Mid-Prairie prevails in OT

WELLMAN — Tuesday night’s clash between the Mid-Prairie and Fairfield boys basketball teams saw two teams coming in going opposite directions. The Golden Hawks had lost four-straight, while the Trojans had won five of the last six contests.

Over the course of a few minutes in the fourth, everything changed. Mid-Prairie stormed back from three possessions down to send the game into overtime, and the Golden Hawks never slowed down in the extra period, securing an 80-73 win.

“It was super emotional,” said Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert. “Especially after the last few games.”

After coming back from a 38-31 halftime deficit to tie the game at 48-48, the Trojans held an eight-point lead in the final minutes, but Mid-Prairie battled back, using turnovers and fast break points to come all the way back.

After shedding the lead down to two, at 67-65, the Golden Hawks had the ball with a chance to win or tie in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. Camron Pickard drove inside and drew a foul on Fairfield’s Max Weaton. He sank both free throws to tie the game at 67-67 with just 15.4 seconds left.

“It hasn't worked out in the past for us to just roll over and lay down,” said Pickard. “It's not the first time we've been in that position, but we finally capitalized.”

JJ Lane had a shot to win it at the buzzer for Fairfield, but a floater rolled off the rim, and the two teams went into the extra period.

The Golden Hawks were up 75-73 with a minute and-a-half remaining in the extra period when Alex Bean drew the fifth foul on Weaton. That left the Trojans without their biggest threat, and Mid-Prairie had plenty of gas left to pull away.

“We had to be tough there, down the stretch,” Lambert said. “There's moments in the last couple of weeks where we've been in similar situations, and we've let it slip away.”

For Fairfield, it was a disappointing ending to a two-day stretch that almost saw them knock off two quality Class 2A teams. Unlike one night prior against West Burlington, the Trojans couldn’t make the plays when it mattered most.

“Stupid passes and missed free throws. That's the difference in winning a lot of games and not winning many,” said Fairfield head coach Mick Flattery. “Give them credit. It was a good game by Mid-Prairie.”

Pickard finished the night with 25 points. Brady Weber scored 20 points and led the team with four steals. Alex Bean finished with 13 points and seven assists.

Beau Flynn flirted with a double-double, going for eight points and eight rebounds. Dylan Henry had seven points and seven rebounds. Shawn Dodds scored four points, and Ace Peck had three.

Weaton had another big game for the Trojans. Prior to fouling out, Weaton went for 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Lane finished with 20 points and six assists.

Riley Perkins led the Trojan comeback in the third and finished the night with 13 points. Tate Allen has 11 points, and Sam Weaton finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

Mid-Prairie moved to 11-10 with the win. The Golden Hawks will now get ready for postseason play, which begins Monday night against West Liberty (6-14). Fairfield (9-9) continues its regular season schedule at home against No. 8 (3A) Mt. Pleasant on Friday night.