The Fairfield Eagles split the games this week and earned a spot in the postseason that will begin in a little over a week.
Fairfield opened with a home date against district leading Palestine Westwood. The district leading Panthers entered the Johnson Activity Center and would battle an Eagle team with a bit of a different lineup missing a starter.
Westwood jumped out to a quick lead with freshman Kaden Bryant and older brother and area star Kavion Bryant. Kavion Bryant had ten to open the first period and the Panther lead was ten. Braylan McMillian and Kavion Hicks kept the game in a single digit deficit with late scores and the Panthers led 19-12.
Markel Morrow and Chris Carter joined in on the scoring fiesta in the first half and the lead began to swell. It reached over twenty and again late in the period, Jeremy Brackens and Ja’Kendrick Turner scored and cut the lead to 42-24.
Both teams played reserves in the second half, and the Eagles could not cut into a Westwood lead that would continue to grow and finish in a Panther 94-44 win.
Brackens led the Eagles with 11 points and Turner scored eight. Kavion Bryant led four Panthers with double-digit scoring with 27 points.
The Eagles travelled to Teague to battle the in-county rival Lions. Fairfield needed one more win to clinch a playoff spot and the Eagles did not disappoint. Madden McElroy scored ten in the first period and the Eagles took a quick double-digit lead. Carter Stacks did not score until late in the first period and that cut the Eagle lead to 15-6 after the first period.
Braylan McMillian was inserted into the starting lineup in for injured Kohl Collins and he put together a stellar performance in the game. He led the fast break with four transition points and dished off to McElroy for some finishing points that extended the halftime lead to 33-17.
Stacks caught a hot streak in the third period and would finish with 22 points, but he did most of his damage in the third period and cut the lead to near ten until Kavion Hicks put back three offensive rebounds and extended the led to 55-31 heading into the fourth period.
The teams emptied the bench in the fourth period, and the Lions cut the lead to twenty and the final score was a 66-46 Fairfield victory.
McElroy led all scorers with 25 points and Braylan McMillian scored 13 and Hicks added ten more. Stacks led the Lion attack with 22 points.
With one more date on the season, Fairfield has clinched the second seed in the division one playoffs with the Mexia Blackcats going in as the top seed.
Palestine Westwood has clinched the district title and will be the top seed in the division two bracket, and the Buffalo Bison will be in the runner-up spot, and they will travel to play Fairfield in the regular season finale at the Johnson Activity Center.
(Photos by Natalia V. Marsters)
