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| LADY EAGLES LEADING scorer Choicetta McMillian powers her way around a Carthage Lady Bulldogs defender in bi-district playoff action. |
Fairfield entered the game as the co-champions of District 19-AAA and Carthage was the third place team in District 20-AAA.
The Lady Eagles advance to the area game this Friday at Midway high school, facing the Taylor Lady Ducks, champions of 18-AAA. The Lady Ducks had a bi-district playoff round bye.
“I think our kids out performed those guys,” Fairfield head coach Tommy Fadal says. “They came out with a tempo and let them know we were going to get after them.”
In the opening period of the bi-district game, Choicetta McMillian and Courtney Morton hit for eight points each and Taylor Haynes kicked in seven to set the tone and put the Lady Eagles up 25-7 early.
“That was a fantastic quarter. You’re not going to score 25 points a quarter the whole game. You are not going to score 100 points a game in girls’ basketball,” Fadal says.
The Lady Bulldogs, however, had their own weapon in Chantilla Robinson who connected on a pair of 3-pointers and a field goal in the second period to pull her team within eight points at intermission, 38-30.
Fairfield cagers missed five shots in the second period, although Miss McMillian added eight more to her count, while five Lady Bulldogs contributed to their cause.
“We’ll take an 8-point lead at half-time in a playoff game anytime,” Fadal says.
Defense, for both teams, was the name of the game in the third period—-the Lady Eagles added just 11 points and held the Lady Bulldogs to a mere three points.
Fairfield cagers took their shots in the third and missed six, but the defensive efforts of the Lady Eagles held Carthage to just four field goal tries in the period, of which they made only one.
Both squads tallied nine points in the final stanza and the Lady Eagles, sitting on a 15-point lead, played keepaway for the last minute to seal a 57-44 win and advance to the next round of the post season playoffs.
Miss McMillian led Fairfield scoring with 24 points and was joined in double digits by Miss Haynes, 12 points.
Fadal reports that four of his five starters, Misses McMillian, Haynes, Morton and Joye McElroy, all shot over 40 percent from the field.
Other scoring in the playoff victory were: Morton, 8; McElroy, 6; Denise Brown, 4; Kiresten Cox, 2; and Raven Henry, 1.
The Lady Eagles shot 76.5 percent from the free throw line, making 13 of 17 attempts. Miss McMillian found the mark on all seven of her free throws.
Carthage scoring was led by Raven Tatum, 11 points.
Fairfield rebound leaders were Misses McMillian and Morton, eight apiece, and Kiresten Cox with seven.
“One of our unsung heroes is Kiresten Cox. She has turned into quite a rebounder,” Fadal says.
Fairfield cagers grabbed 33 rebounds against Carthage.
With a victory over Taylor at the area game Thursday evening, the Lady Eagles would move on to the region quarterfinal game that is scheduled for play Monday or Tuesday. Possible opponents are Diboll, Lorena and Hutto.