Lions defeat Mustangs in Coaches v. Cancer game
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Press-
Leesburg – Friday night, in Leesburg, there were two victories to be had. The most important win will be saved for last. First, there was a basketball game to be played, and in that game the host Fairfield Lions came away victorious against their cross-county visitors, Lynchburg-Clay, 69-63.
Holding a commanding lead after three quarters at a margin of 55-37, the Lion offense stalled for most of the fourth period, and LC's Austin Fawley became hot from behind the three-point arc.
Fawley tallied three of his six total 3-pointers in the fourth frame, but the Mustang rally fell short, as the Lions held on for the win.
“I thought we played three really good quarters of basketball (Friday)," Fairfield head coach Matt Carson said. “We pounded the ball inside, got down the floor in transition and contested most of their shots from behind the arc. But for whatever reason, we hit a road block offensively in the fourth, and credit them (Lynchburg), they didn’t give up.”
The Mustangs outscored the Lions 26-14 in the fourth period, the only quarter they won against the Lions. A lot of the Mustangs' comeback was due in part to Fawley, who tallied 24 points on the evening.
“Fawley did a nice job of keeping them in the ballgame tonight,” Carson said. “He gave us trouble all night.”
The Fairfield squad, however, answered the bell scoring wise.
The Lions were led in scoring by senior Chris Cox, who tied LC’s Fawley with 24 points of his own, as the two were the leading scorers on the night.
Cameron Rolark added 18, and Cody Ferrell chipped in 12.
“Our ability to attack the basket garnered us free-throw opportunities tonight, which was a goal of ours. Chris and Cody both attacked the rim well, which opened things up offensively for our guards.”
The ability for the Mustangs to hit the 3-point shot, however, allowed them to net 11 3-pointers on the night, which was something Carson said needs to be addressed by his team.
“We were very active in our zone for three quarters, and we need to do a better job of closing out on the shooters on the perimeter. We’ll hit it hard starting Monday and get ready to gear up for the Manchester game Friday.”
While only one community could come away with a win on the court Friday evening, both could hold their heads high at the willingness to give that was shared between the two communities.
This was the night that the annual Coaches v. Cancer game was held, with the theme this year being that of pancreatic cancer. Players, cheerleaders and coaches on both sides donned purple shirts throughout the evening that were auctioned off between games and at halftime to raise money for the American Cancer Society. On the evening, approximately $6,300 was raised in order to battle this deadly disease.
“I just want to thank both communities, and especially my home community of Leesburg, for making this event tonight a success," Carson said. "This community (Leesburg) always steps up in a time of need and tonight was no different. I am so proud and humbled by all those who showed up Friday evening to make this event a success.”
Carson also added there were those working behind the scenes that had an integral part to play in the evening’s success.
“I would like to thank Mary Beth Hodson for organizing the evening’s events, and the upcoming girls’ game that will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 1, against Ripley. Also I would like to thank the community of Lynchburg and their Athletic Department for helping to make this a success with their support and willingness to participate in the event," he said.
Fairfield won all three games on the evening, as the JV Lions and Freshman Lions won their respective contests.
The Fairfield freshman and JV will be in action Wednesday night, as they host Eastern for a start time of 6 p.m.
The eighth grade, JV and varsity teams will be in action Friday night as they travel to Manchester to take on the Greyhounds in a SHL showdown. Start time of the eighth grade game is 4:30.[[In-content Ad]]
Holding a commanding lead after three quarters at a margin of 55-37, the Lion offense stalled for most of the fourth period, and LC's Austin Fawley became hot from behind the three-point arc.
Fawley tallied three of his six total 3-pointers in the fourth frame, but the Mustang rally fell short, as the Lions held on for the win.
“I thought we played three really good quarters of basketball (Friday)," Fairfield head coach Matt Carson said. “We pounded the ball inside, got down the floor in transition and contested most of their shots from behind the arc. But for whatever reason, we hit a road block offensively in the fourth, and credit them (Lynchburg), they didn’t give up.”
The Mustangs outscored the Lions 26-14 in the fourth period, the only quarter they won against the Lions. A lot of the Mustangs' comeback was due in part to Fawley, who tallied 24 points on the evening.
“Fawley did a nice job of keeping them in the ballgame tonight,” Carson said. “He gave us trouble all night.”
The Fairfield squad, however, answered the bell scoring wise.
The Lions were led in scoring by senior Chris Cox, who tied LC’s Fawley with 24 points of his own, as the two were the leading scorers on the night.
Cameron Rolark added 18, and Cody Ferrell chipped in 12.
“Our ability to attack the basket garnered us free-throw opportunities tonight, which was a goal of ours. Chris and Cody both attacked the rim well, which opened things up offensively for our guards.”
The ability for the Mustangs to hit the 3-point shot, however, allowed them to net 11 3-pointers on the night, which was something Carson said needs to be addressed by his team.
“We were very active in our zone for three quarters, and we need to do a better job of closing out on the shooters on the perimeter. We’ll hit it hard starting Monday and get ready to gear up for the Manchester game Friday.”
While only one community could come away with a win on the court Friday evening, both could hold their heads high at the willingness to give that was shared between the two communities.
This was the night that the annual Coaches v. Cancer game was held, with the theme this year being that of pancreatic cancer. Players, cheerleaders and coaches on both sides donned purple shirts throughout the evening that were auctioned off between games and at halftime to raise money for the American Cancer Society. On the evening, approximately $6,300 was raised in order to battle this deadly disease.
“I just want to thank both communities, and especially my home community of Leesburg, for making this event tonight a success," Carson said. "This community (Leesburg) always steps up in a time of need and tonight was no different. I am so proud and humbled by all those who showed up Friday evening to make this event a success.”
Carson also added there were those working behind the scenes that had an integral part to play in the evening’s success.
“I would like to thank Mary Beth Hodson for organizing the evening’s events, and the upcoming girls’ game that will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 1, against Ripley. Also I would like to thank the community of Lynchburg and their Athletic Department for helping to make this a success with their support and willingness to participate in the event," he said.
Fairfield won all three games on the evening, as the JV Lions and Freshman Lions won their respective contests.
The Fairfield freshman and JV will be in action Wednesday night, as they host Eastern for a start time of 6 p.m.
The eighth grade, JV and varsity teams will be in action Friday night as they travel to Manchester to take on the Greyhounds in a SHL showdown. Start time of the eighth grade game is 4:30.[[In-content Ad]]