Lady Tigers win non-league tilt over Fairfield
Lead Summary
By
Jim Jones-
GREENFIELD — The McClain Lady Tigers used some aggressive defensive pressure and strong inside play to overcome an early deficit and go on to defeat Fairfield, 49-36 in Greenfield Monday night.
McClain (11-10) got double-digit scoring from three seniors and took advantage of a 12-0 run in the second period and held on at the end against the pesky Fairfield Lady Lions. MHS senior Taylor Polley had a game-high 16 points, which included going 7-of-8 in free throws to lead McClain, followed by fellow seniors Malea Montavon and Beth Montgomery, who added 12 and 11, respectively.
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“Our seniors really stepped up and played well tonight,” McClain coach Jarrod Haines said. “We did enough to win the game, and that’s what’s really important. Credit Fairfield, they played really hard, but it’s a win, and we’ll take it and get better from it.”
The game started well for the Lady Lions when they jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage in the first period, but McClain answered with a 7-2 run at the end of the frame. The second quarter was the deciding factor of the game when the Lady Tigers put together another impressive run (this one a 12-0 spurt) that helped them take a 24-15 lead at the half.
Montgomery was impressive in the period for the Lady Tigers, especially inside the paint, where she controlled the boards and scored nine points. Montgomery finished the game with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
“Beth did a great job of controlling the inside, especially in the first half,” Haines said.
Fairfield (12-9) continued to play hard in the third quarter when they outscored McClain, 13-12, but still found themselves trailing 37-28 heading to the fourth. The Lady Lions were forced to start fouling midway in the final period, and the Lady Tigers converted 6-of-10 free throws down the stretch and hung on for the 49-36 victory.
“I think the game was a little closer than the final score indicated,” Fairfield coach Chad Hamilton said. “I thought my girls played hard and really competed, and I can’t ask for anymore than that. We got a little tired there in the second half, and it really showed in our shooting. We also shot very poorly from the free-throw line.
“I thought in the second half, we missed a lot of fast break layups which McClain rebounded and converted into points, and that was the big momentum changer of the game.”
Both teams struggled from the foul line in the game, where McClain made only 15-of-29 and the Lady Lions connected on 10-of-20.
FHS junior Grace Shope led Fairfield with a team-high 12 points.
Scoring in the game for the Lady Tigers were Polley 16, Malea Montavon 12, Montgomery 11, Liz Kegley 4, Lexie Barton 3, Makenzie Montavon 2 and Kelli Uhrig 1.
Scoring for Fairfield were Shope 12, Carly Arnold 5, Abigail Newkirk 5, Blake Adams 5, Sarah Young 3, Brianna Barnes 3 and Trinity Huff 3.
Next for the Lady Tigers is their final home game of the season, hosting the Hillsboro Lady Indians in South Central Ohio League play. Fairfield will play on Feb. 9 at Fayetteville.
McClain (11-10) got double-digit scoring from three seniors and took advantage of a 12-0 run in the second period and held on at the end against the pesky Fairfield Lady Lions. MHS senior Taylor Polley had a game-high 16 points, which included going 7-of-8 in free throws to lead McClain, followed by fellow seniors Malea Montavon and Beth Montgomery, who added 12 and 11, respectively.
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“Our seniors really stepped up and played well tonight,” McClain coach Jarrod Haines said. “We did enough to win the game, and that’s what’s really important. Credit Fairfield, they played really hard, but it’s a win, and we’ll take it and get better from it.”
The game started well for the Lady Lions when they jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage in the first period, but McClain answered with a 7-2 run at the end of the frame. The second quarter was the deciding factor of the game when the Lady Tigers put together another impressive run (this one a 12-0 spurt) that helped them take a 24-15 lead at the half.
Montgomery was impressive in the period for the Lady Tigers, especially inside the paint, where she controlled the boards and scored nine points. Montgomery finished the game with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
“Beth did a great job of controlling the inside, especially in the first half,” Haines said.
Fairfield (12-9) continued to play hard in the third quarter when they outscored McClain, 13-12, but still found themselves trailing 37-28 heading to the fourth. The Lady Lions were forced to start fouling midway in the final period, and the Lady Tigers converted 6-of-10 free throws down the stretch and hung on for the 49-36 victory.
“I think the game was a little closer than the final score indicated,” Fairfield coach Chad Hamilton said. “I thought my girls played hard and really competed, and I can’t ask for anymore than that. We got a little tired there in the second half, and it really showed in our shooting. We also shot very poorly from the free-throw line.
“I thought in the second half, we missed a lot of fast break layups which McClain rebounded and converted into points, and that was the big momentum changer of the game.”
Both teams struggled from the foul line in the game, where McClain made only 15-of-29 and the Lady Lions connected on 10-of-20.
FHS junior Grace Shope led Fairfield with a team-high 12 points.
Scoring in the game for the Lady Tigers were Polley 16, Malea Montavon 12, Montgomery 11, Liz Kegley 4, Lexie Barton 3, Makenzie Montavon 2 and Kelli Uhrig 1.
Scoring for Fairfield were Shope 12, Carly Arnold 5, Abigail Newkirk 5, Blake Adams 5, Sarah Young 3, Brianna Barnes 3 and Trinity Huff 3.
Next for the Lady Tigers is their final home game of the season, hosting the Hillsboro Lady Indians in South Central Ohio League play. Fairfield will play on Feb. 9 at Fayetteville.