McClain Lady Tigers fend off 4th-quarter rally by Fairfield
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — The McClain Lady Tigers led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, but the win didn’t come that easily for the visiting team. The Fairfield Lady Lions saved their best for last as they managed to make a comeback, getting to within one point of the tying the score, only to see McClain leave Grandle Gymnasium with a 54-52 victory.
The fourth frame began with the Lady Tigers in front by a 43-32 score, but the Lady Lions were first to score points in the fourth frame with two free throws from Peyton Magee — who finished the game with 10 points — only to be answered with a three-point play by Payton Pryor and a fast break layup from Emma Stegbauer for a MHS lead of 14 points at 48-34 with 6:04 left on the clock.
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McClain (7-5) went scoreless for the next four minutes of in-game action, and the Lady Lions took advantage of that situation with eight straight points from Emma Fouch, as she finished the game with 15 points.
The sophomore scored two points on a fast break layup, and following a Fairfield timeout, Fouch sank not one, but two 3-pointers, bringing Fairfield to within six points of the McClain lead at 48-42 with 3:45 left in regulation.
Next were two points by Magee at the 3:05 mark to make it a one-possession game at 48-46. McClain finally got back to the scoring column (after a Fairfield timeout) when Pryor scored two points in the paint, then with 1:36 left on the clock, the freshman Pryor added two more points to the MHS lead with two made free throws.
Fairfield (8-5) slashed the Lady Tigers’ lead to three points with a 3-pointer by Ella Newkirk, forcing MHS to call a timeout with 1:15 on the scoreboard. Jaelyn Pitzer put MHS ahead by four points with a free-throw conversion, and Fairfield came back with a free throw of their own from Newkirk.
Newkirk ended the game with 10 points, while McClain’s Pitzer scored nine points.
The Lady Lions made it a one-point game following a jumper by Magee, but the basket was too late as there were just 3.5 seconds left on the clock and McClain’s Stegbauer — who totaled six points — was fouled with 1.8 left in the game. Stegbauer sealed the win with a free-throw conversion for what was the final score of 54-52.
“We are playing together,” McClain head coach Jarrod Haines said. “We talked about the last game, the defensive effort was together. We did lose it there a little bit in the fourth quarter, and we didn’t handle their (FHS) pressure well — uncharacteristic things — but the main thing is we did enough to win the basketball game. These kids shared the scoring, and defensively we did it together collectively, and I’m sure proud of them.”
For the game, the Lady Lions were led by Fouch with 15 points (three 3-pointers) and 10 points each from Newkirk (three 3-pointers) and Magee (three two-point baskets, four free throws).
“For three quarters, we struggled to score, struggled to make any kind of shots, then finally we knocked a few down and it gave us some energy,” FHS head coach Chad Hamilton said. “The intensity level went up.”
Bri Weller led McClain with 14 points, followed by Pryor with 11 points.
The first frame was competitive as well with McClain leading 15-11 at the conclusion of the quarter with Fairfield scoring first off a jumper from Braylynn Haines. That was answered with a 3-pointer by Weller and a layup by Kyla Burchett, with the assist from Pitzer from an inbounds pass. Burchett ended the game with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Lions tied the game at 5-5 with a 3-pointer by Fouch, but MHS jumped back into the lead with two free throws made by Burchett. Fairfield tied the score again with two point from Hailey Tolle, followed by taking the lead with a free-throw conversion by Madison Bronner, who finished the game with six points.
The rest of the first frame was full of free throws, with McClain taking a 15-11 lead at the conclusion of the first eight minutes of play, including Pitzer sinking three straight free throws on a single trip to the free-throw line.
“I told Jaelyn making three free throws in a row is one of the hardest things to do in a gym full of people,” Haines said. “I’m super proud of her, and rebounding the ball she was huge, tipping it out, and that is tough to do because Fairfield’s two big girls are really good.”
McClain held a 10-point lead when halftime arrived and opened the second quarter with two free throws from Weller, followed by a 3-pointer by Josie Crabtree with 5:06 left on the clock in the second quarter, with Crabtree finishing the game with five points.
Fairfield’s Magee scored the first points of the second frame for the Lady Lions by stealing the ball and taking it straight to the hoop with 4:35 left in the quarter, putting FHS within seven points of the Lady Tigers.
That deficit didn’t last long because McClain added to their advantage with a 3-pointer by Cierra Bolender, plus two points in the paint by Weller for a 12-point lead. McClain’s advantage went up to 15 points following a timeout when Pitzer sank a basket at the 2:26 mark of the quarter for a 28-13 lead.
FHS came back with points from Hailey Tolle, Fouch and Haines, while MHS had two points from Weller to make the halftime score, 30-20. Tolle wrapped up the game with eight points.
