For Fairfax basketball, a close encounter of the worst kind

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Wednesday’s 71-70 double overtime loss to Westchester was the third time this season the Fairfax boys’ basketball team has lost a game by one point.

The loss brought about a tie in the Western League title race between Fairfax (21-4, 10-1) and Westchester (25-3, 10-1) and may have cost Fairfax a possible shot at the top-seeded position for the upcoming City Championship Division boys’ basketball playoffs.

It has to be even more frustrating when you consider what Fairfax did right in the game.

The Lions never let the Comets rev up their run-and-gun game, instead keeping the tempo somewhere between slow and snooze. They never let the score get out of hand -- on three occasions, Westchester led by four and its biggest lead was six. And Fairfax could have won the game if Lance Bailey made his two free throws with two-tenths of a second left on the game clock.

Fairfax could face similar pressure situations in the playoffs against a Taft or a Fremont, as well as a potential third meeting with Westchester. Can the Lions put these close encounters of the worst kind out of their minds if the games are this tight in the postseason?

Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani, who notes his team won a one-point game against Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick last Saturday, doesn’t believe it’s a problem.

‘When you lose by a slim margin, you go back to numerous plays in your mind,’ Harvey said. ‘But what I take away from those games is for us to improve our fundamentals and execute better. That’s what we need for the playoffs. They begin a week from Friday, and that’s when a new season begins.’

-- Mike Terry

-- Image from www.nyrond.org