A rough and tumble third quarter nearly cost the Fayette boys their lead, but the Falcons were able to pound out their third win of the season on Friday at home over Lewis & Clark Conference rival Marceline, 71-60.

The win capped off a sweep over the Tigers for Fayette’s Courtwarming. The junior varsity and varsity girls both won, setting up the Falcon boys for the trifecta. And they didn’t disappoint. The Falcons played one of their best games in a hellish season fraught with ranked teams and contests in four different classes. 

Friday night’s game also had something else on the line: pride. Before stepping on the court, Fayette had only won two games, a physical matchup against L&C foe Paris and a seventh-place tournament game in New Franklin. For Marceline, things are far worse. The Tigers came to Fayette 0-18 with the intent to spoil the Falcons’ Courtwarming night.

For the Falcons, allowing Marceline their first win on the FHS court would have been an unacceptable outcome.

“We needed to have a win like that,” said Fayette coach Jon Bishop. “We are getting everybody’s best game. We’re not having the best season. But it’s a good win and a good way to finish on your home court on Courtwarming. I’m glad we were able to come out on top and do that tonight. It was really great.”

Fayette’s pride was on full display from the moment that sophomore Payton Oeth won the tipoff. The Falcons then scored on the opening possession when their other big sophomore, Carter Vroman, scored from the paint off a pass from junior Kevin De La Torre.

The two teams traded punches throughout the opening minutes of the game, with the Tigers taking an 8-5 lead with just under three minutes left in the quarter. But it was to be Marceline’s final basket of the period. Fayette then went on a seven-point run in the last 2:11 to enter the second quarter ahead 12-8.

The second period proved pivotal for the Falcons. DeLaTorre set the tone with back-to-back 3-point shots in the first 33 seconds to put his team in front by 10. 

“It was nice to get something out of Kevin DeLaTorre,” Bishop said. “It was big for momentum.”

Marceline outscored Fayette by one point throughout the rest of the second quarter. But Fayette maintained a 31-22 lead at halftime.

That nine-point disparity proved crucial, as Marceline found its footing and outscored Fayette 15-7 in the opening five minutes of the second half. A shot by Tiger sophomore Baylor Stearns made it a one-point game, 38-37.

The Falcon boys found another gear and stopped the bleeding by scoring 17 points in the last 2:47 of the period. The run was sparked by a three-point play from Vroman, who sank a bonus free throw with 2:47 on the clock. Back-to-back threes by senior Tristan Swanson and freshman Charles Alexander put Fayette back in front by 10. Meanwhile, the Falcon defense held the Tigers to just one more basket to take a commanding 55-39 lead into the final quarter.

“We were doing everything we needed to do; we were just struggling with shots,” Bishop said about the third quarter. “And [Marceline] battled. But I’m proud of the grit in being able to fight back.”

Fayette’s big men went to work in the final stanza with three straight baskets from Vroman and Oeth to go up by 22 points and all but put the game away. But the Tigers refused to lay down and fought back as Bishop cleared his bench to allow his underclassmen to realize some varsity minutes.

Marceline came as close as 11 points with 1:38 left to play after rattling off 10 straight points in less than 90 seconds.

“We were 20 points up, and I thought we would be able to sustain it. I probably pulled some guys a little quick. But things like that happen. And that’s on me,” Bishop said. “We still won. And I’m very proud of that.”

A basket and a free throw from freshman Colton Cross in the last 39 seconds fended off any last hopes from the Tigers of playing the upset.

Perhaps the most significant difference for Fayette was the breakout night of Charles Alexander. The sophomore came off the bench to match a team-high of 15 points, which he scored in just three quarters before he was forced to leave the game after suffering an injury while going up a transition layup. The brutal foul sent him to the bench, with teammate Tristan Swanson shooting free throws in his stead.

“We battled some physical play. But that’s what you get when you play a Marceline team,” Bishop said. “That’s always how they play. Really good at football. Really good at wrestling. And they take it to the basketball court sometimes.”

Alexander picked up nine of his 15 points in the second quarter and scored two of the team’s seven 3-point shots on the night.

De La Torre made three shots from the arc in the first half and finished with 10 points on the night. Junior Kaleb Friebe and Swanson combined for the team’s two other 3-point baskets. Friebe finished with seven points after struggling from the line with 2-for-6 free-throw shooting but had an outstanding night defensively.

Swanson added six points on a special night. At halftime, the senior was crowned King of the 2024 Fayette Courtwarming.

“It was nice for him to be able to get that,” Bishop said. “I thought he bounced back a little bit tonight, too. This is something to build off of. I thought we put some pressure on tonight, and Tristan had a lot to do with that.”

When it comes to scoring and rebounding, Fayette’s big men owned the glass, combining for 27 points and 31 boards. Oeth led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double, followed by Vroman’s 13 points, seven of which came in the third quarter.

Vroman also led the team on the boards with an astounding 21 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

“I took him out when I thought he had 20 rebounds,” Bishop said. “That is a goal of his. And I love that goal. I’m proud of him. He shows his athleticism, and he has a lot of heart.”

The Tigers were led in scoring by Barrett Stearns with a game-high 18 points, followed by Baylor Stearns with 14. 

Friday’s game was the final battle between Fayette and Marceline as members of the Lewis & Clark Conference. Both teams are leaving the 50-year-old L&C after this season. The Tigers will compete in the Grand Rivers Conference, while Fayette will join Harrisburg and six other teams to form the Central State 8 starting in the fall.

The loss drops Marceline to 0-19 overall, with two games left in the regular season. The Tigers have one final chance to pick up a conference win when they travel to Knox County (2-19) on Tuesday.

Fayette entered this week with back-to-back road games. On Monday, the Falcons nearly pulled off a win at Class 3 Brookfield, falling 57-54. With a record of 3 wins against 20 losses as of Monday night, Fayette was set to play two more regular-season games before heading to Glasgow for the Class 2 District 7 tournament next week. Only one of those two teams holds a winning record. That would be a talented Class 1 Brunswick team (17-7), which lost a one-point heartbreaker to rival Higbee for the CLAA Tournament title on Saturday.

The teams were set to tip off at 7:30 Tuesday night in Brunswick after the Advertiser went to press.

Fayette returns home on Thursday for the regular-season closer. The Falcons will host Jamestown (1-20) on Senior Night.

Next week, Fayette enters the district tournament as the seventh seed and will face second-seeded New Franklin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.