BRIDGEPORT, W.Va — Bridgeport came off of its two week layoff on Wednesday night by leaving Fairmont Senior frozen in the polar vortex, as the Indians dismantled their rival 73-40 on Wednesday night. The win avenged a 54-53 loss to the Polar Bears on the final day of December.
”We felt like we let one get away from us down there,” Bridgeport coach Mike Robey said. ”Our kids have been talking about this game ever since the snow has been flying, so this is a big win for us.”
Any rust that Bridgeport (8-3) might have had from not playing in two weeks was left in the locker room, as the Indians jumped out to a 24-8 lead heading into the second quarter. Bridgeport’s full-court pressure suffocated the Polar Bears, forcing numerous turnovers that led to easy buckets on the other end.
“Our kids came out very focused on the defensive end,” Robey said. “We wanted to be sure we were the team playing the hardest tonight, and not taking anything away from Fairmont Senior, I think we were.”
John Wilfong was the recipient of all of those easy buckets in the first quarter, as he scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the opening stanza – he also went 5 of 6 from the free throw line in the win.
“Johnny knows if he gets out and runs, Donald (Kummer) and Chase (Robey) have their heads up constantly and they’re going to find him for easy shots,” Robey said. “If one of our kids scores 23 points, it’s usually the result of a team effort.”
Chase Robey ended the night with 12 points for Bridgeport, while Hunter Haddix and Ryan Sprouse each chipped in with nine points in the victory.
Fairmont Senior’s (4-6) two leading scorers on the year could never get going against the zone pressure. Tavon Horton and Darhius Nunn each were held to just six points on the night. Joseph Leon led the Polar Bears with nine points in the loss.
“We spent a lot of time the past few days mainly on defense, because I’m a believer you win or lose the game on defense,” Robey said. “We worked really hard on dribble penetration and that was the key.”
Bridgeport will travel to Elkins on Friday, while Fairmont Senior will travel to East Fairmont on the same night.