Fiorito shines at both ends of the floor in title game

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 3/21/17

At the beginning of the season, the Hendricken basketball team had plenty of question marks. One of the biggest questions was - Who was going to take over point guard duties with the graduation of senior standout Kyle

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Fiorito shines at both ends of the floor in title game

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At the beginning of the season, the Hendricken basketball team had plenty of question marks.

One of the biggest questions was – Who was going to take over point guard duties with the graduation of senior standout Kyle Henseler?

Sophomore Bobby Fiorito was slotted in at that position to start the season and, despite enduring some ups and downs, he continually progressed and became more confident as the season wore on.

On Sunday on the biggest stage of the season, Fiorito’s confidence peaked.

The first-year starter ignited the Hawks with his timely scoring, free throw shooting and lockdown defense in a 66-55 victory over Shea for the state championship at The Ryan Center.

“Bobby has shown tremendous growth and maturity throughout the season,” Hendricken head coach Jamal Gomes said after the title-clinching victory. “I think this was a culmination of us coaches telling Bobby ‘When you want it and you work hard, this is what can happen.’ I’m so happy for him because he’s come so far.”

In the first half of the title game, Raiders’ freshman point guard Erickson Bans scored seven points and created opportunities for teammates with his speed and passing ability.

As a result, the Hawks trailed by three points after the first 16 minutes, and Fiorito knew he had to step up to minimize Bans’ production.

He did just that.

Bans netted only two irrelevant field goals after the break – a lengthy 3 with Fiorito in his face and a driving layup with the game already in hand.

“The game plan, I’ve known Bans for a long time and he’s a great scorer, so it was just to stop him,” Fiorito said of his mindset in the second half. “We just wanted to stop him, get the ball out of his hands and force other people to score.”

It wasn’t just Fiorito’s defensive prowess, though.

He was efficient from the field and was able to knock down his free throws en route to netting a game-high 21 points.

Fiorito only had five points in the first half, but he scored the most crucial bucket of the half for the Hawks – a deep 3 at the buzzer to cut the Shea lead down to three heading to the locker room.

In the second half, Shea couldn’t contain him.

Fiorito went on to score 16 of his 21 points over the final 16 minutes of play, scoring in a plethora of ways to help the Hawks create a cushion on the scoreboard.

Hendricken certainly had its struggles at the offensive end in the first half, so Fiorito took it upon himself to get his team going.

“I knew someone had to do something, so I just did my best to see what I could do,” Fiorito said.

The point guard position was a question mark heading into the season but, by the end of the winter, Fiorito erased doubt in anyone’s mind.

There’s no question that he had the knack for coming through in big spots.

His buzzer-beating 3 in double overtime against Mount Pleasant a couple weeks ago led the Hawks on a journey to a Division I championship.

And, on Sunday, his 21-point effort secured the state crown for he and his teammates, as Fiorito received MVP honors.

“I do, a lot,” Fiorito simply answered when asked if his confidence had been building all season leading up to Sunday.

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