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Hot start helps Hubbard top Fitch
By Ryan Buck
AUSTINTOWN
The opening eight minutes of Friday night’s All-American Conference match-up at the Austintown Fitch gymnasium will be remembered by both participants for different reasons.
Hubbard will try to duplicate it. The Falcons will try to forget it.
Hubbard used a dominant first quarter to defeat Fitch 52-44 in an impressive road win.
Hubbard coach Rick Fox implemented a 2-3 zone during a mid-week practice, hoping to force Fitch to make long-range shots.
“We knew they kind of struggle from the outside, so we put the 2-3 in the other day and the kids did a nice job with it,” said Fox, now in his eighth year at Hubbard.
Fitch, minus injured starting center Curtis Beverly, finished 0-for-11 from the field with four turnovers in the first quarter.
“We had look after look after look and just couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” said Fitch coach Brian Beany.
On offense, long possessions and inside-out ball movement slowed the pace to the Eagles’ liking.
“I told them we had to limit their shot attempts and I think in the first quarter, we did a nice job,” Fox said.
Senior guard Jordan Thomson tallied eight points in the opening frame. With time running down in the quarter, Thomson took an outlet pass and raced past the Fitch transition defense to give the Eagles a 13-2 lead.
“They were giving me open looks,” Thomson said. “I know when I get open looks, just knock down the shots.”
Hubbard kept Fitch star Jessie Driver away from the paint and forced the junior to hit from long range.
“We wanted to stop Driver from shooting the ball and try and keep him out of the middle so only giving up 12 points in the first half is really good for us,” said Thomson.
As the seconds ticked away in the half, Hubbard’s half-court trap forced a wayward Fitch pass, which Aaron Loveless intercepted at his own foul line. His pull-up jumper sent the Eagles to the locker room with a 21-12 advantage.
Fitch closed the gap in the fourth. Driver, who finished with 17 points, found his way into the paint for some hard-earned buckets and made some deep three-pointers.
But Loveless sank four key free throws in the closing minutes.
“Aaron hit some big free throws and then Larry Minotti sat the bench,” Fox said. “In the second half, we brought him in for the free throws and he stroked them. He hit four straight.”