Cleveland Earns Respect Despite Loss to Fairfax

It was a nail-biting, stomach-wrenching, breath-holding City Championship quarterfinal playoff game Wednesday night between top-seeded Fairfax and those supposedly outmanned Valley guys from Cleveland High.

“I didn’t expect them to be that good,” said Joseph Shipp, Fairfax’s standout guard.

It took six consecutive free throws in the final 25 seconds by Shipp and point guard Stan Thorne for the host Lions (23-5) to hold off Cleveland, 66-61.

Fairfax will play Westchester in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Showing no fear and no hesitation, the Cavaliers (21-5) aggressively went after the Lions. They fell behind, 31-19, early in the second quarter but repeatedly fought back.

An effective 2-3 zone in the second half caused Fairfax to miss several outside shots. The Cavaliers would grab the rebound, then convert.

When Kent Dennis made an arching three-point basket with 6:55 left, the score was tied, 50-50, and the crowded gym suddenly got noisy. Twice Fairfax opened five-point leads, but each time the Cavaliers responded.

Grant Pledger connected on a three-point shot to cut the Lions’ lead to 57-55 with three minutes left. Kenny Mason hit a three-point basket with 1:09 left, slicing the lead to 60-58.

Then came the Lions’ perfection at the free-throw line. Thorne made two free throws with 25 seconds to go, Shipp made two with 9.9 seconds remaining and Thorne added two with one second left.

“We just couldn’t come through at the end,” said Dennis, who finished with 20 points and had tears in his eyes after turning in another superb performance in his final high school game. “The shots wouldn’t fall and they made theirs.”

Shipp, a 6-foot-5 senior who’s considering USC, Clemson, Wake Forest and Oregon State, scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jason Morrissette added 16 points and Thorne had 13.

Shipp and others offered renewed respect for the Cavaliers, the West Valley League champions who won 12 consecutive games but were seeded only No. 8 in the tournament.

“They just played like they wanted to win,” Shipp said.

Said Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani: “You know what kept them in the game? It was a mental toughness by a couple of their players.”

Eric Bush contributed three baskets in the third quarter for Cleveland, which also received strong performances from Larry Knox and Pledger.

“The guys played their hearts out,” said Cleveland co-Coach James Morris. “No regrets. They gave me everything they had.”