Lady Lions gain conference win over Whiteoak

LEESBURG — Defense in the second half was the key for the Fairfield Lady Lions not repeating the outcome of their first game against the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats earlier in the season.

The Lady Lions used improved defense in the second half, especially in the fourth and final frame, along with scoring points in transition, all the while taking advantage of second-chance opportunities to gain a Southern Hills Athletic Conference win Monday night, defeating their Highland County counterpart Whiteoak, 56-46.

Earlier this season, the Lady ’Cats defeated the Lady Lions at WHS by a 54-49 score on Jan. 11, as they were able to rally in the final minutes to gain the win on that Monday evening.

FHS head coach Chad Hamilton spoke about how his team was able to gain the SHAC victory this time around, as the Lady Lions are 6-5 in the conference and 11-8 overall, while Whiteoak moves to 3-8 in the SHAC standings and 4-15 overall.

“Our defense was much better this time,” Hamilton said. “In the first half, we got down early, and it wasn’t because we weren’t getting the shots we wanted, because we were, but they just weren’t going in. We had no offensive rebounding … it was one shot, and they got the ball back.

“I thought the difference in this game was our defense in the second half. We really stepped up defensively and took away what they wanted to do. I’m really proud of their effort.”

Grace Shope led the Lady Lions with a game-high 20 points, as she was one of three Fairfield players to reach double figures in the scoring column on Monday night. Trinity Huff finished with 13 points in the win, and Blake Adams scored 11 points. Of all 56 points scored by the Lady Lions against Whiteoak, not one came from beyond the arc.

“We had a game plan for changes we anticipated, but they (WHS) didn’t make any changes and stayed in the 1-2-2 zone, so we kept running and being patient, then finally we got some easy layups,” Hamilton said. “A couple of our girls stepped up at the free-throw line. I was happy with the way Blake (Adams) and Trinity (Huff) stepped up and played … and Grace was her normal self and came along in the second half.

“I thought we shared the ball really well, and in the end, we played defense.”

The Lady Lions finished 14-of-25 from the free-throw line, with seven players making at least one free throw. Whiteoak was 10-of-14, with three players making foul shots.

Even with Fairfield gaining the win, it was the visiting Lady ’Cats who got off to the strong start in the first frame at Grandle Gymnasium, as they scored the first six points of the contest and eventually led the first quarter, 15-6 once eight minutes ticked off the clock.

Whiteoak held the lead at the conclusion of the second quarter as well, leading 25-21 after leading by as many as 13 points on three different occasions in the second frame, though they were eventually outscored, 15-10 in the second quarter by the Lady Lions.

What began the Fairfield rally in the second was Huff taking a charge with 4:12 left in the quarter. From that point on, the Lady Lions outscored WHS, 11-2 in the second, including a three-point play by Shope, followed by a put-back basket to then make it a eight-point deficit.

WHS responded with a basket by Maggie Carr, but the points were answered by the hosts with a layup from Huff and two baskets by Brianna Barnes to end the frame with a four-point deficit.

As for WHS, Carr led the Lady ’Cats with 13 points, including going 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. Ashleigh Harless followed with 12 points.

In the second half, WHS kept the lead or a tied score with Fairfield throughout the quarter, including leading that frame, 38-32 when time expired off the clock.

Fairfield scored first in the third with a jumper by Adams, but that was answered with points by Emma Wardlow and Harless to build their lead to six points with 5:31 left in the quarter. The Lady Lions gradually chipped away at the WHS lead, including a run of six straight points from Carly Arnold, Huff and Shope to tie the score at 31 with 3:33 remaining on the third-quarter clock.

Whiteoak went back in front with points by Jaycie Parr (who was injured in the fourth frame) with a three-point play to give the visitors a 34-31 advantage with 2:24 still left in the quarter. Harless added to the WHS lead with a jumper, but FHS came back with two free throws from Adams. Carr gave the Lady ’Cats a six-point lead by scoring the final points of the third (a quarter where WHS outscored FHS, 13-11) with two free throws for a 38-32 advantage.

The final eight minutes belonged to the Lady Lions, outscoring their Highland County foe, 24-8. It took three times of Fairfield taking the lead in the final frame before they kept it for good, with that final time being off a fast break layup by Shope to make it a 43-42 lead with 3:36 posted on the scoreboard.

From that point on, FHS outscored Whiteoak, 15-4.

In all, seven players scored points for FHS, including Barnes finishing with six points, with Carly Arnold scoring three, Abigail Newkirk finishing with two points and Macie Pauley scoring one point.

For WHS, Lexi Jones totaled eight points, with Wardlow totaling six points, Parr finishing with five points and Michaela Luman scoring two points.

Fairfield will play again on Wednesday, Jan. 27 when they host Highland County foe, McClain in non-conference play. Whiteoak plays again on Thursday, Jan. 28 at Peebles in SHAC play.