Washington basketball teams lost at Fairfield Friday night

FAIRFIELD (GTNS) ? The girls? and boys? basketball teams from Fairfield and Washington went to battle Friday night in Fairfield.

The Trojans got the better of the Demons in both matches. The girls from Fairfield controlled their game for all four quarters and breezed to a 60-17 victory. The boys? game was very different. Through three quarters, the outcome was still very much in doubt as Fairfield clung to a 45-39 lead.

The Demons needed a comeback in the fourth, but it was the Trojans who rallied for 19 points to earn a 64-46 victory.

Washington?s fans were fairly subdued during the first varsity game of the night as the Trojan girls walked away with a 43-point win. However, the Demon faithful made some noise in a more evenly matched boys? game later that evening.

Fairfield fans cheered as their boys raced out to an 18-13 lead after one quarter, but Washington?s crowd liked what they saw from their Demons, who were able to hold the deficit at five heading into the second half, 31-26.

The Trojans added a point to their lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Demons 14-13, but they waited until the fourth quarter to really come alive.

?I didn't think we played particularly well in the first half, but we shot it well consistently all game and that can cover up a lot of errors,? said Trojan head coach Tyler Miklo. ?I thought we stayed composed when they made a run at us and it paid off in the fourth quarter.?

The Fairfield boys dug their heels in for the final eight minutes, fiercely contesting every Washington shot. The Trojans also did a good job of controlling the rebounding battle.

?I was happy for our guys as they had been working really hard and improving with every practice, so it was great for them to get a solid team win in their home opener,? Miklo said. ?Everybody contributed positively to the win and that?s what we have to have to be successful.?

The Trojans would outscore the Demons 19-7 in the final frame.

Leading the way for the Trojans was sophomore Carson Crile, who scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting and 6-8 from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Junior Dante Cingire torched the opposition from long range as he made 4-6 of his 3-pointers to finish with 17 points. He went 3-4 at the charity stripe, and had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Aaron Haines gave Miklo good minutes off the bench. He scored eight points on 3-5 shooting, including 2-3 from long range. Collin Breen had seven points, two rebounds and two steals.

Tristin Waugh scored six points, corralled five rebounds and stole the ball three times. James Lyman had four points and two rebounds. Kyle Roberts rounded out the Trojan scoring with two points, both from the free-throw line.

The Demons received almost half their scoring from their bench, led by junior Jack Redlinger, who poured in 13 points on 5-9 shooting. Bryce Sinn had eight points and four rebounds.

Jaivonn Willis had seven points and six rebounds. Dalton Myers chipped in five points and four steals. Tanner Coleman, Jacob Van Osdol and Cale Hobscheidt all had three points, while John Dillon and Luke Turner each had two.

The story of the girls? game was Fairfield?s relentless defense. The Trojans don?t have the typical team where only the guards dribble and the forwards wait for passes under the hoop. Though no one on the team is over 5?11?, Trojan head coach Mick Flattery is able to put an intimidating lineup on the floor.

His players are like Swiss Army Knives, able to do anything they are asked. The forwards can step outside to hit threes and the guards can battle down low for rebounds.

Most importantly, everyone on the team has lightning quick feet, allowing them to stay in front of ball handlers and cut off passing lanes. Those abilities were on display Friday against Washington as the Demons struggled all night to break Fairfield?s press.

At halftime, Fairfield boasted a 32-7 lead. The Trojan defense barely let up in the second half, allowing the Demons only 10 points, including only two points in the final quarter.

Junior Nicole Buch was in midseason form as she scored 16 points on 4-9 shooting (2-5 from three-point land), while sinking 6-7 free throws. She also had seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Ashley Bloomquist came off the bench to be the team?s second-leading scorer with 11. Bloomquist made all three of her 3-point shots and was 2-3 at the free-throw line.

Mikaela Lunsford had eight points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. Kylie Kurtz scored eight points to go with four rebounds.

Sami Fritz had a relatively quiet night in the scoring column with only seven points, but helped out tremendously in other ways with 13 rebounds and seven steals. The other Trojans scoring were Brynna Bowman with six and Kara Jeffrey with four.

For the Demons, junior Morgan Brinning and freshman Addison Six tied for the team-lead in points with four. Brinning had two rebounds and two steals, while Six had three rebounds and an assist.

Brooke Stout had three points and five rebounds. Sarah Nacos had three points and  four steals. Taylor Dicks had three points and three rebounds.