Tyson finished with 15 points, five assists and three steals as Lakota West shook off an unexpected first-quarter curveball and rolled to a 62-42 Greater Miami Conference boys basketball victory over Fairfield at Fairfield Arena.
“It was definitely different,” Tyson said. “Everything on film said man-to-man. Then they come out slowing it down, playing zone. We just had to get back to the basics.”
Those basics didn’t show up right away. Fairfield held the ball, packed in its defense and limited Lakota West to just four points in the opening quarter, grabbing a 7-4 lead and briefly flipping the script on a Firebirds team built on pace and pressure.
Lakota West coach Kelven Moss watched, waited and pivoted.
“I just told our guys, let’s get to the end of the quarter and we’ll adjust,” Moss said. “That’s coaching. They threw us something we weren’t expecting, and credit to Fairfield for that. I thought our guys did a great job locking in at halftime.”
The Firebirds began to find their footing in the second quarter, outscoring Fairfield 20-9 to take a 24-16 lead into the break. What followed next was the kind of stretch that has made Lakota West one of the GMC’s early-season tone setters.
Out of halftime, Tyson and the Firebirds cranked up the pressure.
Lakota West erupted for a 24-4 third quarter, turning defensive stops into scoring opportunities and forcing Fairfield into a series of rushed decisions. The Firebirds finished with 19 takeaways, working traps and denies that finally broke Fairfield’s rhythm.
“That third quarter, we blew it open,” Tyson said. “Once we started executing and getting stops, everything followed.”
Bryce Curry added 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Elijah Dunn delivered a spark off the bench with 14 points on four 3-pointers as Lakota West shot 52.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Fairfield answered late, winning the fourth quarter 22-14 behind Cooper Ross’ 10 points and Jakye Akbar’s nine points and nine rebounds, but the deficit was already too large.
“We executed the plan for one quarter,” Fairfield coach DJ Wyrick said. “The gamble when you play that style is you have to handle pressure, and we didn’t. They had 25 points off turnovers, and that was the difference.”
Still, Wyrick pointed to progress despite the final margin.
“If we take care of the ball and make some shots, it’s a ballgame,” said Wyrick, whose Indians slip to 1-3, 0-2 GMC. “I hope our guys leave knowing they can compete with anyone.”
Lakota West moved to 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the GMC, still very much in Moss’ “growing phase” as rotations and chemistry continue to take shape. For Tyson, though, the early-season mission is already clear.
“We’re on a revenge tour,” Tyson said. “Last year ended on a buzzer-beater. That still hurts. Every time we step on the court, we see red.”
Both teams hit the road on Friday. Lakota West travels to Hamilton, and Fairfield visits Mason.
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