MIAMISBURG —As the Fairborn player set his feet in the far left corner and took aim at hitting a long-distance 3-pointer, a Miamisburg coach moaned “Oh man, if he hits that we’re done.”
Fairborn’s Shaunn Monroe had just extended his team’s lead to eight points (49-41) with just under six minutes left in the game. So the Viking coach knew that yet another 3-pointer would’ve given the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the game.
Instead, the Skyhawk missed, and Miamisburg quickly turned the game’s momentum in its favor soon afterward, for a come-from-behind 62-56 win, Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Miamisburg High.
‘Burg’s Duncan Hall grabbed a rebound and scored from inside to pull the Vikings to within six points. Then, Miamisburg scoring machine Jason Hubbard hit a 3-pointer from off the right wing to pull the Vikes to 49-46 with five minutes yet to play.
Hubbard then grabbed a steal on Fairborn’s next possession and scored yet again to draw Miamisburg within a point.
With 2:49 left, Hubbard drained yet another three. This one put Miamisburg ahead for good, 55-54. Fairborn was limited to just two points the rest of the way.
Fairborn sank a dozen shots from behind the arc to keep pace with a Miamisburg team that had won seven straight games, and 12 of its last 13. The Skyhawks entered Tuesday’s contest on a four-game winning streak of their own.
“This one stings a bit,” Fairborn coach Nathan Chivington said. “That was a good game tonight. Obviously, we ended up on the wrong side of it. … Both teams came ready to play. There were some big shots that we hit, but we’ve gotta make our shots down the stretch.
“We just went too long of a period without scoring, and that allowed them to pick up some momentum. Those back-to-back quick buckets (by Hubbard) really hurt. And when you do that against a tough team on the road, it makes it tough to win.”
Monroe showed why he’s easily one of the top scorers in the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The Fairborn junior guard scored a game-high 33 points in the loss.
“I hope some college sees his numbers and gives him a look. He’s a talented athlete and he’d do well at the next level,” Chivington said.
Tyler Eatman finished with nine points off a trio of threes, Joe Nickel hit a pair of threes to go with two free throws for eight points, and Jarod Bodekor hit a pair of threes in the first half to finish with six points. Those were the other Fairborn players to score on Tuesday.
For Miamisburg, Hubbard led the Vikings with 29 points scored, Hall finished with 17, Savon O’Neal scored seven of his nine-point effort in the fourth quarter, and Brett Hensley finished with seven points.
Fairborn will host GWOC South rival Xenia for a 7:30 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Baker Middle School gym for the team’s next game. Miamisburg also plays on Friday. The Vikings head north to Clayton for a 7:30 p.m. game at Northmont.
CONDOLENCES TO A LONG-TIME PIRATE: The teams held a moment of silence prior to Tuesday’s Feb. 13 game in honor of long-time West Carrollton coach Dan Gerhart who had passed away that morning.
