Free throws ignite Trojan girls

FAIRFIELD - Shooters are not born, they're made, and all players have the potential to become great shooters, especially from the free-throw line.

Mallory Lyon's four straight free throws after a technical on Keokuk head coach Michael Davis ignited a 14-2 run that turned a 24-20 deficit into a 34-26 halftime lead in the Southeast Conference basketball game. Davis was ejected with 15 seconds remaining in the 68-56 win for Fairfield's girls.

'Keokuk shot lights out,” Fairfield boys head coach Mick Flattery said of the reason for the Chiefs 63-54 win.

Those shots were not free throws (7-of-15 for the Chiefs) but 3-pointers, eight in the first half, 11 in the game. Fairfield made six and was 6-of-10 at the foul line with Max Weaton hitting 4-of-5. He had the first five points of the second quarter to rally Fairfield from a 25-15 deficit. Tate Allen drained a pair of threes to get Fairfield within 34-30 at the half. Trailing 49-38 after the third, Fairfield rallied with aggressive rebounding and got within six, which prompted a Keokuk timeout with 3:52 remaining and another at 2:43 ahead 52-48.

'We had a plan in place, we forgot and Fairfield capitalized on it,” KHS head coach Zach Summers said. 'Called the next one and we executed after that (seven straight points), but Fairfield is good and that was a dogfight.”

Weaton finished with 23 points while fellow sophomores JJ Lane had nine, Allen eight and Isaac Harris five. Evan Haines scored six and Blake Holden three. Keokuk seniors Anthony Potratz had 21, Isaiah Seay 17 and Abbot Haner 10,

Keokuk junior Abi Wolter was the leading scorer in the girls game with 27, but Fairfield had four in double figures. Hannah Simpson's inside game produced 16 points and Delaney Breen had 11. Lyon and Danielle Breen netted 14 apiece.

Olivia Jones filled the Trojans' stat line as she scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds, doled out four assists, snagged four steals and blocked a shot.

'I don't think about hitting the open shot like I think about hitting an open teammate with a good pass,” said Jones, who hit a jumper in the lane a second before halftime. 'We all did a good job moving the ball.”

The point total was the highest this season for the Trojans, prompted by moving Jones to point guard. Last Saturday head coach Pat Pacha made a decision after watching game film. 'I told her you are running the point from now on. It was an easy decision and it should have been made long ago. Move her to where she is comfortable and let's move on.”

Lyon was comfortable at the foul line, going 8-for-10 in the game but teammate Hannah Simpson's night at the line was 1-for-4 in the first half and 4-of-9 in the game. Three trips were and-one situations and she missed two of those. Danielle Breen was 4-of-6 in the first half, 4-of-9 in the second. Wolter was 7-for-11.

'Hannah stays and works on her free throws every night until Pat kicks her out,” Jones said.

Making free throws in practice is different from a game.

'I think in the games I rush, especially when I get those and-ones,” Simpson said 'I really want to convert them.”

Making them while standing all alone at the line while the other team's coach is arguing with officials is another level.

'I just took deep breaths and took my time, but I was shaking,” Lyon said of the technical tosses.

'It's the first time in 27 years I have been ejected,” Davis said. 'I just need consistency and I felt we didn't get it, but that's my opinion.”

Simpson scored the first five points of the second quarter with a steal for a bucket and a finish of an and-1.

'Coming out strong in the second quarter is always huge for us,” Jones said.

Simpson had six points of an 11-2 Trojans run starting the third quarter.

'At halftime, Pat tells us what we are doing wrong so that we can go out and execute better,” Simpson said.

Keokuk ended the third with an 11-4 run. And still trailed by 11 at 50-39.

'It was a very aggressive game on both sides,” Lyon said. 'We want to be a second-half team, We scored a lot of points off our transition baskets and free throws.”

The Trojans were 23-of-39 (59 percent) on free throws after shooting 40 percent in a 47-45 loss to Albia Monday. That Simpson's late nights in the gym results in improvement is a foregone conclusion. The time it takes in inconclusive.