Fairfield boys to travel Friday and face rival Panthers

The 2016 season has been a learning experience for the Trojan boys? basketball team to say the least. There have been games they should have won, games they shouldn?t, games they?ve surprised opponents and games that they?ve surprised their own fans with the way the team has played. Now, heading into the 12th game Friday in Mt. Pleasant, here?s what to watch for between the Trojans and Panthers for their second bout of the year:

THE NUMBERS:

Fairfield: Record: 4-7; Points Per Game: 54.9; Points Allowed Per Game: 60.1; Streak: Won 1.

Mt. Pleasant: Record: 7-3; PPG: 56.2; PAPG: 45.7; Streak: Won 2.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS:

Fairfield: Scoring: Austin Simpson 12.9 PPG, Carson Crile 9.9 PPG, Jordan Reid 8.6 PPG; Rebounding: Simpson 6.3 RPG, Carson Crile 4.8 RPG, Alex Crile 4.5 RPG; Assists : Turnovers: Reid 46 : 38 (1.21 ratio), Alex Crile 37 : 41 (0.9 ratio), Kolten Webber 15 : 17 (0.88 ratio); Steals: Webber 15, Reid 11, Dante Cingire 8

Mt. Pleasant: Scoring: Brady Sartorius 15.6 PPG, Jordan Magnani 12.4 PPG, Kieran Kohorst 9.5; Rebounding: Kohorst 8.5 RPG, Magnani 4.5 RPG, Pat Canby 3.2 RPG; Assists : Turnovers: Sartorius 35 : 14 (2.5 ratio), Magnani 34 : 18 (1.89 ratio), Kohorst 24 : 18 (1.33 ratio).

LAST MEETING:

The Trojans hosted their rival Panthers on Dec. 4, losing the matchup 63-55 after a sluggish start to the second half. Fairfield got only five points in the third quarter compared to Mt. Pleasant?s 20, erasing a 36-29 halftime lead the Trojans held. Brady Sartorius scored 19 points to lead the Panthers, while Jordan Magnani shot 5-9 from the field and chipped in 14 points. Four Panther sophomores scored in double figures. For Fairfield, Jordan Reid shot 50 percent from the field (6-12) and led the team with 17 points, while Austin Simpson came off the bench to score 15. Fairfield?s offense has evolved to look much different since the first meeting, and the second should be more interesting as the youth for the Trojans have gained some valuable experience this season.

PICK A CRILE:

Alex Crile was held to only one shot in the team?s first matchup this season. Expect the sophomore to be more aggressive the second time around. Since it was the team?s second game of the season, freshman Carson Crile shot 2-4 with a three-pointer, but has since erupted to climb to the top of the Fairfield scoring charts. If both players can get hot at the same time, Mt. Pleasant?s corps of sophomores will have a lot of trouble stopping the Fairfield offense.

YOUTH LEAGUE:

The Panthers sport a full sophomore starting lineup in Colin Mulford, Brady Sartorius, Jorgan Magnani, Jonathan Ita and Kieran Kohorst. Fairfield head coach Tyler Miklo compared the learning curve of his team this season to what the Panthers experienced last year. The top two scorers this season for Fairfield are freshman, with Austin Simpson and Carson Crile leading the way and Collin Breen can be an option off the bench to knock down some tough three-pointers if needed. Sophomores Dante Cingire, Kolten Webber and Steeler Higdon are also prime contributors to the Trojan cause, and each one has demonstrated this season the capability to take over a game. But, the issue is getting everyone hot at the same time.

SIMPSON EFFECT:

The freshman Simpson was limited early last week with an injury, but seemed to recover nicely for 15 points in the team?s last game with Mid-Prairie. He shot 4-9 from the field, 7-10 from the free throw line and collected six rebounds. Simpson has yet to crack the starting lineup this season, not sure if it?s because Miklo likes using him off the bench and keeping him fresh all game or if it?s just that the coach has more faith in his five starters. If Simpson doesn?t end up in the starting five before the end of the season, expect him to definitely be a starter in his sophomore year after Reid and Crile are lost to graduation.

CONFERENCE WATCH:

Simpson is fourth in the conference in points scored and fifth in average points per game according to Quikstats, which is slightly skewed because Keokuk doesn?t update as often as other teams. He also is fourth in the conference for total rebounds with 69. Reid and Crile are one-two in the conference in assists at 46 and 37 respectively, with Sartorius and Magnani behind them.