Top-ranked Fishers improved to 19-0 and extended its win streak to 32 games Thursday after rallying late to escape No. 5 Westfield with a 67-64 road win.
As the Tigers struggled to keep pace and trailed 48-39 heading into the fourth quarter, sophomore Jason Gardner Jr. was determined to bring a spark to the offense. Gardner ignited the fourth-quarter comeback by draining an open 3-pointer, then finished the fast break with a layup to bring the Tigers within two possessions.
Gardner led the Tigers with 20 points, including 11 points and a trifecta of assists in the final frame to complete the comeback. Fishers’ leading scorer, the son of 1999 Indiana Mr. Basketball Jason Gardner Sr., is averaging 16 points on 60% shooting from the floor.
Fishers outscored Westfield 28-16 in the final frame to remain undefeated. The Tigers forced tough shots and aggressively attacked the boards to finish possessions in crunch time. With under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Fishers senior Justin Kirby hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 60-57 lead they would not relinquish. The Miami (Ohio) commit finished with 18 points and delivered from the charity stripe to emerge victorious.
The Tigers pounced to an early 7-0 lead by blitzing in full-court press to force early turnovers. Westfield (12-3) stormed back midway through the first frame, scoring on four consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 9-8. The Shamrocks caught fire from beyond the arc once Drew Haffner and Rylan Rauch connected on consecutive 3s to seize the momentum, then Brock Detamore beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 3 from the top of the key to give Westfield a 19-18 lead.
Haffner went berserk from deep in the first half, hitting his third 3-pointer from the Westfield logo as the Shamrocks took a commanding 34-24 lead into halftime. Midway through the third quarter, Westfield’s leading scorer drilled a fadeaway 3-pointer while falling to the floor and drew the foul to increase the Shamrocks’ lead to double digits.
The Tigers’ rotation features seven returning players with experience from last season’s state title run, including Gardner and fellow sophomore sharpshooter Cooper Zachary. Last March, Fishers beat defending state champion Ben Davis 65-56 to claim its first IHSAA boys basketball state title inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fishers’ outstanding senior class is led by Kirby and Indiana Mr. Football JonAnthony Hall, who is committed to play football at Stanford. All five seniors expect to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, including Indiana Wesleyan commit Millen McCartney and Taylor commit Nathan Baker.
The Tigers have stood atop the USA Today Indiana boys basketball rankings all season, receiving all first-place votes possible through Feb. 3. As the 2024-25 basketball season enters the home stretch in the final month of the regular season, a tough road win sets up the Tigers to carry the win streak into the premier Midwest showcase in Illinois. Nationally-ranked No. 10 Fishers faces Peoria Manuel (Ill.) at the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout on Saturday.