Lady Lions dominate Adena for 41-point season-opening win
BAINBRIDGE — Fairfield came out with a 28-0 run into the second quarter, as their offense was on point and their pressure defense was stifling, eventually leading to a season-opening 69-28 victory over the Adena Lady Warriors in non-conference play at the Paint Valley Lady ’Cats Classic.
The Lady Lions scored 22 points in the opening quarter, while keeping the “home” Lady Warriors to zero after eight minutes. FHS scored their first points with 7:10 left in the opening frame.
By the time the clock read 4:00, they had built a lead of 11-0, a run of points that included a 3-pointer by Carly Arnold, along with a steal and layup by Grace Shope, as those points helped lead her to being named the game MVP for the Lady Lions.
In the first frame, Shope totaled eight points, and for the game, she led all scorers with 22 points. Shope also finished with nine rebounds, five assists and six steals. She shot 9-of-18 from the field.
In all six, Lady Lions scored points in the opening quarter, including a 3-pointer by Lauren Arnold, two free throws by Abigail Newkirk, two points from Alexis Tate and four points from Macie Pauley. Pauley was second in scoring for FHS with 12 points (6-of-9 from the field), and Carly Arnold totaled nine points, five rebounds, and five assists in the win.
“I thought we had a really balanced effort (Friday),” FHS head coach Chad Hamilton said. “We shot the ball well. We were able to slow down, concentrate and knock the ball down, and that made a big difference.
“I was happy with our pressure in the first quarter. We got off to a really good start, and we went from there.”
After the first frame, the Lady Lions eventually built a 28-0 run, as a jumper by Carly Arnold put the team in front by 28 points with 4:41 left in the second quarter. Adena broke the scoring run with a 3-pointer from Kelsie Bossert at the 3:55 mark of the quarter.
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“A lot of that is credited to the pressure Alexis (who totaled four steals) put on their point guard,” Hamilton said. “When we got out on the wings, we can create a lot of havoc for the other team, and that went in our favor. Even in the zone, we rotated well and got to our spots. All in all, it was a pretty good balanced effort.”
Points from Shope, Carly Arnold, Trinity Huff, Tate and Olivia Bobb (six rebounds) in the second quarter eventually gave the Lady Lions (1-0) a lead of 34-5.
The second half was a little more competitive, especially the third quarter with Fairfield outscoring the Lady Warriors, 17-14, including 3-pointers by Lauren Arnold (who totaled eight points for the game) and Huff. FHS ended the third frame leading by a 51-19 score. The Lady Lions doubled up Adena in the final eight minutes, outscoring their non-conference opponent, 18-9.
“We only had eight players available, and all eight got in,” Hamilton said. “There isn’t a whole lot of difference between our players that start and those that don’t. Our starting lineup will depend on who we play and the personnel we need in the game. I have confidence in all eight that we had and all nine overall.”
Adena (0-1) was led by Alexis Putnam with 11 points, followed by Taylor Rawling with six points.
FHS shot 54 percent from the free-throw line, as they were 7-of-13, while Adena went 3-of-8 (37.5 percent). In all, FHS totaled just eight turnovers.
The Lady Lions will play again on Nov. 24 at Peebles.
“What we can take from this game is the fact I thought we ran the floor well,” Hamilton said. “When we got a defensive rebound, we really pushed, and I want to emphasize it was good in that regard. We could push the ball, and hopefully we can carry that into next week.”