Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Shooters shoot … and Jeston Everhart had no problem letting it fly on Thursday night.
In a game where every bucket was more needed than the next one, he buried five 3’s and finished with a game-high 17 points to lead his Blue Lions to a 50-43 victory over Fairfield Union.
“I tell him all the time to shoot the ball, whether he thinks it’s going in or not. I don’t care what anyone else, family or teammate, says, I’ve got the stats that tell me he’s going to shoot 40 percent from deep and I like those odds,” Washington coach Shannon Bartruff said. “He shot the ball with a lot of confidence, and all it took was for him to see one go in. It took some time, but credit to our guys for finding him and having faith in him to knock down those buckets.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
Everhart provided the spark to keep the Blue Lions (7-5) afloat, but when the rubber met the road, it was Noah Haithcock who closed the deal.
The 6-foot-6 junior picked his spots intelligently, rebounded the ball effectively and blocked shots to keep the Falcons at an arm’s length in the closing moments. Haithcock and Everhart were the only two players to tally double-digit scoring figures – Haithcock ended with 13 points and eight boards.
“There are times Noah gets lost in the shuffle, but that’s also because he’s doing so many little things on the court that don’t show up on a stat sheet,” Bartruff said. “He takes care of the ball, scores, rebounds, blocks shots, sets up our defense and organizes everything to make sure that we’re all on the same page. We ask a lot from him, and every single night, he handles everything very well.”
While the Blue Lions came away with the win, the Falcons (5-5) had the early jump. Behind seven early points from Jaxson Iser, alongside buckets from Keegan Arnett, Trevor Utzinger and Asa Kline, they stormed out to a quick 15-5 lead, ending the quarter with an 18-9 advantage.
PHOTOS: Images from Washington’s win over Fairfield Union
It was clear the Blue Lions needed a spark, so Jacob Lindsey, Cooper Robertson and Aden Osborne provided that. Coming off the bench, the trio brought energy through active hands while matching the Falcons’ physicality in the post.
They helped Washington cut into the deficit with a 9-2 run, trimming the Falcons’ lead to 20-18. Fairfield Union held onto the lead until Everhart buried his first 3, putting Washington ahead 23-22, only for Isaiah Delong to tally a rebound and a put back to give the Falcons a 24-23 lead at halftime.
“Those guys off the bench gave us some great minutes all night, but especially in the second quarter to get us back in the game,” Bartruff said. “We switched from man defense to a zone and we did a good job of getting to their overloads. They were putting four guys on one side and using their size with some high-low from the elbow, but our guys did a good job of matching up and getting to their spots to force some more outside shots instead of close looks at the rim.”
Everhart’s shot late in the second gave him the confidence he needed in the second half.
He had the green light and proceeded to bury a trio of triples to put Washington ahead 36-32. However, the Falcons responded and ended the quarter on a 5-0 run, capped by a near half-court heave from Hunter Clark, to take a 37-36 lead.
Both teams traded buckets to open the fourth, and although Washington had a 44-40 lead, Utzinger buried a triple to bring the game to within 44-43. However, the Blue Lions’ defense, led by Haithcock, came up with key stops down the stretch and closed out with a 7-0 run to snap a three-game losing streak.
“We didn’t have a turnover in the fourth quarter, and that was huge. In our losses to Chillicothe, Unioto and Oakwood, we had a lead late or it was a close game and then we committed some untimely turnovers, had bad shot selection and gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Bartruff said. “We needed this win for our psyche more than anything, so it’s definitely nice to be back in the win column and start the new year off on the right foot. Now we have to keep stacking wins and turn the corner in the second half of the season.”
Washington returns to action on Tuesday for non-conference play at Wilmington. After a loss to Hamilton Township on Saturday, Fairfield Union will look to rebound on Thursday at Circleville.
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