Fairview boys basketball wins OT thriller over streaking Monarch
BOULDER — After missing two crucial free throws that would have put his team ahead towards the end of regulation, Chris Arehart sunk eight-straight baskets from the charity stripe to get the win in overtime.
“I was really mad I missed those two,” Arehart said. “I reset my mind, and didn’t miss again.”
Arehart scored a career-high 17 points as Fairview outlasted No. 9 Monarch in a 68-64 overtime thriller on Friday. Fairview now sits in third place in the 5A Front Range with a league record of 3-1.
Monarch led Fairview in each of the first three quarters. In the fourth, trailing 46-42, Fairview outscored Monarch 11-7 to extend the game into another four minutes of overtime. Fairview scored the first basket, and put up a lot of quick points, but Monarch wouldn’t go away. Jay MacIntyre, of Monarch, had nine points in overtime — including an NBA-range 3-point shot. However, Monarch would only finish with 11 to Fairview’s 15 points in overtime.
Fairview senior captain Gabe Tierney, who has averaged 16.6 points this season, recorded 22 points against Monarch. After scoring 15 points in the first half, Monarch held Tierney to zero in the third. He picked his game back up by nailing a 3 and getting a two-point field goal to drop in the fourth, and then got another one to drop in extra minutes.
“Everyone on the team heard each other,” Tierney said. “Even when we missed two free throws or a big shot, our team kept each other up. That was huge for me. Going into overtime we knew we could win.”
Last season, Monarch and Fairview split the season series 1-1 on the road.
“It’s turned into a healthy rivalry,” Fairview coach Frank Lee said. “We have a lot of respect for their team, and their kids. They’re a real good ball club, and we think we’re not far off from that.”
Coming into Friday’s game, Monarch had won nine-straight games before facing Fairview. The two teams will meet again on the final game of the regular season on Feb. 22.
“There is a lot of ground to cover between now and then,” Lee said. “We have to play Boulder (Saturday) and (top-ranked) Fossil Ridge next week. We will cross (Monarch) when we get there. Until then, we will take it one game at a time.”
