Recap
WICHITA, KS – It was another dominant performance by the Fire on Friday night as they beat the Wichita Skykings 152-126 to stay perfect on the season.
Playing without starters K.D. Moore (abdominal/groin injury) and Deshawn Munson (hand injury), the Fire needed other guys to step up and they did as seven players scored in double figures to pace the Fire to a wire-to-wire victory.
“Without K.D. and Deshawn we needed other guys to really play well, and they did,” said Fire head coach Mark Dannhoff. “It was good to see us get out to a fast start tonight. We also got to play with some new lineups and see some new combos.”
The Fire got off to a hot start on Friday scoring the game’s first six points. They were able to extend that lead out to nine (39-30) at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Fire put the game away. They scored 49 points in the second quarter and shot over 71% from the field in the second. Throughout the first half, the Fire dominated inside, scoring 64 points in the paint. For the game, the Fire scored 110 points in the paint.
“We did a great job working the ball inside,” said Dannhoff. “We were aggressive getting the ball inside and did a great job turning our defense into offense. Our offense is at its best when we are attacking inside, and we did that well tonight.”
Individually, Ricky Artis II scored 41 points, tied for fourth most in a single game in Fire history. Artis also had six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Chuck Guy had another MVP-worthy game with 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
“Ricky and Chuck were great tonight,” said Dannhoff. “Ricky has been arguably the best sixth man in the league this season. He just does so much to help our second unit. We’ve needed him to start the past couple of games and he showed why he’s one of the most versatile players in our league. What else can I say about Chuck? He’s been the best player in this league for a long time and keeps showing repeatedly what a high caliber player he is.”
Isaiah Wade finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. Jachai Simmons finished with 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists. T.J. Maston had 15 points and five rebounds on the night as he got the start in place of Munson. Ruston Hayward nearly finished with a triple-double off the bench with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Finally, Paul Harrison finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in his first real action as a member of the Fire this season.
A full box score is available here.
With the win, the Fire improved to 18-0 on the year. Up next, the Fire will host the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks next Thursday, May 23. That game will tipoff at 7 PM inside FireLake Arena in Shawnee. You can watch a live stream of the game on TBL TV or listen to the game on KGFF Radio (100.9 FM/1450 AM/KGFF.com).
Story by Chris Cox / Photos by Garret Fisbeck