Fairfield Warde defeated Fairfield Prep 60-44 on its home floor to win the Fairfield Holiday Classic on Tuesday.

FAIRFIELD — It had been a couple of years since Fairfield boys basketball programs Warde and Prep have met. There was no holiday tournament last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And according to Warde coach Ryan Swaller, the teams had not played one another in the off-season summer or fall leagues. So when the two teams met Tuesday to decide the Fairfield Holiday Classic, it figured to be a low-scoring battle, and it was into the fourth quarter.

Then the Mustangs flexed their collective muscle, going on a big run to close out the game. Warde pulled away from Prep 60-44 on its home floor.

“They made big plays down the stretch and guys for them made shots,” Prep coach Mike Papale said. “You can’t have a lapse like that and beat a good team. You have to be able to play 32 minutes and I thought we played like 27 or 28. You want to beat a good team like that, you have to play well for 32 minutes.”

Jack Plesser on Fairfield Warde's big fourth quarter to help Warde beat Fairfield Prep to win the Fairfield Holiday Classic. #ctbb pic.twitter.com/kuN39r0wKQ

Warde (2-0) last won the holiday title in 2018. The Mustangs received a bye into Tuesday’s final when Notre Dame-Fairfield had to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols.

“I think in the fourth quarter, we got our bearings together,” Warde junior swingman Jack Plesser said. “Starting with the 3 (pointer) by David Melson, we started pushing the ball down the court, we started being more aggressive, we got to the lane more, we started hitting more open shots and I think they couldn’t handle our pressure (defense).”

Prep defeated Fairfield Ludlowe on Monday to reach the final

Tournament MVP Justyn Davis had a game-high 21 points. Plesser added 18 points, including 10 in the pivotal fourth quarter, when Warde closed out Prep (1-1) with a 17-4 run to pull away.

Jack Plessar with the basket for Warde off a steal. Mustangs lead Prep 54-43 with 232 left. #ctbb pic.twitter.com/QuQD35IaLV

Both Plesser and Davis are 6-foot-4, and their size helped wear down the smaller Prep team.

“Our guards are all 6-3, 6-4, so we have some length. We just need to rebound as a group,” Swaller said. “Jack probably altered five or six shots underneath the basket, as well as Justyn. Size, you can’t coach. You either have it or you don’t have it.”

The Jesuits had the lead at halftime (21-17). They kept playing at their pace and owned a pair of five-point leads in the third quarter.

Warde rallied to have the edge going into the final quarter. The Mustangs led 40-38 when Swaller called for timeout. Melson and Colin Vigeant hit back-to-back 3-point shots — their only ones of the game. Plesser then made a basket and Warde’s lead was eight, 48-40.

Demian Vial from Fairfield Warde with the nice shake-and-bake move in the 2nd quarter. #ctbb pic.twitter.com/2iXQJOOGjG

“As I tell David and Connor, ‘If you’re open, you’ve got to shoot it,’” Swaller said. “The momentum did switch. It gave us energy. We picked up the tempo to play at our pace. We want to play at a fast pace.”

Said Plesser: “David Nelson and Collin Vigeant, they are our two main shooters so when they got going, everyone gets more excited. When that happened, the Prep team couldn’t handle it. … From there, the momentum swung in our favor.”

Prep hurt its own cause by shooting 3 of 11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter after entering into the one-and-one bonus situation early in the quarter. The Jesuits shot 9 of 20 overall from the stripe.

Davis’ brother, Jordyn, also a 6-4 senior is on the roster, but hasn’t played in the first two games. Swaller said there is currently “no timetable for his return.” Both Davis brothers were academically ineligible last season.

David Melson and Collin Vigeant, Fairfield Warde: Hit back-to-back 3-pointers p- their only ones of the game, to give Warde some breathing room in the fourth quarter, en route to the win over Fairfield Prep.

joseph.morelli@hearstmediact.com; @nhrJoeMorelli

Fairfield College Preparatory School (1-1-0)

Max Manjos 0 2 1-2 7, Jack Petrafesa 3 0 0-0 6, Tommy Scholl 2 1 1-2 8, Michael Iannazzo 2 0 3-7 7, Griffin Harding 3 0 4-9 10, Alex Leporati 3 0 0-0 6

Justyn Davis 5 3 2-2 21, Demian Vial 4 1 0-0 11, Jack Plessar 8 0 2-2 18, Collin Vigieant 1 1 0-0 5, Braden Moore 1 0 0-0 2, David Melson 0 1 0-0 3