It was a slow offensive start for five-star forward Flory Bidunga and his Kokomo teammates as Fishers shot their way to a substantial early lead.
Bidunga was quickly met with constant double teams and rotations towards him, which led to multiple fast break points for the Tigers.
Although the doubling worked early, Bidunga was able to easily surpass the total he had in his first match up against Fishers at the Forum Tip-Off Classic.
It was an early catalyst from junior forward Nathan Baker who subbed in and got a quick four points and a steal mid-way through the first quarter.
This small swing of momentum was able to give the Tigers enough momentum to hold them throughout the game.
Although the Wildkats were never fully out of it, Fishers just kept extending their lead until the final buzzer sounded.
Junior guard JonAnthony Hall excelled in help defense and getting to the rim in transition, while freshman guard Cooper Zachary was able to keep the half-court offense alive throughout the second half as they held onto significant leads.
Senior guard Taden Metzer was able to live outside the three-point arc and made easy work of doing so as he finished the night with 18 points.
Junior Kokomo guard A’daveyon Young was able to pull the Wildkats close as he went bucket-for-bucket with Metzer during the fourth quarter, but ultimately Metzer’s quick trigger along with his smooth jump shot paced the Tigers to a 66-52 victory.
“It is all glory to god,” Metzer said. “I do a lot of mental preparation [through] prayer, before and during the game I will recite bible verses to myself. I really feel like the piece of God and Jesus with me, it is a beautiful feeling. I am grateful to be apart of this [team], going to war with my guys is a blessing.”
In front of nearly 8,500 fans from across the state packed into the nations largest high school fieldhouse, Fishers was able to continue their greatest season in school history.
“We feel like we have nine or 10 guys that can come and contribute for us — which is why we won tonight,” senior forward Keenan Gardner said. “I am very proud to be apart of this team, but we are not close to being done yet.”
FINAL SCORING
Fishers
Taden Metzer — 18 points
Keenan Gardner — 13 points
JonAnthony Hall — 12 points
Cooper Zachary — 7 points
Justin Kirby — 5 points
Nathan Baker — 4 points
Millen McCartney — 4 points
Jason Gardner — 2 points
Kokomo
Flory Bidunga — 20 points
A’daveyon Young — 9 points
Zion Bellamy — 6 points
Korbyn Hammel — 5 points
Andrew Barker — 4 points
Karson Rogers — 4 points
Reis Beard — 2 points