BLANCHESTER — Looking for redemption after a tough homecoming loss, the Blanchester boys basketball team painted a masterpiece Tuesday night.
Blanchester shot 59 percent from the floor and had 17 assists in a 77-63 win over Fayetteville-Perry.
“That was a beautiful team effort,” BHS head coach Adam Weber said. “Guys were looking for each other. It was a work of art compared to our previous outing.”
While the Wildcats (6-9) got usual outstanding performances from Jordan Stroud and Brayden Sipple (23 points each), it was contributing efforts that proved to be huge for Blan.
Ian Heeg knocked down three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points. Lane Heeg came up with huge baskets late in the third quarter.
Lane Heeg and Sipple combined for an 8-2 run to end the third after Fayetteville (9-8) had cut Blanchester’s lead to four, 47-43. The Heegs and Sipple combined to score all 24 Blanchester points over the first 11:35 of the second half, as the Wildcats put the game away.
“The Heeg brothers, collectively, shut that Fayetteville run off by just gutsy plays in clutch moments,” Weber said. “In the CNE game, we didn’t come up very clutch in the third.
“I’ve got to praise Ian. He did what I needed him to do with the JV team and earned his way back. Lane’s been battling a knee injury. I told him at halftime, ‘Keep your focus, I need you.’ He was an excellent game-changer.”
Stroud scored 12 of his 23 points in the second quarter as the Wildcats turned a three-point lead into a 12-point halftime advantage. Blanchester shot 74 percent in the first half.
While the Wildcats cooled off in the second half, they finished the game shooting 59 percent from the floor. Blan made 10 of 18 from three-point range and 15 of 21 from the line. Sipple missed just one of his nine shots from the floor.
Blanchester’s win spoiled a tremendous game from Fayetteville’s Luke Wiederhold. He scored all 16 Rocket points in the first quarter and finished with 33 points.
Weber gave high praise to Wiederhold’s effort and believes he knows where he got the extra motivation.
“My wife and his mom work together,” Weber said. “His mom told my wife that he better play well because she works with the coach’s wife. He followed mom’s instructions.”
After watching one get away Friday night against Clermont Northeastern, Weber was pleased with how his team responded.
“We did some soul-searching after the homecoming loss,” Weber said. “Hopefully getting this one is a confidence booster because Fayetteville has a nice team.”
SUMMARY
Jan. 30, 2018
@ Blanchester High School
Blanchester 77, Fayetteville 63
F 16.14.15.18…..63
B 21.21.13.22…..77
(63) FAYETTEVILLE (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Colin Conner 1-0-1-3, Bowen Doane 3-1-1-8, Luke Wiederhold 13-1-6-33, Christopher Murphy 2-0-2-6, Clayton Ramey 1-0-0-2. TOTALS 23-2-15-63.
(77) BLANCHESTER (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Ian Heeg 4-3-1-12, Eric Patton 2-0-0-4, Nevan Coyle 1-1-2-5, Brayden Sipple 8-3-4-23, Wesley Mitchell 1-0-0-2, Lane Heeg 4-0-0-8, Jordan Stroud 6-3-8-23. TOTALS 26-10-15-77.
FIELD GOALS: F 23/46 (Wiederhold 13/20); B 26/44 (Sipple 8/9, Stroud 6/9, I. Heeg 4/10, L. Heeg 4/5)
3 POINT FIELD GOALS: F 2/7; B 10/18 (Sipple 3/3, Stroud 3/3, I. Heeg 3/8)
FREE THROWS: F 15/29 (Wiederhold 6/6); B 15/21 (Stroud 8/10, Sipple 4/6)
TURNOVERS: F 15; B 16
