Trojan boys top Fort Madison for first SEC victory; lose to Danville

FORT MADISON ? With the game on the line Friday, the Trojans gave the ball to Brent Buch.

The senior didn?t disappoint.

Buch hit 7 of 8 shots from the charity stripe in the final minutes Friday to help the Trojans to a 54-51 conference road victory over Fort Madison.

The win was Fairfield?s first in the Southeast Conference this season and improved the team?s record to 3-6 going into Saturday?s contest with Danville.

Overall, Buch only hit four shots from the field while still posting a career-high 26 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. He finished the game with a nearly flawless line from the charity stripe, however, hitting 17 of his 19 attempts.

?He?s capable of doing it [every night],? Fairfield head coach Tyler Miklo said. ?He?s the kind of kid that takes pride in knocking them down, and the guys recognize they?ve got to get him that ball.?

After playing right with the Bloodhounds through the first quarter, the Trojans took a two-point lead at halftime, 26-24, before opening up the lead in the third period.

Fairfield pushed its lead to 11 with a little over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter before Fort Madison clawed back to make each and every one of Fairfield?s free throws matter.

?They?re much improved from a year ago,? Miklo said of the Bloodhounds. ?I was impressed with the way they stayed with us and battled to the end.?

Also for Fairfield, juniors Spencer Peterman and Dillon Fry scored nine and eight points, respectively. Davis Lowenberg had five points and four steals, and Cody Kool tallied four points as well as 14 boards. Guards Nik Fitch and Darrin Dimmitt dished out three assists apiece.

FAIRFIELD ? Buch 4-11 17-19 26, Peterman 3-4 3-5 9, Fry 4-13 0-3 8, Lowenberg 2-13 1-2 5, Kool 2-7 0-0 4, Dimmitt 0-2 1-2 1, Fitch 0-1 1-2 1, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 15-52 23-33 54

3-point goals ? Buch 1. Rebounds ? Kool 14, Lowenberg 9, Buch 8. Assists ? Dimmitt 3, Fitch 3. Steals ? Lowenberg 4, Fitch 2, Buch 2, Kool 2. Blocks ? Peterman 1, Lowenberg 1.

Danville keeps streak alive vs. Fairfield

The Trojans had little time to celebrate their first conference win of the season with a matchup vs. perennial power Danville less than 24 hours later.

The No. 3 ranked team in Class 1A flexed its muscle and remained undefeated on the season, dropping Fairfield (3-7, 1-3 SEC) by the final score of 74-38 Saturday night.

?We thought we could play with them, and we did for a stretch, but we just made too many mistakes against a team of their caliber,? said Fairfield head coach Tyler Miklo.

Cody Kool recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Davis Lowenberg scored 10 and Brent Buch added eight points along with two assists and two blocks. Junior Dillon Fry tallied five points and two steals, and Kyle Weirup scored two. Matt Carr had five rebounds, including two offensive.

Fairfield is set to host Eddyville-Blakesburg Tuesday.

FAIRFIELD ? Kool 6-13 1-1 13, Lowenberg 5-10 0-4 10, Buch 4-10 0-0 8, Fry 2-4 0-0 5, Weirup 1-1 0-0 2, Dimmitt 0-2 0-0 0, Hietpas 0-1 0-0 0, Whitney 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Peterman 0-1 0-0 0, Fitch 0-1 0-0 0, Totals 18-45 5-11 38

3-point goals ? Fry 1. Rebounds ? Kool 11, Carr 5, Fry 5. Assists ? Buch 2. Steals ? Fry 2. Blocks ? Buch 2, Peterman 1, Fry 1