It is a rare treat to watch a high school basketball player who has scored 1,000 points in his career. Even more rare is the opportunity to watch two players square off against each other after they have scored 1,000 points in their careers. The rarest of treats, however, is to watch two high school players, who have achieved that milestone as juniors, play against each other. Fans attending the game between the Harrisburg Bulldogs and Fayette Falcons on Wednesday night were treated to just that in the 59-50 Falcon win.

Fayette senior Kyle Schleeter became a member of that elite club during the 2019-20 season. Harrisburg junior Tanner Lanes hit the mark just last week. As the Bulldogs and Falcons went into the game, Lanes and Schleeter’s prolific scoring promised to make Wednesday’s an exciting game. They did not disappoint.

The teams battled back and forth during the first quarter with Harrisburg leading 11-7 after eight minutes. Fayette then went cold for the first two minutes of the second, not scoring until Schleeter hit two free throws at 5:57. The two teams exchanged baskets throughout the rest of the stanza with Fayette coming out on top at the half 24-22.

“That’s the seventh-ranked team in Class 2,” said Fayette coach Jon Bishop. “We knew it was going to be every possession, every trip down the floor type of game and it was.”

Then Falcons battled basket-for-basket with Harrisburg until drawing ahead by five with 3:41 left in the third quarter. They would never again relinquish the lead, although the Bulldogs did not rollover. The outcome of the game was in question until late in the fourth quarter when Fayette pulled away to finally win.

“I’m proud of the way our guys played. We couldn’t show any more heart than what we just showed right there,” Bishop said after the game. “As long as we keep playing like we did there, we’re going to be just fine.” The win improved Fayette’s record to 8-4 while Harrisburg dropped to 9-3 on the season.

Focusing on defense as well as offense, worked out well for Fayette. “We were very disciplined. We went after every loose ball, we boxed out, and closed out all the shooters,” Schleeter said. “I focus on my defense more than my offense. If you focus on your defense, soon your offense will come through.”

Schleeter led all scorers with 29 points just missing his second 30-point game in a row. He is now averaging 23.8 points per game. His focus on defense was evident as he earned the double-double with 11 rebounds and added six steals.

Senior Cody Hilgedick added 11 points while Dalton Collins tossed in six. Sophomore Chase Allen hit for five and senior Zach Henderson and sophomore Ben Wells each scored three. Junior Tyler Bartholomew got two to round out the scoring for Fayette. Once again, Fayette’s scoring was distributed throughout the team with seven of 10 players in the scoring book.

Harrisburg coach Kyle Fisher’s Bulldogs also had a balanced attack with Lanes leading the way with 18 points followed by junior Jace Carr with 11 and sophomore Brayton Stephenson with 10. Sophomore Anthony Alicea posted four while classmate Brayden Ott scored three. Senior Wyatt Robinson and junior Trevor Wheeler each contributed two on the night.