When all was said and done, only the fans in red and black were still cheering a 59-48 victory.
“Our kids just found a way, possession after possession, to just give it all they could and all they had,” Wayne coach Nathan Martindale said. “And as a coach, it’s just beautiful to see because I felt like this group of kids deserve that. You know what I mean? They deserve that opportunity. They worked really, really hard, and to see them get their moment, and to step up and take it to another level and get it done, it was just a blessing to be able to be a part of that.”
No. 2 seed Wayne led 14-12 at the end of one, but the No. 4 seed Firebirds dominated the second stanza, including a 6-0 run to close the frame and go up 32-22 heading into the locker room.
Fairmont stretched the lead to as much as 13 in the third quarter, but the Warriors used a 13-2 run to get within two points with under two minutes to go.
Wayne senior Jay’Sean Price started the comeback with a layup, and junior Isaiah Thompson continued it with a steal and a layup after Martindale decided to turn up the pressure on defense.
“We really just scrapped the game plan, and I just challenged my kids just to play as hard as they could for each possession, and that was kind of the mentality going into it,” Martindale said.
The Firebirds (11-12) got one back before the end of the quarter to take a 41-38 lead into the fourth, but Thompson brought the Warriors within one with a free throw then put them on top with a steal and a breakaway layup.
Fairmont senior Brock Baker drew a blocking foul and made two free throws to put the Firebirds back on top by a point with 4:57 left, but Wayne scored the next six and never trailed again to earn a return trip to Vandalia to face No. 12 seed Sycamore on Saturday.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
The Warriors improved to 14-8 despite All-GWOC point guard Myles “Boots” Perkins being slowed by injury. He did not play in the fourth quarter, but Thompson (14 points) and Price (21 points) picked up the slack.
“Isaiah Thompson, you know we are the Warriors, but he was a warrior tonight,” Martindale said of his the 5-10 junior who was also a standout running back on the football team. “Just his toughness, and he’s about as strong as a kid I’ve ever coached. If you go up and try to grab him by the shoulders or whatever, he’s super strong.”
Thompson also drew the defensive assignment against Fairmont senior guard Evan Gentile, the GWOC Player of the Year, who scored 14 points before fouling out late.
When he was on the bench, Thompson switched onto Baker, the all-conference quarterback who also scored 14.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
“I couldn’t really give him a sub down the stretch, and he just played his heart out,” Martindale said. “I think all those guys love and care about each other, and I think that was evident. (Perkins) couldn’t play as much as he would like in the second half, and they were going to do that for him. And I just felt like I could see, and I could feel it as a coach, and it’s a proud moment.”
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