Tigers ousted by Fairfield Union Falcons in sectional championship game
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LANCASTER, Ohio -- Fairfield Union limited visiting Marietta to a one-point fourth quarter in Saturday's Division II sectional final as the Falcons pulled away for a 47-30 victory.
The seventh-seeded Tigers trailed second-seeded Fairfield Union 35-29 going into the final eight minutes, but the Falcons scored the first 12 points of the period as MHS was unable to get shots to fall.
"They're a great defensive team," said Marietta head coach Austin Gardner. "They're big and they're strong and they bumped us off our spots. It is what it is."
A physical, low-scoring game saw FUHS holds leads of 15-9 after a quarter and 27-20 at halftime. Caleb Schmelzer, who led the Falcons with 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals, got a bucket at the 2:17 mark in the third quarter to give his team a double-digit lead at 35-24.
Marietta answered as Isaac Koast, who scored a game-high 15 points, knocked down his fifth 3-pointer of the game before Aidan Harris scored on a turnaround to get the Tigers within six.
Marietta attacked the paint throughout the game, but didn't attempt a free-throw until the final seconds of the fourth quarter when Brayden Jones split a pair after both teams emptied their benches. Conversely, Fairfield Union was 16 for 23 from the foul line in the contest.
"I'm very frustrated about (that)," Gardner said. "Our kids drove the ball to the basket and played hard. We didn't get rewarded, but they beat us at the end of the day."
The Falcons, who improved to 21-3 and advanced to the district semifinals, got off to a hot start and led 9-2 midway through the first. A 3-pointer by Koast, Alex Kendall's basket and Elyjah Lieras-Kelley's drive got the Tigers within three, 12-9, but Brennen Rowles punctuated the first quarter with a 3-pointer to make it a six-point game.
Koast got MHS within two, 17-15, with a pair of treys but Caleb Redding scored seven of his nine points in a row to extend the lead to nine. Koast knocked down another 3-ball and Izak Knighten scored inside to help trim the deficit to seven at the half.
The Tigers went just 4 for 17 from the floor in the second half. Overall they shot 34.3% (12 for 35) while Fairfield Union finished at 43.8% (14 for 32). The Falcons held advantages in rebounding (24-19) and committed 10 turnovers to Marietta's 16.
Joining Schmelzer in double-digit scoring for Fairfield Union was Ted Harrah with 11.
Lieras-Kelley scored six points for Marietta. Kendall led the Tigers with six rebounds and five blocks. The Tigers missed senior point guard AJ Graham, who had to miss the last three games of the season due to an injury.
"It's unfortunate for AJ not to be able to play in a game like this," Gardner said. "He would've helped us tremendously."
Graham and Koast were senior captains for Marietta this season. They were joined in the senior class by Andrew Hawkins, Tu Coromandel, Tommy Kerenyi and Braden Schau. The Tigers finished the season with a 15-8 record, the most wins for the program in 12 years.
"I told them, 'You guys are back on the map,'" Gardner said. "I'm proud of them for that. Wish we could've played a little big longer, little bit more. I'm just so thankful to be a part of it. The guys welcomed me with open arms this summer. It was a culture shock and a culture change. Isaac Koast and AJ spoke afterwards, how appreciative they were and they enjoyed their senior year. I'm just really proud."