Fitch rallies in 2nd half

January 12, 2011 at 12:05a.m.

AUSTINTOWN

Fitch High coach Jason Baker has been in search of a signature win during his brief tenure as the Falcons’ head mentor.

His team might have delivered one on Tuesday.

Dan Chepke’s two free throws with 20 seconds remaining gave the Falcons the lead for good and Billy Price’s charity toss with three seconds left helped seal the victory as Fitch came from 13 points back to defeat visiting Mooney, 50-48.

“A lot of thoughts were racing through my mind when I toed the free throw line,” Chepke said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt the pressure, but I was able to block that all out and both shots went through the bottom of the net.

“This is a really big win for us because we’ve gotten better each time out, yet didn’t have much to show for our efforts.”

Jonas Ballard scored the game’s first seven points as the Falcons raced to the early 11-2 lead.

Ryan Farragher and Danny Reese answered with six points apiece, keying a 14-0 run by the Cardinals as Mooney led 16-11 after the first quarter.

The Cardinals made it 19 straight to start the second quarter, eventually opening a 31-20 halftime lead.

Ballard, who had a team high 13 points, said Baker sparked the Falcons in the second half with an inspirational halftime talk.

“We’re definitely a much improved team from a year ago, but we’ve struggled when it comes to finishing the game,” Ballard said. “Coach reminded us to make sure we ended up with the loose balls, work harder at both ends of the court and good things would happen.

“To finish the game the way that we did tonight shows how determined we are to get things done.”

Chepke then scored seven of his 12 points after halftime and Price added five as the Falcons (3-7) outscored the Cardinals, 17-7 in the third quarter to pull to within a point; 38-37.

Back-to-back conventional three-point plays by Chepke and Ballard helped Fitch open a 45-42 lead midway through final period. Two free throws by Donny Yankle at the 1:53 mark gave Mooney its last lead, 48-47, before Chepke and Price scored the final three points of the game, ending their team’s three-game tailspin.

“Our last time out we played three strong quarters but came up short,” Baker said. “The key tonight was that we made our shots and executed when we needed to, which led to good shots in both halves.

“We’re getting better each time out and making excellent progress in many key areas. We just need to keep progressing the way we are and the rest will take care of itself.”