Loyer, No. 5 Spartans Too Much For Tigers
December 4, 2021 at 5:34 a.m.
Loyer, No. 5 Spartans Too Much For Tigers
By Dale [email protected]
Six-foot-4 senior guard Fletcher Loyer of Homestead was as good as advertised, leading the Class 4A No. 5 Spartans to a 62-40 win over the host Tigers.
The Purdue University-bound Loyer didn’t score in the first six minutes of the contest, but finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with six rebounds.
After scoring five points in the final 1:55 of the first quarter, Loyer netted 16 of Homestead’s 18 second-quarter points, as the Spartans led 13-7 after one quarter of play and 31-22 at halftime.
“He’s the best player we’ll play this year,” Warsaw coach Matt Moore said of Loyer.
“He makes shots. He’s active with the ball, he’s active without the ball, he’s willing to pass it. He scored 31 points on 19 attempts. He was pretty good tonight.”
Loyer was 12 of 19 from the field overall, 5 of 9 from the arc, and converted 2 of 3 free throw attempts.
The Spartans also got 10 points each from 6-6 senior Andrew Leeper and 6-7 sophomore Tucker Day.
Both were 5 of 6 from the field in the 22-point win.
Homestead, now 2-1 on the season, outrebounded Warsaw 28-19, as the Tigers fell to 1-1.
“We got hurt on the backside a lot, and Homestead got seven offensive rebounds,” said Moore.
“Loyer passes the ball so well, and they had a couple other guys score in double figures, and kudos to them for finding the right guys and finishing.”
The Tigers, who opened the season Saturday with a win at Columbia City behind a 27-point performance from senior Judah Simfukwe, were just 12 of 36 from the field overall Friday and 3 of 11 from three-point range.
Simfukwe led Warsaw in scoring again, this time with 14 points, an effort that was aided by an 8-of-10 performance at the free throw line.
Junior Jaxson Gould chipped in with 11 points, while junior Russ Winchester finished with nine points.
Homestead scored the first five points of the game and never trailed, or allowed the Tigers to tie the score.
Warsaw will be back in action again tonight with a home game against Huntington North, a team that Homestead beat 50-38 on Nov. 24.
“We need to be tested in ways that we don’t get to see on a daily basis through our JV team, or maybe even in the summer time,” Moore said of facing a tough Homestead team and turning around with tonight’s game against Huntington North.
“This was an early window of looking in and saying ‘Ok, what do we need to do to get prepared to play in our sectional?’
“We’ve got a great defensive team coming in with Huntington North, and we've got some other teams from the region coming in. Our job is to be realistic of where we’re at with our skill level, and continue to grow that, and put our guys in position to have some success. It’s not my job to beat them up, it’s my job to pick them up and to let them know we still believe in them and they’ll be in position to win games along the way. Tonight just wasn’t that night.”
Six-foot-4 senior guard Fletcher Loyer of Homestead was as good as advertised, leading the Class 4A No. 5 Spartans to a 62-40 win over the host Tigers.
The Purdue University-bound Loyer didn’t score in the first six minutes of the contest, but finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with six rebounds.
After scoring five points in the final 1:55 of the first quarter, Loyer netted 16 of Homestead’s 18 second-quarter points, as the Spartans led 13-7 after one quarter of play and 31-22 at halftime.
“He’s the best player we’ll play this year,” Warsaw coach Matt Moore said of Loyer.
“He makes shots. He’s active with the ball, he’s active without the ball, he’s willing to pass it. He scored 31 points on 19 attempts. He was pretty good tonight.”
Loyer was 12 of 19 from the field overall, 5 of 9 from the arc, and converted 2 of 3 free throw attempts.
The Spartans also got 10 points each from 6-6 senior Andrew Leeper and 6-7 sophomore Tucker Day.
Both were 5 of 6 from the field in the 22-point win.
Homestead, now 2-1 on the season, outrebounded Warsaw 28-19, as the Tigers fell to 1-1.
“We got hurt on the backside a lot, and Homestead got seven offensive rebounds,” said Moore.
“Loyer passes the ball so well, and they had a couple other guys score in double figures, and kudos to them for finding the right guys and finishing.”
The Tigers, who opened the season Saturday with a win at Columbia City behind a 27-point performance from senior Judah Simfukwe, were just 12 of 36 from the field overall Friday and 3 of 11 from three-point range.
Simfukwe led Warsaw in scoring again, this time with 14 points, an effort that was aided by an 8-of-10 performance at the free throw line.
Junior Jaxson Gould chipped in with 11 points, while junior Russ Winchester finished with nine points.
Homestead scored the first five points of the game and never trailed, or allowed the Tigers to tie the score.
Warsaw will be back in action again tonight with a home game against Huntington North, a team that Homestead beat 50-38 on Nov. 24.
“We need to be tested in ways that we don’t get to see on a daily basis through our JV team, or maybe even in the summer time,” Moore said of facing a tough Homestead team and turning around with tonight’s game against Huntington North.
“This was an early window of looking in and saying ‘Ok, what do we need to do to get prepared to play in our sectional?’
“We’ve got a great defensive team coming in with Huntington North, and we've got some other teams from the region coming in. Our job is to be realistic of where we’re at with our skill level, and continue to grow that, and put our guys in position to have some success. It’s not my job to beat them up, it’s my job to pick them up and to let them know we still believe in them and they’ll be in position to win games along the way. Tonight just wasn’t that night.”
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