BEACHWOOD–Fairview found its groove early and moved to 3-0 with a 74-48 win over host Beachwood in a Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division showdown on Wednesday.
The Warriors took a 35-18 lead into halftime and never looked back, cruising to a 26-point win to open conference play.
“I’m happy with the effort tonight, especially on the road,” said Fairview head coach Ryan Barry. “I’m happy with the way they played unselfishly. We scored a lot of points and didn’t exert much on that end. I love efficiency, and I thought it was beautiful tonight.”
Will Allen started the night off the right way for Fairview with a steal leading to his first bucket of the night at the other end.
Later, Carter Raegan connected on a corner 3-pointer and then found Nolan Davis on a backdoor cut for a bucket, leading to a 13-8 first-quarter lead.
The Warriors caught fire in the second quarter with Allen hitting a pair of 3-pointers and scoring six more points for a 14-point first half.
Kyle Farkas drilled a 3-pointer and scored four more points off the bench in the frame as well.
Savijan Harris was the hot hand for Fairview in the third quarter as he connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, with Allen and Davis connecting from long-range as well to take a 51-29 lead into the fourth.
The Warriors outscored the Bison in the fourth quarter, 23-19, to seal their win.
Fairview answered the bell time after time. Malik Walker II connected from long range twice, Allen added four points, and Carter Holliday scored four more.
“Defenses kind of dictate what your offense is going to look like, to a point,” Barry said. “We like to be able to win in different ways. Last year, when we played Cuyahoga Heights, they ran a 2-3 zone; we had to win differently than when we played Brooklyn or Independence. It’s important to learn how to win in every way. I challenged them last year with it; they’re doing a good job of it this year. If you get a five-point lead every quarter, you’ll win by 20 points, and that’s what we did.”
Fairview’s depth was on display with 11 players getting in the stat sheet.
“Having these guys step up is amazing to see,” said Allen of players stepping up. “Especially as a two-year starter, it’s so fun watching the guys come off the bench, have confidence, come out here and score, defend, play hard. It’s awesome. The energy and effort they bring is great. Sometimes, we as coaches can get caught up in what they don’t have, whether it’s a jump shot, ball handling, or lack of size, and we forget how much being tough and wanting it matters.”
Allen led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, Davis finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a block, and Farkas pitched in with nine.
Walker, Harris, and Raegan each had six.
Beachwood dropped to 0-2 with the loss.
“We had some decent offensive sets when they ran them,” said Beachwood head coach Pete Priola. “They were all selfish; there was a lot of one-on-one basketball. In the first game we played against Geneva, we shared the ball. After that lead got up there tonight, it turned into me basketball, not team basketball.”
Coach Priola wants to change the culture and turn the Bison basketball team in the right direction.
“We’re trying to change the culture from last year to this year,” Priola said. “It’s not going to happen overnight, and I just want them to be there and have time at practice.”
Payton led the Bison with 22 points and Jayden Koonce pitched in with 12.
Fairview hosts Independence on December 14 while Beachwood hosts North on December 18.
