Willis leads Fayetteville to title game

VAN BUREN -- A Providence Academy defender grazed Payton Willis' hand as he released a 3-pointer early in the second quarter of Van Buren's Citizen Bank Classic semifinal game on Thursday. Willis' shot didn't hit anything, falling well short of the rim. "Hey, he's a pretty good shooter, don't think he just missed it like that," Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said from the sideline. He wasn't wrong. It was Willis' first miss of the game. He didn't miss many more. The senior Vanderbilt signee scored a game-high 27 points to lead Fayetteville to a 62-50 win over a scrappy Providence team. Willis made 8 of 13 shots as the Bulldogs (4-0) pulled away early in the second half and held Providence at bay late in their closest victory of the young season. None of Fayetteville's first three wins were closer than 30 points and its average margin of victory was 39.7 entering Thursday. "It was good for us to have to fight for one," Adams said. "We're going to have to fight the rest of the year. Our schedule, I think each game is going to get harder and harder." Providence (5-1) was within 30-25 at halftime thanks in large part to junior SK Shittu. The skilled 6-foot-9 forward made 5 of 6 shots and scored 11 points in the first two quarters. But that changed in the second half. Fayetteville took control, going on a 14-0 run over the final six-plus minutes of the third quarter to turn a four-point game into a 48-30 lead. Providence cut its deficit to seven late, but never seriously threatened as Shittu only attempted two shots in the second half. "He was probably a victim of his own success," Providence coach Austin Bivens said. "We told him at halftime, you've got to get the block. Because we saw them start to adjust in the second quarter. They did a really good job pressuring high, so it was hard for us to get him the ball where we wanted. We're not wanting him to get it 15 to 18 feet away." On the other end, Fayetteville spread the floor throughout the game, opening up driving lanes, which in turn led to open 3-pointers. The Bulldogs made their first four shots, which included 3-pointers by three different players. The shot didn't always fall, but the hot start was indicative of the open looks the offense generated throughout the game. Senior forward Josh Breathitt scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and knocked down three 3-pointers, his presence helping to create the spacing that made Fayetteville so effective. "It helps that Josh can stretch the floor like he does because SK can't switch, he can't hedge and Josh can step out and hit jump shots," Adams said. "It makes a big difference. ... Right now we're spreading the floor so well and shooting it so well." Shittu finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Providence, while Lukas Durasas scored a team-high 15. Fayetteville will face Van Buren in the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

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Fayetteville High School Athletics

WILLIS LEADS FAYETTEVILLE TO TITLE GAME

JIMMY CARTER

NWADG | 12/4/2015

PHOTO CREDIT: Fayetteville Athletics