FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio (Jan. 14, 2025) -- The Pirates were sunk by fourth-quarter free throws, as Rocky River was felled 56-52 in its annual rivalry tussle with the Fairview Warriors on Tuesday.
The home five attempted just one foul shot through the first three quarters, but Fairview would go a clutch 8-for-10 at the line -- offsetting a 2-for-10 mark from the field -- in the final frame of the Battle of Wagar/210. The performance at the charity stripe was led by juniors Will Allen (4-for-4) and Burke Lowry (4-for-6), and the Warrior surge on uncontested 15-footers capped off a taut battle rife with frequent lead changes.
After shooting 50% (6-for-12) with three triples in the second period, Rocky River (8-5) toted a 33-29 lead into halftime. Junior guard Jacob Radcliffe was dialed in from distance early and would finish with a game-high 20 points on the night. But Fairview (9-2) opened the third quarter with an 11-5 run; the Warriors took a 40-38 lead on a 3-pointer at 4:18 of the third.
The home five would carry a scoreboard advantage (44-41) into the fourth, but the Sons of Blackbeard bolted out of the gate in the final stanza with a 9-2 run. That spurt was capped off by a fast-break bucket at the 5:33-mark. But the Pirates would score just two more points the rest of the way in falling to the Warriors for a second straight season.
River shot just 25.8% (8-of-31) in the second half. Its 32.8% (20-for-61) shooting performance for the game marked its second-worst of the season (31.7% vs. Sandpoint-Idaho Dec. 28).
Radcliffe's 20 points were complemented by Michael Swallow's 13 and Brandon Nazette's nine. Danny Berg chipped in with seven points and five assists. Swallow added a career-high 14 rebounds. As a team, River was a plus-8 (41-33) on the glass and a minus-3 (12-9) in turnovers.
Allen finished with 19 points to lead the Warriors, who are now 5-1 since Dec. 23. Nolan Davis has 12P and 9R. Lowry posted 9P, 10R, and 6A.
The Pirates' next game will be Friday, when they open a stretch of six consecutive Cleveland West Conference games with a 7 p.m. home tilt against Buckeye.
by Skip Snow
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