Lady Lions roar past West Union

     LEESBURG – Pounding out a big first quarter on the scoreboard, mixed with a balanced attack of offense and defense for the entire game, the Fairfield Lady Lions won their second straight game to move to .500 in the early season defeating the West Union Lady Dragons 74-41 Monday evening at Grandle Gymnasium.

     The dynamic duo of senior Gabby Boone and junior Chelsey Riddle combined to score 47 points in the Southern Hills League win, with each player earning their second straight double-double.

     Riddle ended the contest with a game-high in scoring with 27 points, knocking down 13 baskets from the field. Riddle was 1 of 2 from the free throw line. Riddle had 11 rebounds (eight defensive), while adding seven steals, six blocks and two assists.

     Boone scored 20 points for the Lady Lions. The senior was 2 of 4 from the free-throw line and made nine shots from the floor. Boone added a game-high 13 rebounds (nine offensive), four blocks, two assists and one steal.

     “We have been averaging only 40 points per game, so anytime we can put up over 70 points that is an accomplishment,” Fairfield head coach Matt Hodson said. “The kids have been working hard on the offensive end and it is starting to show.”

     West Union held the lead once as they scored the first points of the game, after that it was all Lady Lions with Boone tying the game at two, and Riddle making a shot off the glass, then knocking down one free throw to give FHS a 5-2 lead.

     After two more points by the Lady Dragons with 5:13 left in the first the Lady Lions dominated the remainder of the quarter with Riddle, junior Megan Sword, senior Lauren Bowman and Boone combining to score the next 14 points. In the 14-0 run, Sword made a one-handed jumper over a defender, along with a 3-point basket at the 1:21 mark of the first.

     The 14-0 scoring run became even more in the second as FHS continued to control all aspects of the game as Boone, Bowman (including a 3-pointer) and Riddle eventually turned the scoring run into a 23-0 run. West Union’s Jaycee Cox drained a 3-pointer with 4:59 left in the first half to stop the unanswered run by FHS.

     Sword made the score 30-7 with a long-range jumper which was just short of a 3-point basket. Sword finished with 11 points. The junior compiled four rebounds, two steals and one block.

     FHS (1-1, 2-2) began the third with a 17-point lead and kept the pressure on with six straight points by Boone, followed with buckets from Riddle, Sword and senior Sadie Jones who made a jumper at the 3:12 mark of the quarter, extending the Lady Lion lead to 49-22.

     Riddle netted eight points in less than four minutes in the final quarter. FHS sophomore Kortney Paris sank a long-range jumper with 2:30 left in the game. Freshman Stephanie Fraysier gave Fairfield a 40-point advantage with a jumper with 1:59 remaining. FHS freshman Sirenity Smith made a free throw for the final point of the game.

     FHS finished with 46 rebounds, as Bowman had nine and Jones gained four. Also grabbing rebounds were Paris, Fraysier and Smith. FHS freshman Amanda Sanderson had one block.

     The Lady Lions will host county rival and SHL foe Lynchburg-Clay with JV play starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

BOX SCORE

SCORE BY QUARTERS

WUHS – 4 16 8 13 – 41

FHS – 19 18 22 15 – 74

INDIVIDUAL STATS

FHS (74)

M.Sword 4 (1) 11, S.Smith 0 1-2 1, S.Jones 1 2, K.Paris 1 2, S.Fraysier 1 2, L.Bowman 3 (1) 0-2 9, C.Riddle 13 1-2 27, G.Boone 9 2-4 20. TOTALS: 32 (2) 4-10 74.

WUHS (41)

Knauff 0 (2) 6, Baldwin 2 (1) 0-2 7, Heitz 3 6, Cox 1 (2) 1-2 9, Grooms 0 5-6 5, Shivener 2 0-2 4, Roush 1 2-3 4. TOTALS: 9 (5) 8-15 41.