Red-hot start fuels Warriors

FAIRFIELD - After the first eight minutes of Monday night's game, the Fairfield girls played (2A) No. 7 Van Buren County extremely tight, but those first eight minutes were anything but. Van Buren controlled the first quarter, built a big lead and never gave it up, knocking off the Trojans on their own home floor, 66-51.

The Warriors started the game on a 10-0 run, sparked by two quick three-pointers by Madison Bartholomew. She, Taryn Scheuermann and Isabel Manning combined for all of Van Buren's 24 first quarter points. Manning hit just about everything she threw up and scored 11 points in the first quarter to lead the Warriors to a 24-5 advantage.

'Everyone was making their shots,” said Manning. 'I think that kind of fueled me as well, to make my shots and make things happen.”

Fairfield wiped off the dust from a first-quarter smoking and puncheds right back in the second quarter. Sophomore twins Delaney and Danielle Breen combined for five three-pointers in the second period. Delaney had three in the second quarter and four total in the first half, and her 11 points kept the Trojans in the game. At halftime, Van Buren's lead was cut to 13, at 34-21.

Van Buren buckled down in the second half, outscoring the Trojans 15-12 in the third quarter and 17-16 in the fourth. Fairfield never got within single-digits after the first quarter.

'We had the same thing happen tonight that we had happen against Grinnell,” said Fairfield head coach Jeff Miller. 'We didn't come ready to play. The last three quarters, we played well, but you can't come out and get a big mountain in front of you and expect to win.”

Manning finished the night with 24 points to lead the Warriors. Scheuermann had 18. Bartholomew scored 17. Grace Davidson had three, and the duo of Selena Sayre and Chloe Davidson scored two points apiece.

'I think we're doing really good,” Manning said. 'All of our starters are doing what they can, and then we have people that come off the bench and make plays, and make shots. I think of all around, we're just doing really well.”

Van Buren coach Matt Zeitler credited Fairfield for coming back after his team jumped all over the Trojans in the opening period.

'They played good, they really did,” Zeitler said. 'They have nice players at every position. I was impressed with them. All hats off to Fairfield.”

Delaney scored 15 points to lead Fairfield. Danielle had 12. Destiny Gridley added 11. Hannah Simpson scored six. Darby Kaska and Olivia Jones had three apiece and Shay Drish scored one.

Van Buren moved to 14-2 with the win. Fairfield fell to 7-6.