The Fairfield Eagles split the first two district games with Mexia and Madisonville and sit in the middle of the district race one quarter of the way through.
The Eagles travelled to take on rival Mexia on Tuesday and were dominated from the opening tip. Trey Holdman and Jalen Busby combined for three from behind the arc and a couple of transition baskets to take an early lead. Carl Daniels made a shot to keep pace with Kamren Griffin and Tyler Smith scoring on the fast break but the Blackcats led 16-7 after one.
Mexia put the clamps on the Eagle offense in the second period. Fairfield did not make any of the nine shots taken in the period and Mexia went on to match their first period total for a 16-2 run over the eight minute span. Kobe Freeman made two free throws for the only scoring for Fairfield and were down 32-9 at the half.
Justin Abram hit a three pointer in the third and DaQuann McWilliams had three free throws to continue to try to get back into a game that continued slipping away. The Blackcats opened with two threes and never looked back with an 18-6 period and a 50-15 lead after three. Fairfield did manage some offense in the final period of the lopsided game. Abram and Smith hit three pointers and Aiden Brackens scored late in the game to set the final score at 60-31 and the Blackcats remained unbeaten in the district season.
The Eagles returned home and needed to put the opener out of the way and focus on Madisonville and they did not disappoint. Fairfield jumped out to an 11-0 lead with a short jumper by McWilliams, a score by Griffin on a pass from Freeman and a Freeman score and finished with a Smith three pointer. He would add a second three and Freeman scored five more points and had a 20-14 lead. Roundtree hit a pair of threes that put Madisonville back in contention from the early double digit lead. The Eagles would build it to eight points twice in the period.
The pressure continued for the Eagle defense and Johnson and Whaley had to work hard in the middle to produce six points. Abram added a three for the Eagles along with Daniels and Rex Bean but most of the damage was done at the free throw line. But the Mustangs closed to within one and took the lead on a short jumper by Johnson with 12 seconds left in the half. Madisonville had the 31-30 lead, their first of the game at the intermission.
Freeman scored ten in the third to turn the game to the home side. Fairfield hit nine of 12 free throws to begin to build on the lead that ended with a shot from long distance, about the logo in the middle of the floor, from McWilliams to extend the lead to 56-45.
The men in the middle took control in the final frame to set the 70-55 final score. Madisonville closed to within eight but could not make shots in the late moments. The Mustangs made two of their final 23 shots from the field and the Eagles won the second half rebounding with a 28-22 advantage and sealed the win.
Freeman had one of his best nights of the season with 23 points and 21 rebounds. McWilliams added 13 points and Fairfield is 1-1 in district play, trailing the Palestine Wildcats and district leader, Mexia.
The Fairfield Eagles will have a pair of home games next week against Rusk and Palestine.
(Sports Photography by Melissa Lee)
