“We happened to get some breaks, and it fell our way tonight,” Bias said.
Down 51-49 with more than two minutes left in overtime, Fairmont senior Mark Shadowens hit a 3-pointer to give the Firebirds a lead they would not lose. Shadowens led the Firebirds with 17 points.
“I knew we needed it and I knew I was going to hit it,” Shadowens said of his clutch 3-pointer.
Fairmont (3-1, 1-1 GWOC Central) made its run in the final four minutes of regulation when Centerville (1-2, 1-1) owned a 47-41 lead.
With 14 seconds left and the Elks holding a 49-47 lead, Fairmont senior Joel Sagasser missed the second free throw of a 1-and-1. But junior Adam Westbeld grabbed the rebound over three Centerville defenders and scored with 10 seconds left to force overtime.
Though Fairmont was down by as many as 10 points, Bias said he never saw his players hang their heads.
“We never panicked,” he said. “I saw guys that were going to continue to play and be determined.”
Westbeld picked up his second foul in the middle of the first quarter and didn’t return in the first half. Once Westbeld’s inside presence went to the bench, the Elks seemed to take control.
With a 23-22 lead, Centerville guards Patrick Crawford and Craig Ashworth picked up the offense in the final two minutes of the second quarter to cap a 7-0 run going into the half. The two seniors combined for 24 of the Elks’ 30 first-half points. Ashworth finished 9-for-9 from the field and had 22 points.
“I felt like we got a little better tonight,” Bias said. “We made a step forward as far as understanding what good basketball is.”
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