The Fairfield Lady Eagles won the first two playoff rounds with convincing victories and are one game away from the Region III tournament.
Fairfield travelled to Hewitt Midway High School on Monday, the site of that Region III tournament, to take on District 19-3A fourth place finisher Florence Lady Buffs and coasted to an 89-7 win.
Jarahle Daniels provided the only points Fairfield would need when she hit a three pointer and two other scores for the 9-0 lead. McKinna Brackens found Shadasia Brackens for a quick score. Daniels hit another three pointer and the Lady Eagles hit their final six shots from the field, three by Shadasia Brackens and one each from Addie Cox and Avery Thaler and had a 37-3 lead at the end of the first period.
Fairfield hit their first five shots of the second period and continued to play smothering defense and the lead swelled McKinna Brackens scored nine in the period and Fairfield led 60-0 following the 23-0 blanking of Florence in the second.
The second half elapsed quickly and the Lady Eagles dominated the frames with a 29-5 tally on their way to the 89-7 win.
Fairfield moved onto Athens High School to take on the Rice Lady Bulldogs. They were facing one of the leading scorers in Central Texas, Soniya Burks. Fairfield held her to four points in the second half and 19 for the game. Fairfield would take the playoff game 73-35.
Rice proved a be a tougher team through the first half. Offensive rebounding and scores off those rebounds put the Lady Eagles ahead for the entirety of the contest. Breyunna Dowell, Shadasia Brackens and McKinna Brackens scored 15 of the first 19 in the game and Burks held true with three from long distance and nine points.
The Lady Eagle defense all took turns guarding Burks and were effective. Addie Cox passed to the baseline to Emori Davis for the short jumper. Thaler took down an offensive rebound and hit the final shot of the half and Fairfield led 35-22.
McKinna Brackens scored seven points in the third period and the Lady Eagles began to pull away. The lead reached 52-32 with a couple of minutes left in the period and Fairfield put the defensive clamps on the game allowing only 13 points in the second half, only two in the final period.
The Lady Eagles move onto Hearne High School to take on the Little River Academy Lady Bees on Tuesday as part of a doubleheader with the Fairfield boys, also playing Academy in the first round of their postseason run.
(Photos by Jessica Johnson)
