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March 18, 2004Prep Basketball March 18, 2004Leland falls to FairviewByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Never up, never in. Fairview, in search of its first regional basketball title in several decades, never trailed on Wednesday in a 56-49 victory over Leland at Traverse City West. The Eagles (14-8) face Bellaire in Friday's regional championship. "Who knows," Fairview coach Rich Ebert said about his player's claiming its been 60 years since the Eagles' last regional crown. "That might be right. We just need to play hard (on Friday) and not worry about it." The Comets, which finished their season at 14-10, did make things interesting in the end. Leland, which trailed by 17 points late in the second quarter, tied the contest at 40-40 with 5:09 to play. But Fairview got a 3-pointer from wide-body senior center Cole Handrich to go back in front. Leland closed the gap to one with 4:15 left, but Fairview's Bryan Marble answered with a 3-pointer. The Comets were within two with 3:36 left before Handrich drained his fourth triple of the contest. "That's the dagger right there," Leland junior Derek Telgard said. "He had one of those nights," Ebert said. "He hit some big shots and he hit some key shots in the fourth quarter. A few of those were where you really don't want him to take it, but you're pleased when it goes in." Leland, which lost in the quarterfinals last year, was obviously frustrated at bowing out earlier this season. "I have a quote for you, 'We lost,' " said Leland coach Jason Stowe, who then proceeded to leave the gymnasium, get on the bus and leave without another word. The first half was all Fairview and it was Handrich that got the Eagles going. With the score tied 2-2, Handrich hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Fairview led 18-8 after the opening period and 32-19 at halftime. "We did not come to play in the first half at all," Telgard said. "We were totally flat. We came back, got it tied up and just let it get away. "Their defense really bothered our guards. They made us force a few things. We forced some entry passes into Buddy (Kenney). They pressured us and made us uncomfortable, which is what you have to do." Leland came out in a full-court press to start the second half and it worked. The Comets scored the first eight points of the third quarter and out-scored Fairview 15-6 in the period. But the Eagles were able to carry a 38-34 advantage into the final stanza and answered every one of Leland's attempts to gain an advantage down the stretch. "We responded real well to their comeback," Ebert said. "I was wondering how we would react when they tied it up. The kids hung in there, hit some key baskets, got some big rebounds and got a few key stops." Telgard led Leland with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kenney added 14 points - despite early foul trouble - while Joe Harrison added 10 points and eight boards. Handrich finished with 20 points to pace Fairview. Justin Taylor chipped in with 14 points and Bryan Marble 11.
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