The #1 ranked Fishers Tigers took on the #22 ranked Carmel Greyhounds at Fishers this Saturday evening. With the team back to full strength after lacking senior JonAnthony Hall on Friday night, fans and spectators were eager to see this matchup. Last season, the Tigers fell to the Greyhounds making it their only loss of the entire season. Evidently, the Tigers were eager to overcome this obstacle enroute to possibly ending the regular season undefeated. While the Tigers entered the matchup fully healthy, the Greyhounds did not. Senior guard and captain Alex Couto suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the year which would prove to make this matchup much more difficult for the Greyhounds. However, losing their captain has not hindered Carmel’s success as they entered the game with a 9-6 record.
Early success from Fishers
This start looked nearly identical to the start the night before against Franklin Central as the Tigers began the game on a 7-0 run forcing a timeout from Carmel. Showstopping plays from sophomore Cooper Zachary and Hall created lots of excitement from Tiger fans which exponentially increased the momentum for Fishers. The Tigers ended the quarter with a 17-6 lead. Stellar defense and even better offense helped achieve this early lead. Furthermore, the Tigers dominated in transition. Multiple times throughout the first half, the Tigers would force Carmel to commit fouls on fastbreaks to prevent easy layups. However, even with the effort of the Greyhounds, the Tigers still managed to make these tough transition buckets which once again helped generate more momentum.
Small mistakes cut lead going into half
On the back of junior Miles Wiley, the Greyhounds were able to capitalize off mistakes and turnovers from the Tigers prior to halftime. Wiley made exceptional plays by attacking the rim and making great passes to help Carmel keep the lead at 21. However, coming out of the half, similar to their game the night prior, Fishers was able to dominate on nearly every front. High shooting percentages, strong defense and a lack of mistakes allowed the Tigers to run up the lead throughout the third and fourth quarter. While senior forward Liam Mann was able to get going early in the half, it was no match for the momentum of the Tigers.
The Tigers would go on to win the matchup 80-39 making it their ninth win by 30 points or more. Each game the Tigers prove they deserve their national ranking and make a case to be even closer to the top spot. As they begin the final stretch of the year, the Tigers hope to finish undefeated. Their final two conference games are both against teams inside the top 20 meaning the season is far from over. Their next game is in Westfield against the Westfield Shamrocks on Thursday, Feb. 6.
