Chance Fazio and the Otters tough 2-3 zone defense were too much to handle for the Perham Yellowjackets on Friday night as Fergus Falls captured the Section 8AA boys’ basketball championship with a 45-35 victory over Perham in Pelican Rapids.
Defensively, the Otters held Perham to 33% (13-39) shooting and 20% (4-2) success from beyond the arc. They also held a 30-18 advantage on the boards.
Offensively, Fazio just missed a double-double with 22 points and 9 rebounds. He also registered 3 blocked shots in the game. Point guard Dominic Aguilar had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and Luke Newman grabbed 10 boards and dished out 3 assists. Fergus Falls shot 45.7% (16-35) from the field, made 3-of-10 (30%) 3’s and buried 10-of-15 free throws.
Photo credit - Dacia Stiles
Fergus Falls led 27-19 at the half and led most of the first half and the entire second half.
“It was a little bit of a rock fight tonight,” said Fergus Falls Head Coach Matt Johnson. “We were stuck on 27 or 28 points forever, but our guys never quit defending. For Finn Diggins or Elijah Morris to get a look was pretty difficult against our ‘D’. I also thought our bench was amazing tonight.”
Diggins led Perham with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Gabe Thompson had 8 points, all of them in the first half. Micah Thompson (5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) struggled from the field, making only 2-of-12 shots and Morris had just 5 points. Caden Schossow produced 5 points off the bench for the Yellowjackets.
The win was the eighth in a row for the Otters who will take a 15-7 record into the Class AA State quarterfinals on Wednesday night. Their opponent and the location of the game will be determined when the seeding takes place over the weekend.
Perham ends their season with a 16-6 record.
Photo credit - Dacia Stiles
Photo credit - Dacia Stiles
Photo credit - Dacia Stiles
