Fairfield girls rally in second half, snap losing skid

CHARITON ? If there?s ever been a time to start winning, it?s now.

The Fairfield girls came away with their first of what they hope snowballs into several consecutive wins Tuesday with a 50-44 victory in Chariton.

?You always want to go into tournament play on a roll,? said Fairfield head coach Mick Flattery. ?You don?t want to go into tournament play on a losing skid ? we had one going ? so we nipped that in the bud.?

The Trojans had lost seven straight games going into Tuesday?s contest, their second to last chance to earn a win prior to the postseason.

It wasn?t always easy in victory, but it was finally a victory, nonetheless.

Tied 44-all with one minute left and Chariton in possession of the basketball, sophomore Marisa Repp came away with a steal at halfcourt and took it all the way to the hoop for the go-ahead bucket.

Repp, in only her second game on varsity, finished with an impressive stat line off the bench ? eight points, seven boards, two steals and two assists in three quarters.

Following Repp?s big steal and layup, the Trojans held the Chargers to zero points in the remaining moments and Fairfield junior Sidney Baumann hit four free throws to finish on a 6-0 run.

?I was really pleased with our free throws. We only hit 10-of-21 attempts for the game, but we made them when we needed to,? Flattery said. ?Our girls were making shots and making good plays.?

Baumann paced the Trojans with 16 points on 6-for-8 free throw shooting, as well as five rebounds. Serena Ward had 10 points, six boards ? including five offensive ? and two steals. Tori Ogden netted seven points, Miranda Metcalf scored six along with seven rebounds, and Taylor Neil added two steals.

The Chargers opened up the game on a tear to take a 9-3 advantage and led 13-9 going into the second quarter. The Trojans outscored Chariton by one in the second period but remained behind, 25-22, at the midway point.

?Chariton did a good job of not packing it in. Their girls played hard on their senior night and really stepped up to the challenge,? Flattery said.

The second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Chariton went ahead 29-25 before Fairfield knotted it up at 29-all. The Trojans took a 36-34 lead after three periods, and despite Chariton?s best efforts, never trailed again.

The Chargers tied the game at 37-all with five minutes remaining and kept the contest a one- to two-point affair until Fairfield?s last-minute heroics.

With Tuesday?s win, the Trojans improve to 7-13 overall and have tied last season?s win total. They will have a chance for an eighth win with their season finale visit to Fort Madison on Friday.

FAIRFIELD ? Baumann 16, Ward 10, Repp 8, Ogden 7, Metcalf 6, Neil 3, Total 50

3-point goals ? Ogden 1, Baumann 1. Rebounds ? Repp 7, Metcalf 7, Ward 6, Neil 5, Baumann 5. Assists ? Repp 2, Ogden 2, Ward 2. Steals ? Repp 2, Ward 2, Metcalf 2, Neil 2.

Trojan freshmen win big

CHARITON ? Addison Thornton scored 15 points along with three steals and the Trojan freshman girls? basketball team rolled to a 35-21 victory over Chariton Tuesday.

Also for Fairfield, MacKenzie McClure scored seven points, Harley Cook had four points and six rebounds, Karley Williams scored five and nabbed three steals and Madison Roberts had four points and eight boards.

The Trojans conclude the season Friday at Fort Madison.