WESTPHALIA, Mo. - Time after time, the 3-pointers went up. And time after time, they bounced harmlessly away.
Utilizing an extremely effective and active zone defense, the Fatima Comets forced the Blair Oaks Falcons to take contested 3 after contested 3 in Saturday's Class 3 District 9 championship game.
When it was all over, the Falcons had made just 6-of-31 from beyond the arc, a large factor in the Comets earning a 67-55 win and a berth in the state playoffs.
"The top of our zone was so active," Fatima coach Ryan Robertson said. "I know (Blair Oaks) didn't shoot it well and it could have been a different outcome (if they had), but I thought we had a hand up a lot of times."
Blair Oaks coach Ryan Fick said his team's 19-percent effort from deep had more to do with the length of the Fatima players than the length of the shots.
"Their length bothered us the last time we played and that was a concern for us," he said. "We had hopes we would make more. ... When the guys on the top of your zone are 6-2 and 6-3 and your wings have great length, that's difficult for our guys. It just completely affects their vision - their vision of the basket, their vision of guys cutting through the lane. That's what it boils down to."
The shooting woes were evident from the start, as Blair Oaks was just 3-of-10 on 3s in the first quarter, and that included a half-court heave by Jordan Hair at the buzzer that gave the Falcons a 13-12 lead.
That shot, plus Fatima losing starter James Rakestraw to an ankle injury less than two minutes into the contest, had things looking like it might not be the Comets' night.
But the Falcons would make just 3-of-21 3s the rest of the way, and the injury actually worked out well for the Comets.
"Rakestraw going out with the injury honestly may have hurt us more as far as matchups go," Fick said. "Our bigs had to guard different types of guys, guys who could handle the ball, and they spread us out a little bit."
Rakestraw's replacement was Josh Holtschneider, who had a big bucket in each of the first two quarters.
"Credit Josh Holtschneider, what a night for him," Robertson said. "... (He) just played a monster game. He's able to handle the ball some, he took several charges, he's so long in the zone. He might have been the difference in the game."
The 3s were falling for one team, as Fatima hit three in the second quarter - two by Steven Brandt - and took a 28-23 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, it was time for Will Robertson to take over the game.
The Fatima senior repeatedly broke down the Blair Oaks defense, getting to the line four times - once as part of a three-point play - and had seven points in the frame as the Comets took a 42-37 lead.
"If he came in level-headed and could control his emotions and his fire - because the kid plays harder than any kid I've ever seen - if we could channel that, I thought we had a great shot (to win)," Ryan Robertson said. "He's just so hard to guard off the dribble, he really is. I don't know what he was from the line, but he hit enough that they weren't turnovers when he was fouled."
Will Robertson kept it up in the fourth quarter, scoring eight more points as the Comets slowly put the game on ice.
"(Robertson) is so strong, it's hard to guard," Fick said. "You're kind of at his mercy - when he gets into the lane, he's either going to finish or get fouled. We didn't really have much of an answer for him.
"In able to effectively guard him, you've got to help from somewhere, but they had guys who hit some big 3s at crucial times - (Hunter) Hennier hit one and (Michael) Fick hit one."
Fatima's biggest lead of the game came on a three-point play by Robertson with 3:57 left that made it 55-41. The Comets later matched it on a pair of Fick free throws that ran the lead to 57-43 with 3:10 remaining.
Robertson ended up with a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Nolan Huot had 17 and a game-high nine rebounds. Brandt added 13 points and Fick had seven points and eight rebounds.
Owen Luebbering had 16 points to lead Blair Oaks, while Cody Alexander had 12 and Hair added 10. Jason Rackers led the team with eight rebounds.
The Falcons end the season with a record of 19-9, while the Comets improve to 18-10. Fatima will play Mountain Grove (25-4), the winner of Saturday night's District 10 title game against Liberty: Mountain View (20-8) at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Missouri S&T in Rolla.
"Ryan (Fick) and I were talking before the game and neither one of us knew anything about them," Ryan Robertson said. "This was just one of those games where both programs' focus was on tonight. So we've got a lot of homework to do."