Alter’s best streak came at the right time in the fourth quarter to propel the Knights to a 70-61 win at their crosstown rival at Trent Arena.
Clinging to a four-point advantage and with Fairmont building momentum early in the fourth, freshman William Peagler Jr. quickly sparked the Alter offense.
A pair of driving layups began a 16-4 run over nearly four minutes as the Alter defense converted multiple stops into points at the other end.
“It’s just momentum and it’s runs,” Alter head coach Eric Coulter said. “We went through a stretch that we were a little bit what I would call stalling offensively. And take nothing away from their defense, they play really tough defense.”
Senior Grant Guess was held scoreless through the initial three quarters, but came alive when it counted. He scored eight points during the winning run, teaming with Peagler Jr. to trade backdoor baskets.
After Peagler Jr. was left alone near the block for a layup with 1:45 remaining, Alter (12-6) got a steal at the other end which led to a two-on-none break. Junior Peyton Bakos could have gone in uncontested, but instead looked back and dished it to Guess who slammed it home with two hands as the exclamation point.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“We stayed away from the ball screen action so we don’t get trapped and they can’t get anything, and then we were able to get a lot of backdoor cuts and things like that,” Coulter said. “Easy baskets and I thought our guys they did a fantastic job with that action.”
Peagler Jr. had 24 and made a season-best 11 field goals to lead three Alter players in double figures. Along with the spark in the fourth quarter, he began another 9-2 Alter run in the third with a pair of baskets to help the Knights overcome a halftime deficit.
“He’s been settled in for a long time with us, but William is a special player,” Coulter said. “There’s no question and as good as he is on the court, that’s how great he is to coach.”
Bakos scored 20 with four three-pointers, and junior Thomas Nicholas added 15 points for Alter.
Fairmont junior Jayden McGraw led all scorers with 31 points, the third time this season he has eclipsed at least 30 in a game. He had 20 points in the second half, but the rest of the Firebirds were only able to muster 11 and nine of those came from a trio of threes hit by sophomore Ashton Adams in the final minute of the game.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Fairmont head coach Eric Trent said it’s good to see the leading scorer and rebounder in the Greater Western Ohio Conference begin bouncing back from a down stretch, but they couldn’t string together enough around him Tuesday.
“We’re usually hitting shots and today we just couldn’t get enough stops in a row,” he said. “Normally watching [McGraw] motivates us to play well, and this was kind of the first game that’s ever really happened where we weren’t able to finish.”
Alter grabbed hold of the lead with a 13-0 run spanning the first and second quarters after both teams traded the lead early. Fairmont responded with its 12-0 stretch to go back in front as McGraw and senior Kam Thornton led the charge.
Fairmont (11-7) tied the game at 41 late in the third. A 7-0 burst by the Knights in the final 1:17 of the period capped by Nicholas hitting a three foreshadowed what was to come in the fourth.
“I felt like we battled back and forth early in the second half,” Trent said. “They were on their run and that was the difference in the game. We would turn it over a few times in a row or we couldn’t finish and then they took advantage of it.”
Alter hosts McNicholas on Friday as it looks to maintain its grasp on first place in the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed title race. Fairmont also returns to league play against Springfield on Friday at Trent Arena.
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