slowing the pace of the game to an afternoon nap.
But then up 30-27 late in the third, Evergreen attacked the Eagles from all angles and used a 14-0 run in three minutes to roll to a 51-31 win.
“You know it was one of those where you have a plan and we knew (Xander) Dunnett is going to make threes, he did that two years ago when we came here,” Viking coach Jerry Keifer said afterwards.
“They were down four and they tried to slow it down and it gave us an opportunity to do some things we have been working on.”
Eli Keifer began the game canning a long triple six seconds into the contest, then found Riley Dunbar for a lob and scored again off a runout on a Tyson Woodring steal.
But the Eagles were scoring in triplicate as Dunnett hit three from outside the arc and Carter Lavinder hit another to give Fayette a 14-13 lead.
Woodring’s swipe and score, then his feed to Dunbar for a slam pushed the Vikings up 17-14 at the horn. Fayette shot 5/8, seven of those shots coming from behind the arc in the first while Evergreen was 8/13.
Troy Manz laced a long-range bomb and Drew Gillen’s steal led to an emphatic Dunbar dunk off Woodring’s toss off the glass to make it 23-14.
But with the VIkings playing zone, the Eagles sat and waited….25 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds….and used a Lavinder basket off an inbounds, then Wyatt Mitchell’s three-point play to close the gap to 23-19 at the half.
Blade Walker’s triple began a 7-0 run to start the second half to make the Viking lead 30-21 but Dunnett hit two more three-balls to bring the Eagles within 30-27 with two minutes left in the third.
That’s when Evergreen began creating chaos all over the floor, using their speed to trap every Eagle ball handler.
Woodring scored after a turnover, Manz nailed two more from long range, Keifer pilfered two more passes for layups and Dunbar’s putback off his own miss after a steal vaulted the Vikings (16-5) from 30-27 with 1:40 left in the third to 44-27 with 6:52 left in the game with Keifer rotating players like hockey changes.
“I liked the trap and the press,” Keifer explained of his team’s burst. “I don’t like to scream and yell about the press but we were pretty good at it for the first time out.”
“We have some quick guards, maybe even really quick guards, maybe even five quick guards. So, we are just going to work on getting better for Swanton and then get better for the tournament.”
Dunbar finished the night with 16. Keifer added 11 along with six assists.
Dunnett had 15 to pace Fayette (7-14) but the Eagles went without a field goal for eight minutes in the second half while committing eight turnovers in that span.
EVERGREEN (51) – Manz 9; Keifer 11; Woodring 4; Robertson 0; Hudik 0; Spradlin 0; Vaculik 0; Gillen 5; Walker 5; Dunbar 16; Mounts 0; Roesti 1; Emmitt; Totals: 17-5-2 – 51
FAYETTE (31) – Lavinder 9; Leininger 0; Mitchell 5; Andrews 0; Oehlers 0; Bieber 0; Beauregard 0; Jacob 0; Goble 2; Patterson 0; Dunnett 15; Figgins 0; Totals: 5-6-3 – 31
EVERGREEN 17 6 14 14 – 51
FAYETTE 14 5 8 4 – 31
JUNIOR VARSITY: Evergreen 62, Fayette 8
