Furious comeback falls short

FAIRFIELD — It wasn’t a win for the Fairfield girls basketball team on Tuesday night, but the Trojans did see some big positives in defeat.

The Trojans turned a halftime blowout into a close game, putting up 32 points in the second half of a 40-36 loss.

“I don't know if I've been more proud of a team in 25 years of coaching,” said Fairfield head coach Rebecca Becker.

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Though Fairfield had its share of open shots in the first half, nothing went in for the Trojans, who found themselves falling further and further behind.

Ottumwa led 10-1 after one quarter and 20-4 at halftime. Once the third quarter started, everything changed.

Fairfield used some pressure defense and a slew of open shots to claw back into the contest. The Trojans cut the lead to 28-17 by the end of the third quarter, and had it down to single digits early in the fourth.

The final basket of the game came on a put-back layup by Haleigh Strickland, but the final horn sounded as the ball went through the basket.

Coach Becker said, she saw signs of what may come in the practices leading up to the game.

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“Last night was a really big learning practice for us,” said Becker. “We had some, I hate to say, come to Jesus' moments, but that's the southerner in me.”

The game was a far cry from the Trojans’ previous three contests, all blowout losses. On Friday, Fairfield lost to Fort Madison by 36 points, just a few days after the Bloodhounds beat the same Ottumwa team by three.

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Savannah Hollander scored 17 points on the night, 15 of which came in the second half. Faith Jones and Grace Lyon each had five points. Strickland finished with four. Briana Steele and Maddy Martin each finished with two points, and Elyse Setterstrom ended with one.

The Trojans fell to 0-4. Fairfield, which also sits 0-1 in Southeast Conference play, hosts Washington (2-3, 0-1) on Friday night.