West Liberty-Salem’s boys basketball team gained some breathing room in the league race with a 47-28 win over host Fairbanks on Friday.
Both teams were tied for first in the Ohio Heritage Conference North division, but the win moves the Tigers into sole possession of first with a 9-4 league record. The Tigers are now 10-5 overall. The Panthers slide to second in the OHC North at 8-5 and are 9-9 overall.
“The guys really stepped up tonight with their best defensive outing of the year,” said WL-Salem head coach Darrin Leichty. “It’s a big team win coming down the stretch.”
The score was tied 12-12 after the opening period. The Panthers edged the Tigers 5-3 in the second quarter to carry a 17-15 lead into halftime.
WL-Salem shut down Fairbanks in the second half. The Tigers went on a 15-4 run in the third quarter to grab a 30-21 advantage. The Tigers added a 17-7 run in the final period to ice the win.
Matthew Loffing paced WL-Salem’s offense with 16 points, Holden Nease tallied 13 points, Eli McGill had six points and Nick Burden and Jack Eggleston each added five points.
In junior varsity action, WL-Salem edged Fairbanks 28-26. Owen Johnson led the Tigers with 11 points and Tanner LeVan had seven points.
The freshman game saw Fairbanks win 28-26. Andrew Kimball led the Tigers with 17 points. WL-Salem hosts Graham today in a non-league Champaign County matchup. WL-SALEM 47
FAIRBANKS 28
WL-SALEM (11-5, 9-4)
Loffing 5 4-6 16; Burden 2 1-2 5; Eggleston 2 0-0 5; Nease 6 1-1 13; Harrison 1 0-0 2; McGill 3 0-0 6. Totals: 19 6-9 47. FAIRBANKS (9-9, 8-5)
Miller 2 0-0 5; Gilsterman 1 0-0 3; Luke 3 0-0 6; Schultz 0 1-2 1; Goat 3 0-0 7; Greene 1 0-0 2; Herbst 1 0-0 2; Brake 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 1-2 28. Tigers 12 3 15 17 — 47
Panthers 12 5 4 7 — 28
Three pointers: WL-Salem 3 (Loffing 2, Eggleston); Fairbanks 3 (Miller, Glisterman, Goat). Team fouls: WL-Salem 10; Fairbanks 9.