Fairfield eighth-grade girls take nail-biter

BURLINGTON ? A furious rally gave the never-say-die Fairfield eighth-grade ?A? team a 39-38 victory over Aldo Leopold Monday in Burlington.

With a minute remaining in regulation, Fairfield was faced with a five-point deficit at 38-33. A clutch steal and layup brought the Trojans within three. Two free throws and a bucket later saw Fairfield take the lead, 39-38. Aldo Leopold had a chance with 10 ticks remaining, but the shot was off-target, and Molly Ryan grabbed the rebound to seal the win for the Trojans.

?When the girl who already scored 28 points is taking the final shot, we knew there was a good chance it would go in and we could lose,? said head coach Derek Philips. ?Fortunately for us, we got a hand in her face and forced her to take an off-balance 18-footer.?

Ryan led the way with 14 points, while Delaney Neil scored nine. Mackenzie Flattery had six points, Mikaela Amendt chipped in four, and Taylor Ferrel, Alli Deao and Sierra Vogt added two apiece.

Fairfield?s ?B? team came up short at 22-16. The score was 12-all at halftime, but the Trojans couldn?t get shots to fall in the second half. Courtney Gilmore led the Trojans with six points, and Natalie Jones added four. Lindsey Repp, Chloe Spalla and Shannon Hopwood each scored a basket.

?Our girls played well, but the shots just didn?t fall that second half,? Philips said of the ?B? game. ?The effort was there, and we played with great intensity.?

Following Monday?s games, the Fairfield ?A? team is 5-3 on the season while the ?B? squad is 4-4.

Fairfield ?B? team wins Friday

FORT MADISON ? In a makeup match-up Friday night, the Fairfield eighth-graders were victorious in one of two games.

The host Bloodhounds downed Fairfield 36-33 in the ?A? contest.

Fairfield held a 10-point lead at halftime but failed to hang on in the second half, trailing 29-28 after three quarters.

Mackenzie Flattery led the Trojans with 10 points. Delaney Neil finished the game with eight points and Molly Ryan added six. Taylor Ferrel and Sierra Vogt had four points, while Mikaela Amendt chipped in one.

?Our girls played tough and keep improving every night. They are doing a lot of the little things, like boxing out and help side defense really well,? Philips said. ?This will be a great rivalry in the future between two very good basketball teams.?

The ?B? team held Fort Madison to four points in the second half and cruised to a 24-12 victory.

Led by Courtney Gilmore?s nine points, the Trojans scored 16 points in the second half following an 8-all tie at halftime. Natalie Jones chipped in five points, and Chloe Spalla and Lindsey Repp had four points each. Brittany Hoskins added two points.