Brantley Davis scored 16 points in the first half to keep the Wildcats in the game, and the lead changed six times in the second quarter.
But the Firebirds switched their defense out of a zone in the third quarter and put Jacob Roalef on Davis. Davis finished with a game-high 21 points, but the open looks he had in the first half vanished.
“We messed with them a little bit (by changing defenses),” Fairmont head coach Hank Bias said, “and we put a longer guy, with longer arms on Davis. ... That helped us to get out of the zone. We rebounded better and we played better.”
The Firebirds (1-1, 1-0) didn’t miss a basket in the fourth quarter (6-for-6) and they made 7-of-8 free throws.
Fairmont’s Adam Westbeld scored a team-high 18 points, with all his shots coming in the lane. Roalef scored 16 thanks to three 3-pointers.
After two games the Wildcats (0-2, 0-1) are searching for their identity. Once the Firebirds switched out of their zone, the Wildcats couldn’t find a rhythm on offense.
“I don’t restrain my players,” Springfield head coach Isiah Carson said. “If my player feels like he has an advantage, then I absolutely want to push the ball down the court. But it’s like they’re restraining themselves. I’m not restraining them. They have to be more aggressive.”
Akeem Freeman scored 11 points for Springfield. But the Wildcats had no bench points, compared to 25 for Fairmont.
About the Author