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Van Buren County pushes past Fairfield
Warrior girls hang on to knock of neighbors in back-and-forth battle
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KEOSAUQUA — The Fairfield girls basketball team traveled 20 miles south to take on neighborly rival VAN BUREN COUNTY in a non-conference clash on Monday night. In a physical war of attrition, it was the Warriors who escaped with a victory.
Van Buren County staved off Fairfield 50-41, knocking the Trojans off for the first time since the 2020 season.
“It's just good to get a win,” said VBC head coach Randy Smith. “They're a bigger school, and we haven't been playing the greatest, but I thought our effort tonight was good from the beginning of the end.”
The two times were inseparable on the scoreboard for the first three quarters. Fairfield held a 9-8 lead after the first period. VBC led 21-20 at halftime, and the Warriors held a 35-31 advantage through three.
The Warriors would use a flurry of inside scoring and free throws to run away from the Trojans late. In all, VBC got to the line 24 times, hitting 16 of their shots from the charity stripe, a key factor in keeping a scrappy Fairfield team winless on the season.
“I know Fairfield hasn't gotten a win yet, but I was impressed with them,” Smith said. “They're better than some of the teams we beat this year.”
Callie Kracht had a dominant night inside for the Warriors. Kracht scored 18 points on the night, 10 of which came from the free-throw line. She also led the team with four steals.
“Lately, I've been going in and missing those shots.” Kracht said. “Before the game, we had some time, so I had one of my teammates guard me and try going in.”
Sophia Jirak provided the outside spark, hitting three 3-pointers en route to a 15-point night. Marlee Mertens scored eight points. Kayley Snowgren had six, and Addison Brauns finished with four.
Faith Jones scored 13 points to lead Fairfield. Grace Lyon had 10 points. Natalie Steele scored seven. Lauren Martin finished with five. Elyse Setterstrom had four, and Maddy Martin ended with two.
Despite the loss, Trojan coach Jarrod Belzer said he thought his team played one of their better games.
“I was happy with how we played on the offensive end and the defensive end,” Belzer said. “There are certainly turnovers that you wish you had back, but that's part of the game of basketball.”
Belzer said he’s encouraged by his team’s attitude despite the tough start to the 2024-25 season.
“They're super resilient,” Belzer said. “They continue to show up every day and be super positive.”
Van Buren County moved to 6-5 with the win, and then picked up another victory against New London one night later. Fairfield dropped to 0-12.
