BY BRIAN FEESSouthern Tier Sports Report
BINGHAMTON — The Corning Hawks jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first half, but Fairport turned up the defensive intensity as the Hawks season ended in the state semifinals, 79-72 at Visions Memorial Arena on Friday afternoon.
Corning led 21-9 after one quarter and went up 36-17 in the second quarter. Fairport closed the half on a 22-6 run and went on a 44-20 run between the middle of the second quarter and the start of the fourth quarter.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Corning coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “We suit up a 6-2 power forward. Just the hard work our kids put in the offseason to be able to compete at this level. We had chances. We were ahead early and started to turn the ball over a little bit. Not stepping to meet passes. Fundamentals. Missed some free throws down the stretch that would have cut the margin.
“You can’t take anything away from them. They are well coached. They have a couple big guys inside. I just said to my guys they get a couple dunks and it still counts as two. We can counter with threes. We have to get out in transition and go with it. I thought it was a well played game by both teams. I’m really proud of my guys.”
Early on the Hawks came out making shots. All five starters scored at least eight points in the game.
“We were making shots,” Johnston Jr. said. “WE came out with a lot of energy and we got some stops early and we could spread the margin. We talk about this all the time that basketball is a game of spurts. You are going to go on runs unless the other team is just not any good, and we know when you get to this level there are four teams that can all play basketball.
“In the first quarter we came out and shot it really well. Teigen Gill came out and hit a couple big thress as did Carter Proudfoot and we didn’t have to rely on Nolyn (Proudfoot) so much. We know their game plan was going to be try and take Nolyn away and our other guys answered. Wo, we outscored them by double digits in the first quarter. The second quarter we got outscored 30-21 and I think the turnovers were huge and they were multiple turnovers, multiple possessions in a row. Late in the game we ended up missing some free throws. At that point I’m not sure if it was fatigue or what. We go kind of like Siena did yesterday, I go with my five guys. They are the guys who put in the most time. They play all year long and they deserve to play the most and they don’t want to come out.
As Fairport turned up the pressure in the second quarter their length made things hard for the Hawks, led by Noah Meabon. The 6-5 volleyball star who is committed to USC and was on the U.S. U19 World Championship team had a pair of big dunks and had a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.
“You can’t teach size,” Johnston Jr. said. “They have 6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 is what they start. Our power forward is 6-2 and I list everyone else as a guard anyway. I was proud of our guys. The way we shot it early and we got out to an early lead. I knew they would make a run and we just had to sustain doing the little things, winning time, taking care of the basketball and making open shots. They did a lot more trapping. We had to get somebody to the middle of the floor to attack them. When we did that we shot layups.
Corning built the lead back up to six early in the third, but Fairport tied things at 45 and a steal and a basket gave them their first lead at 47-45.
Fairport got a three from Sam Roselli to go up seven.
Kyler Stevenson scored to cut the deficit to five with 2:14 left in the third and he scored again to cut the deficit to three.
Fairport’s Jon Roessel hit a three to put the Red Raiders up 57-51.
Corning missed a pair of free throws, but Nolyn Proudfoot was then fouled on a three and hit all three shots to cut the deficit to 57-54.
After Fairport went back up five, Kohl Hogue cut the deficit to three in the final seconds of the half. But Alex Grejeda ended the third quarter with a jumper to put the Red Raiders back up five.
Grejeda started the fourth with a three to put Fairport up eight.
Carter Proudfoot scored and Hogue made two free throws to make it a four-point game.
Hadi Dergha made four straight free throws to push the Faiport lead back to eight before Gill found Nolyn Proudfoot for a three-point play to cut the deficit back to five.
Carter Proudfoot again got the Hawks within three, but Dergham was fouled and made both and the foul was the fifth for Kyler Stevenson, taking the Hawks second leading scorer on the season out of the game.
“We lose a scorer, because Stevenson is our number two scorer,” Johnston Jr. said. “The kids didn’t flinch because next guy up. Arda Derman came off the bench and the reason we went with him is we thought he was a little more offnesive minded. He has really good vision and he sees the open man. He gives us a little more size at 6-2, 200 and something pounds and we can match up with some guys in the post and I think we needed that late in the day.”
Fairport went back up six, before Carter Proudfoot cut it back to four with 2:41 left.
The Red Raiders were up seven before Carter Proudfoot hit a three to get the Hawks back within four. That’s as close as the game would get.
“Our kids are resilient,” Johnston Jr. said. “I knew they were going to keep fighting. This is probably the most timeouts I used all year long. I try and keep them until the end of the game. They made a run and I called a 30 second early in the second half which is unusual, not characteristic of what we do. But, I thought it was a moment I had to gather the troops. I like that our kids, they don’t give up.”
Nolyn and Carter Proudfoot each had 20 points. Nolyn had eight boards, two assists and two steals and Carter had six steals, three assists, a rebound and a blocked shot.
Stevenson and Hogue each had 12 points. Stevenson had four assists, a steal and two rebounds and Hogue had two assists, three rebounds and a steal.
Gill had eight points and two assists, with a steal.
The game is the last for the seniors, including starters Stevenson and Gill.
“They have been a staple of our program for a long time,” Johnston Jr. said. “Both of the have been on varsity since 10th grade either starting, or first guy off the bench. They are competitive. Really proud of them. Teigen is going to forego playing in college and concentrate on academics. He had some opportunities to go. He’s a high IQ kid, very likely could be our valedictorian or right there. Kyler is going to play at Plattsburgh State, which is a really good fit for him. Really like their coach a lot. He came down and we’ve seen him a few times. I’m proud of those kids and what they have done to put our program on the map. They have been a huge staple of our success.”
Grejda led Fairport with 24 points and he had eight boards. Dergham had 16 points as five Fairport players scored in double figures in the game.
Nolyn Proudfoot wraps up one of the best seasons you’ll find. The sophomore is already closing in on 2,000 career points with two years left in high school.
“Nolyn is outstanding,” Johnston Jr. said. “He’s a gym rat, that’s what he does. He’ll be playing on Monday in the Stars and Stripes and then he’ll got out on the circuit and play against the best kids in the country. You’ll see his name someday. He’ll be the all-time leading scorere in Section 4 one day, no question in my mind. There is no one more deserving. Those guys he’s going to surpass, the Jimmy Ryder’s the Toby Foster’s, they are all over 2,000 points and Nolyn is right there already as a sophomore.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES
PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:
