Fife's Teddy Hardy (34), who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, goes up fo a jumper against Clover Park's Xavier Means in the Trojans 66-51 loss on Jan. 24. (Photo by Rocky Ross)
After a tough first quarter against Clover Park on Jan. 24, Fife forwards Bryce Miller and Teddy Hardy began to dominate the interior to get the Trojans back in the game. The problem was, talented Warriors sophomore guards David Crisp and Ahmaad Rorie were sharp for most of the game as well, leading Clover Park to a 66-51 win over the Trojans.
Miller led the Trojans with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Hardy chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Brock Carpenter’s three-pointer with a minute left in the first quarter brought Fife within 14-12. The Warriors, though, took a 20-12 lead into the second quarter thanks to a steal and layup by Crisp, who finished with a game-high 29 points.
“We, for whatever reason, were just a little timid. I think because of their athleticism and quickness,” said Trojans head coach Mark Schelbert. “We tried a lot of different guys, and finally found five or six guys that were willing to slow down a little bit and execute our offense and compete on defense, which made a big difference.”
The defense stepped up in the second quarter, stopping an 11-0 Clover Park run as Fife started a 10-0 run of their own – capped by Hardy’s put-back with 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the quarter – to get back within 28-22.
Trailing 31-24 heading into the second half, Hardy and Miller took turns getting the Trojans within three points – with Miller’s basket coming after Scott Campbell’s steal to cut the deficit to 37-34 halfway through the quarter.
“They’re our anchors, and we rely on them for a lot of different things – rebounding, defense, offense,” Schelbert said of Miller and Hardy. “Whenever we can get them the ball, it usually is pretty positive for us. On defense, I thought both of them were active at rebounding too, which helps.”
But Crisp answered with a short jumper and drained a three-pointer, and Rorie – who tallied 24 points – added a steal for an easy lay-in and a trey of his own to build the lead back to 47-34 with just over a minute left in the quarter. Crisp was later fouled on a three-pointer with two seconds remaining and sank all three free throws for a 50-39 lead heading into the fourth.
“The biggest thing is consistency. We look good a possession or two and then do something dumb,” Schelbert said. “We’re trying to keep things simple, run our stuff – and our ability to concentrate is our biggest key.”
Despite trailing by double digits for most of the fourth, Miller epitomized the Trojans’ heart when he hustled for a rebound and a put-back with two seconds remaining, and nailed the free throw after being fouled.
“He’s a good player…great kid, really smart,” said Clover Park coach Mel Ninnis of Miller.
The loss put the Trojans at 4-11 overall and 2-7 in league play.
“We found a way to compete for a couple quarters against them,” Schelbert said. “We just need to continue that, carry it over and try to do it for four quarters.”
Fife finishes the season with a game at Steilacoom on Jan. 27, travel to White River on Jan. 31, host a makeup game with Washington on Feb. 1 and host Eatonville on Feb. 3. All games are at 7 p.m.
