You only get one chance to win your first game as a varsity head coach and that feat was accomplished by Quentin Williams Tuesday night, Nov. 29.
Williams, 27, began his varsity coaching career in the best way possible, by leading his team, the Fairfield Lions, to a 50-49 overtime victory over the Washington Blue Lions.
Williams is no stranger to Washington High School as he is an Engineering teacher at the school.
“This is my first game and I actually teach here, too,” Williams said. “It’s a pretty special moment. I know all the kids. I have a lot of love for the kids on both sides. I don’t think the game could have gone any better, honestly, in my favor. It was down to the wire; a great game.”
“I felt like at times we made good offensive plays,” Washington head coach Shannon Bartruff said. “Defensively, I felt like in the fourth quarter and into the overtime we did a better job of communicating on a lot of their screens.
“This was a game I was worried about as a coach, because they have a lot of guys who can score the ball,” Bartruff said. “They can stretch you in the half court and shoot it. And they’ve got an elite scorer in Tytis Cannon.”
Cannon paced the Fairfield Lions with 20 points.
Senior Tanner Lemaster was the game’s leading scorer for Washington with 22 points.
“We held Tytis to two points in the fourth quarter and two in overtime, which, those were big,” Bartruff said. “It came down to offensive rebounds that we gave up.
“We’re just too sloppy with the basketball right now,” Bartruff said.
There was not much separating the two Lions squads.
Washington’s biggest lead in the game was five points (24-19) midway through the second quarter.
Fairfield twice led by four points, once in the first quarter (14-10) and again late in the third quarter (35-31).
It was rarely more than a two-possession game either way the entire night.
The Blue Lions led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.
It was 26-24 Washington at the half.
After 24 minutes of play, Fairfield was in front, 35-33.
Washington outscored Fairfield 13-11 in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
With 1:46 to play in regulation, Washington was in front, 46-44.
Tytis Cannon went to the free throw line for a 1 and 1 situation for Fairfield.
He made the first throw, but missed the second.
However, a lane violation on Washington allowed Cannon another attempt and he made it, tying the game at 46-46.
Washington had one final shot in regulation, which was no good.
Fairfield had the ball with 2.2 seconds, but turned it over, setting the stage for the four-minute overtime period.
In overtime, Tanner Lemaster score first for Washington.
On Fairfield’s first trip down the floor, they missed three shots, getting the offensive rebound each time.
The fourth shot attempt tied the game, 48-48.
John Wall made one free throw for the Blue Lions to put the home team in front, 49-48.
After a timeout by Fairfield, the Red and White Lions missed a shot.
Washington had a shot that was no good.
Fairfield went to the line, but missed the front end of the 1 and 1.
Washington had a shot with just over one minute remaining, but it was no good.
After another time out, Fairfield had a shot that went in and then out of the basket.
Fairfield fouled, but the Blue Lion player missed the front end of the 1 and 1.
Fairfield then missed a shot, but got the rebound and put back with 11 seconds to play.
Washington had to go the length of the floor following a time out.
The Blue Lions got a shot at the buzzer, which was no good.
Washington (2-1 overall) will open Frontier Athletic Conference play hosting Chillicothe Friday.
The freshman game is scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m.
Fairfield is at Eastern Brown Friday.
Blue Lions win j-v game over Fairfield
The Washington Blue Lions won the j-v game Tuesday, defeating Fairfield, 34-27.
For the Blue Lions, Noah Haithcock was the game’s leading scorer with 12 points.
Jeston Everhart hit two threes and had a total of 10 points.
Jacob Lindsay scored seven and Bryson Heath had five.
For Fairfield, Logan McIntosh led with eight points.
Jamie Lerio and Zavier Scott each scored five points, Britton Campbell had four points, Brady Fauber hit one three for three points and Dane Hodson scored two.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
W 15 11 7 13 3 — 49
F 14 10 11 11 4 — 50
WASHINGTON — Garrett Rickman 1 (1)-0-5; John wall 2-3-7; Michael Bearden 0-0-0 Brayden May 2-2-6; Raliegh Haithcock 2 (1)-0-7; Gabe Tayese 0-0-0; Tanner Lemaster 5 (3)-3-22; Isaiah Haithcock 1-0-2. TOTALS — 13 (5)-8-49. Free throw shooting: 8 of 10 for 80 percent. Three-point field goals: Lemaster, 3; Rickman, R. Haithcock. Field goal shooting: 18 of 47 for 38 percent. Turnovers: 16.
FAIRFIELD — Larkin Friend 1-0-2; Trey House 0 (1)-0-3; Wyatt Collins 2 (3)-0-13; Gabe Fouch 0-1-1; Tytis Cannon 6 (2)-2-20; T.J. Mootz 1 (1)-2-7; Gunner Bennington 2-0-4; Cade Miller 0-0-0. TOTALS — 12 (7)-5-50. Free throw shooting: 5 of 9 for 56 percent. Three-point field goals: Collins, 3; Cannon, 2; House. Field goal shooting 19 of 47 for 40 percent. Turnovers: 12.