A 30-8 run gave #7 Southern Tech Prep a three-point second-half lead, but #3 Fishburne was able to bounce back down the stretch to post a 64-58 win in the finale of the FMS Holiday Inn Express Tip-Off Challenge on Saturday.
“We came out lackadaisacal in the second half, and they made us pay. Credit to the kids for digging deep and finding a little something extra down the stretch,” said FMS postgrad coach Jeff Schoenle.
Challenge MVP Kuran Iverson (Hartford, Conn., committed to Memphis) led the Caissons with 20 points, including sinking nine of his 10 free-throw attempts in the second half. Zach Lewis (Windsor, Conn.) added 13 points for FMS, which improved to 5-0 on the season.
“We responded by playing defense,” said iverson, whose 11 first-half points had keyed Fishburne to lead by as many as 19 in the first half before settling for a 33-19 lead at the break.
And yet it took a long three by Daniel Dixon (Great Falls, Va., committed to William and Mary) to bring the game back to even at 44-44 with 10:08 to go.
From there, it was the Iverson show, and the 6’10” forward was able to change the game without scoring a field goal in the game’s final 10 minutes. Iverson was able to drive to the lane and get to the foul line seemingly at will in crunch time.
Fishburne extended the lead back to eight at 58-50 on a pair of free throws by Chase Cormier with 5:09 left, but Southern Tech Prep was not done. A pair of technical free throws cut the margin to two at 60-58 with 1:40 to go, but Barnett Harris answered with a pair of free throws on his own moments later to extend the lead back to four, and after a Southern Tech Prep miss on its next possession, Dixon drained a pair of free throws with 9.4 seconds left to seal the deal.
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