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Unbeaten Tigers pass test against Indians
By Tom Williams
NEW MIDDLETOWN
On the eve of his 30th birthday, Eric Fender’s Springfield High School boys basketball team defeated Girard, 49-43 in a rare nip-and-tuck game for the Tigers.
It was the unbeaten Tigers’ 21st consecutive win and the 100th career victory for their sixth-season head coach.
Asked which number — 100, 21 or 29 — meant more after Friday’s game, Fender laughed and picked 100 and 21, then quickly credited his players.
“It’s the kids who have to go out and do it, the coaches can only do so much,” the 2003 Poland graduate said. “I’ve been lucky enough in the six years I’ve been here to have fantastic kids.”
On Senior Night, junior Graham Mincher didn’t start, but came off the bench to score 18 points, including four free throws in the final minutes to seal the victory for the winners of the Inter Tri-County League Tier One with a 14-0 record.
Senior post player Mark Schuler’s contributions included 14 points, 10 rebounds and a block.
“It was a great experience to have a huge crowd for Senior Night,” said Mincher, adding that the key for the Tigers’ defense was finding away to stop Girard’s Dylan O’Hara. “He’s a solid player and we knew if we limited his touches and shots we had a very good chance.”
O’Hara scored 18 points and made four steals and four rebounds to lead the Indians (17-5), winners of the All-American Conference Blue Tier with a 10-2 record.
“The first [quarter], he had nine points,” Schuler said. “Third quarter, fourth quarter, we did a better job of [slowing him]. Playing against him was difficult but when you are playing the best, it’s a better feeling when you win.”
Girard coach Craig Hannon said the battle of league champions was played “in the atmosphere of a tournament game, there wasn’t a seat to be had.
“That’s what’s good about a game like this,” Hannon said of playing an unbeaten late in the season.”
The Tigers led 39-37 going into the fourth quarter. After Mincher scored, senior Hunter Snyder stole a pass and put in a layup for a six-point lead.
The Indians stormed back to keep it close. After senior Chaston Williams sank two free throws, O’Hara hit a jump shot to slice the Tigers’ lead to 43-41.
But with 4:23 remaining, O’Hara picked up his third foul. He took a seat about 80 seconds later after his fourth foul. The Indians didn’t score again until O’Hara made a basket with 23 seconds remaining.
“It’s a blast,” Schuler said of the close contest. “When you’re playing that type of competition, it really takes all of your focus and all your determination to do everything right.”
Girard senior DeOnte Brown scored 12 points and Williams finished with 10.
“We knew they were going to be aggressive and physical,” Schuler said. “We knew we had to be up for the challenge.”
Many of Springfield’s games this season weren’t close at the end.
“This was tremendous, we needed a game like this,” Fender said. “Girard played physical with us, we had to adapt.”
The Tigers close the regular season Friday at Salem. They are top seeded in the Division III tournament at Salem. Girard is the second seed at the Division III tournament at Warren Harding.