For the Fishermen of Fisher Hall this was an exclamation point on a fantastic season and the ultimate culmination for a solid group of seniors. As time ran out, senior Derek Francis hit his first field goal of the game from way beyond the three-point line. His elation and excitement was indicative of the entire team and the fans that came out to support them.
Chris Kelly, a junior for the Fishermen, was just happy that he could have been a part of getting the seniors the win. Nick O’Neill, a senior said, “We’ve been close for the past 3 years, and this was a great way to end it.” Kelly had a huge contribution to the team’s victory, but took no credit, “Ted Bruce should be getting the interview. He was ice from everywhere on the court. From the three-point line to the free throw line. He was also great on defense, our whole team was.”
The Fisher defense was instrumental in the victory Kelly said, “We have to give credit to Keenan. We heard they had great players like Ryan Dunbar, and our whole defense really stepped up and stopped them.” Mike O’Neill echoed those statements, “it was a team effort, and everyone really stepped up and had a big performance.” While excited by their victory, O’Neill hoped that this could be the start of a dynasty for Fisher. He is one of three seniors leaving, but he is optimistic for next year, “we have a good group of young kids, so watch out for Fisher next year.”
For Keenan, it was a disappointing end to almost a perfect season. Ryan Dunbar was upset but gave credit to Fisher and his teammates, “They made big shots when they had to and we didn’t execute as well as we planned.” They were actually in the lead early in the game, but they saw their lead dwindle and eventually Fisher caught up and tied them at halftime at 26. From there Fisher took off and never looked back.
Dunbar attributed Fisher’s success to their play in the second half, “They went on a run and we couldn’t make the plays to stop it. But I’m really proud of our guys. The effort and the hustle were there, but the shots weren’t there. And we missed a couple of assignments on defense. But we gave ourselves a chance to win, which is ultimately all you can do.”
Hopefully Keenan can come back to the championship next year. Although they will be losing 3 starting seniors, Dunbar hopes that the experience that the underclassmen gained this season will help lead them back again.
The final score from Purcell was 51-36 to Fisher. Congratulations to Fisher Hall, Men's Interhall Basketball Champs! Stay tuned next week as we feature the Men’s Interhall Ice Hockey championships. Photos available from the event are available on the RecSports Facebook.
Byron Henry, RecSports Marketing Communications
Photos courtesy of Adam Zedler, RecSports Intramurals/Marketing Communications
