By Richard Torres
For The Reporter
NEW CASTLE – Tournament time means winning time for the top-ranked Fishers Tigers, and last Saturday’s Henry Community Health Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle was no different.
The Tigers (9-0) rallied back from an early deficit to defeat 4A No. 6 Warsaw, 54-51, in the morning’s semifinal round before flipping the switch with a 20-6 run in the second quarter against 4A No. 4 Greenfield-Central (7-2) in the evening’s title game to win 85-80.
The Tigers hoisted the Hall of Fame Classic trophy inside New Castle Fieldhouse with 22 consecutive wins dating back to their state championship 2023-24 season, and unlike their seven previous games, they were tested.
“We’re just a very connected team. We know what everyone’s strengths are, and everyone knows what their role is on the team,” Fishers Jason Gardner Jr. said. “I think that’s why we’re the No. 1 team in the state. We don’t have any selfish guys.”
The Tigers’ team-first philosophy led to a trio of double-digit scorers, including Gardner and Justin Kirby posting a team-high 20 points apiece followed by Cooper Zachary’s 18.
Gardner and Zachary both were named to the Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament team and added to their families’ legacies in the historic event.
Gardner’s father, Jason, clinched the Classic title with North Central High School previously, while Zachary’s father, Danny, and uncle, Randy, were champions with Anderson Highland.
“It’s a great feeling. A lot of great players have come through here to play in the Hall of Fame. This court is very historic,” Zachary added. “My dad played in this, and he won it, and my uncle, so just keeping the family tradition going, I kind of felt a little bit of pressure, but at the end of the day, I had to get it done.”
The Tigers had to contend with UConn commit Braylon Mullins in the title game to keep their winning streak alive.
The tournament’s Most Valuable Player led all scorers with 33 points while hauling in eight rebounds, recording three steals, one block and three assists. Mullins converted two of Greenfield-Central’s nine 3-pointers.
Mullins attempted to will the Cougars to victory after Fishers built a 14-point lead in the first half and led by 12 late in the third quarter. The 6-foot-6 guard had seven points in the fourth with four points in less than 20 seconds to cut Fishers’ advantage 82-77 in the final minute.
However, the Tigers kept their composure and relied on their unselfishness to fend off the Cougars. Fishers collectively posted 25 assists in the game (Gardner with nine and seven from Zachary), compared to Greenfield-Central’s 13.
“We knew these were going to be two dogfights. We started off slow against Warsaw, but we knew we didn’t want to lose,” Zachary said. “A little bit of hunger and personal success came in, so everyone just made plays, bought into what coach was telling us, and we just found a way to win.”
The Tigers battled through four ties and one lead change before a 20-6 run in the second quarter initiated by an and-1 play by Gardner with 6:47 left in the half separated the two teams.
A 3-pointer by Kirby capped the rally, as Greenfield-Central charged back to make it 48-39 before Gardner beat the buzzer with a layup to increase the margin 50-39 at halftime.
Greenfield-Central’s Boston Willard drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, covering nearly three-quarters of the court to slice the deficit 25-22 at the end of the first quarter.
Willard had 18 points and three assists, while Mikey Johnson finished with 17 points and four assists for the Cougars.
“Both of those teams were so good. They’re just really good at what they do. With Warsaw running a really good 2-3 zone that’s a little unique to go against, and then you switch over and you have to go against a 3-2 zone with Greenfield with really no prep. You try to do what you can in between games and both styles were different from what we were used to,” Fishers coach Garrett Winegar said. “We’re mostly seeing man, so it’s something we need to do a better job of attacking. We did a much better job in this (title) game.”
Fishers shot 13 of 23 from 3-point range, but Mullins and Johnson continued to counter to bring the Cougars’ deficit under 10 in the fourth.
“We needed some close games. Obviously, we won every game up to this point by 15 or more, so to have some competitive games and still find a way to win is a credit to the kind of group we have,” Winegar said. “They’re very experienced. They’ve been in a lot of these games last year in the state tournament, and they know how to win. They’re fearless and step up and make big plays when it matters.”
Against Warsaw, Gardner scored a team-high 17 points and Zachary had 11. The Tigers shot 9 of 19 from beyond the arc. Warsaw’s Brandt Martin had 18 points and was named to the All-Tournament team along with Greenfield-Central’s Johnson and Jeffersonville’s Michael Cooper.
“To put our names in the Hall of Fame Classic, not many teams are able to do that,” Gardner said. “I think that’s an honor, and I think it’s going to help us keep going and put the pedal to the metal.”
The Tigers won two neutral site tests last season and their own holiday tournament. With a first-ever sectional, regional, semistate and state title to its credit last year, Fishers added two more neutral site triumphs to its recent success.
“No matter where we are, we want to win. Last year, we were in an Illinois tournament, even though it was one game, it was like a tournament. With the group of guys we have, we can go anywhere and any place, environment or stadium we play in, we know the dudes on this team will lead to a championship,” Gardner said.
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I am confused.First Victoria Spartz says she was not running for reelection, then she said she said she is.She wins…
Good for your management team for valuing your great staff.
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