Boys Basketball: Brookside falls behind early in disappointing loss to Fairview

FAIRVIEW PARK — Brookside had an opportunity Friday night, against an excellent Fairview team on the road, to make a statement heading into the postseason.Instead, the Cardinals were run off the court, losing 86-61 in a game that wasn't close after the first few minutes."Give them credit, they made their shots, and they got to the rim," said Brookside coach Larry Babics. "They were just way more aggressive on both ends than we were. And you're not going to beat good teams when a lot of your good players don't play well, and that's been a problem in all five of our losses."After the Warriors scored eight of the first 10 points, the Cardinals scored the next five to make it 8-7 just a few minutes into the game, and that was the last time they were within shouting distance.The Warriors began to pull away from there, and by the end of the first quarter they led 27-14.A 7-0 run to start the second quarter all but put away the game, and while the Cardinals got the lead down close to 10 a couple of times, they were unable to get it back to single digits, and a dominant fourth quarter led to a 25-point Warriors win."When you don't show up against good teams, you get these results," Babics said. "You've got to give them credit, but it was all about our lack of communication, not knowing what we're in and who we're helping off of, and it just starts to spiral out."While it was a tough night for the Cardinals, their standout performer, as has often been the case this season, was Mason Waechter.The star junior had 26 points, a great game on the boards and made a number of impressive defensive plays, including multiple huge blocks."I yell at Mason more than anybody," Babics said. "But he's the only one that showed up. And it's not just the points, it's the rebounding, trying to block shots, trying to help his teammates. We had a lot of guys that were stuck in the mud, mentally, and that gives you no chance against a team like this."The loss closed Brookside's regular-season record at an excellent 17-5, but after performances like the ones Friday and Monday — a 81-74 win over a struggling Vermilion squad — Babics has doubts about his team moving forward."We have a good record," he said. "But we're not a good basketball team. We're an average basketball team at best, and until we change that, we'll continue to lose to every good team we play."Part of fixing that is scheduling teams like Fairview in non-conference play, something that Brookside will continue to do."They've heard this speech for a lot of years," Babics said. "But the schedule ain't getting any easier. The non-conference gets harder every year, and we're going to sink or swim. But if we get this kind of effort and mentality, we're going to be one and done next week."Fairview 86, Brookside 61BROOKSIDE (61): Alex Arra 0-3-3, Davian Audifre 0-0-0, Ethan Blythe 5-1-12, Mason Waechter 7-8-26, Jake Holman 0-0-0, Danny Fries 0-0-0, Colton Casey 2-0-4, Zeke Lind 6-1-16, Alejandro DeLeon 0-0-0, Noah Muniz 0-0-0, Damon Brutout 0-0-0. Totals 20-13-61.FAIRVIEW (86): Burke Lowry 10-3-25, Savijan Harris 4-3-12, Will Allen 7-3-19, Malik Walker II 7-1-16, Cal Reis 1-0-2, Cade Bejcek 1-0-2, Rayden Fraser 0-0-0, Nathan Clark 0-0-0, Carter Reagan 1-0-3, Carter Holliday 2-0-4, Will Dachtler 1-1-3, Kyle Farkas 0-0-0, Aiden Hughes 0-0-0. Totals 34-11-86.Brookside 27 22 16 21 — 86Fairview 14 19 16 12 — 61Three point field goals: Brookside (Waechter 4, Lind 3, Blythe), Fairview (Lowry 2, Allen 2, Harris, Walker, Reagan). Field goals: Brookside 20-66 (30.3 percent), Fairview 34-67 (49.3 percent). Free throws: Brookside 13-23 (56.5 percent), Fairview 11-18 (61.1 percent). Rebounds: Brookside 31, Fairview 41. Turnovers: Brookside 9, Fairview 6. Team fouls: Brookside 14, Fairview 19.Junior varsity: Fairview 82, Brookside 53.