The Fairfield Eagle fans had more than their share of excitement in the week leading up to the state basketball tournament. Fairfield pulled a win at the buzzer and came from behind twice on Friday only to fall behind in the final seconds.
SHOOTING A BASKET over a Huntington player in the Regional Semi-Finals is Fairfield Eagle Madden McElroy.
The week began Tuesday at the John Alexander Gymnasium in Jacksonville to take on the Huntington Red Devils in the regional semifinal.
The teams are in the same district in football, but they had to play through the bracket to meet in the Division I playoffs.
The teams played through a slow moving first half with Jones and Johnson scoring for Huntington. Kavion Hicks scored near the basket and pulled down key rebounds, but the possessions were a premium and the Red Devils allowed only seven points in the first period and 18 in the half.
Huntington led 22-18 at the half.
The Eagles began to force missed shots by Huntington and Davonte Alexander hit a pair of free throws, but the Red Devils continued to lead behind 15 points by Grayson Johnson. Fairfield trailed 29-26 heading into the final eight minutes.
Possessions were minimal in the final period and Fairfield pulled into the lead on a Hicks score off a couple of offensive rebounds.
Huntington answered and Fairfield played through Madden McElroy coming back into the game after a while on the bench with foul trouble. He became the offensive key in the final moments, and the game was tied 36-36 with less than two minutes remaining and the Eagles called a timeout.
The Eagle offense held the ball out near mid-court and the Red Devils did not come out to defend them. Over a minute and a half ran off the clock, and the Eagles began advancing to score at the 15 second mark.
In the final seconds, Ja’Kendrick Turner drove through the middle and shot while fading away and falling away from the basket. The ball rode the rim and dropped in with 0.7 seconds remaining. There was not enough time for a solid last shot and the Eagles advanced with the 38-36.
SCORING FOR THE Fairfield Eagles against Huntington is Ja’Kendrick Turner.
Hicks led the Eagles’ scoring with 12 points and double-digit rebounds and added in several blocked shots in the win.
The state quarterfinal site was Livingston High School, and the Eagles would face the Orangefield Bobcats. Orangefield eliminated the Mexia Blackcats 68-56 on Tuesday night and advanced to the quarterfinal as the favorite to advance.
Jaden Scales scored on a three pointer and hot shooting by the Bobcat offense put them ahead by ten in the first four minutes. Fairfield committed several early turnovers and went to the free throw line multiple times throughout the first half. Collins, Turner and McElroy each hit free throws for their first points and Collins scored off an offensive rebound for the first score from the field with just under three minutes remaining in the first period. They trailed 22-14 at the end of the first period.
Collins, Alexander, and Turner led the Eagles to a 6-0 run to begin the second period and continued to force the Bobcats to commit fouls and Scales and Agerton had to go the bench in foul trouble. McElroy hit a short jumper to tie the game at 22-22 with five minutes remaining in the half. It would be tied two more times in the half on Collins scored on an offensive rebound and a free throw.
Orangefield made a late run to lead at the half 39-33.
The Eagles fell behind by ten in the third and battled back with scores from Turner and the outstanding rebounding by Collins.
Collins had a rebound and kicked it out to Alexander and his score tied the game at 64-64 late in the game. Scales hit a pair of free throws to put the separation at two and then another scored had the Orangefield lead at 68-64. McElroy fired a blind pass to Collins for an easy score to cut the lead to two in the final minute. Turner had a score and was fouled to keep the game close, but Orangefield hit some key free throws in the final seconds to preserve the 74-68 win.
Collins led the Eagles with 20 points and Turner added 18 in the loss. McElroy was the third Eagle with double figures with 13.
Orangefield advances to the state semifinal and is the Region III champion. They move on to take on the Region IV champion Corpus Christi London, who eliminated Goliad in their regional championship.
At Top – Fairfield defeated Huntington in the Regional Semi-Finals 38-36 on Tuesday March 3 at Jacksonville High School. Pictured are Madden McElroy, Zaylan McMillian, Connor Colvert, Kavion Hicks, Davonte Alexander, Kohl Collins, Manny Brown, Bryalan McMillian, Keyshawn Turner, Jeremy Brackens, Jaxon Utley, Draylan McMillian, Payden McElroy, and Jason Brackens.