“I can’t say enough about Bri Weller’s defensive effort in this game and all season,” Haines said. “She worked extremely hard. I can motivate Bri, and that speaks to the type of kid she is, but all of our kids are motivated.”
McClain won the third quarter at 13-12, a frame where McClain held a 10-plus point lead for nearly the entire frame, and their lead went no fewer than nine points. McClain had points in the third from Weller, Pryor, Burchett and Stegbauer.
“Payton didn’t have her best game, but to come up with 11 points and have a couple big plays as the end is huge for us,” Haines said. “For a freshman to attack the basket like she did in the fourth quarter, that was huge for us.
“Emma also played big for us, and Kyla played some of the best defense of her career in this game. Josie and Cierra gave us big minutes when they came in. I was glad to see we were carrying over from practice, and our free-throw shooting was huge.”
Fairfield’s 12 points in the third were from Newkirk (two 3-pointers), Tolle (two 3-pointers) and Magee.
The game saw Fairfield total 13 two-point baskets, six 3-pointers and they were 8-of-16 from the free-throw line. McClain finished with 10 two-point baskets, four 3-pointers and were 22-of-26 in their free-throw shooting, shooting 13 free throws in each half.
“They (McClain) shot phenomenal from the free-throw line,” Hamilton said. “We lost by two and they made 14 more free throws than we did, so it is hard to win a game like that, but we have to adjust and stop fouling. Their free-throw shooting was the difference in the game.”
FHS totaled 24 turnovers, while McClain had 17 turnovers.
Next for McClain is a game Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Waverly in a non-conference matchup. Fairfield will play again Thursday, Jan. 9 at Peebles in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference game.
The fourth frame began with the Lady Tigers in front by a 43-32 score, but the Lady Lions were first to score points in the fourth frame with two free throws from Peyton Magee — who finished the game with 10 points — only to be answered with a three-point play by Payton Pryor and a fast break layup from Emma Stegbauer for a MHS lead of 14 points at 48-34 with 6:04 left on the clock.
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McClain (7-5) went scoreless for the next four minutes of in-game action, and the Lady Lions took advantage of that situation with eight straight points from Emma Fouch, as she finished the game with 15 points.
The sophomore scored two points on a fast break layup, and following a Fairfield timeout, Fouch sank not one, but two 3-pointers, bringing Fairfield to within six points of the McClain lead at 48-42 with 3:45 left in regulation.
Next were two points by Magee at the 3:05 mark to make it a one-possession game at 48-46. McClain finally got back to the scoring column (after a Fairfield timeout) when Pryor scored two points in the paint, then with 1:36 left on the clock, the freshman Pryor added two more points to the MHS lead with two made free throws.
Fairfield (8-5) slashed the Lady Tigers’ lead to three points with a 3-pointer by Ella Newkirk, forcing MHS to call a timeout with 1:15 on the scoreboard. Jaelyn Pitzer put MHS ahead by four points with a free-throw conversion, and Fairfield came back with a free throw of their own from Newkirk.
Newkirk ended the game with 10 points, while McClain’s Pitzer scored nine points.
The Lady Lions made it a one-point game following a jumper by Magee, but the basket was too late as there were just 3.5 seconds left on the clock and McClain’s Stegbauer — who totaled six points — was fouled with 1.8 left in the game. Stegbauer sealed the win with a free-throw conversion for what was the final score of 54-52.
“We are playing together,” McClain head coach Jarrod Haines said. “We talked about the last game, the defensive effort was together. We did lose it there a little bit in the fourth quarter, and we didn’t handle their (FHS) pressure well — uncharacteristic things — but the main thing is we did enough to win the basketball game. These kids shared the scoring, and defensively we did it together collectively, and I’m sure proud of them.”
For the game, the Lady Lions were led by Fouch with 15 points (three 3-pointers) and 10 points each from Newkirk (three 3-pointers) and Magee (three two-point baskets, four free throws).
“For three quarters, we struggled to score, struggled to make any kind of shots, then finally we knocked a few down and it gave us some energy,” FHS head coach Chad Hamilton said. “The intensity level went up.”
Bri Weller led McClain with 14 points, followed by Pryor with 11 points.
The first frame was competitive as well with McClain leading 15-11 at the conclusion of the quarter with Fairfield scoring first off a jumper from Braylynn Haines. That was answered with a 3-pointer by Weller and a layup by Kyla Burchett, with the assist from Pitzer from an inbounds pass. Burchett ended the game with six points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Lions tied the game at 5-5 with a 3-pointer by Fouch, but MHS jumped back into the lead with two free throws made by Burchett. Fairfield tied the score again with two point from Hailey Tolle, followed by taking the lead with a free-throw conversion by Madison Bronner, who finished the game with six points.
The rest of the first frame was full of free throws, with McClain taking a 15-11 lead at the conclusion of the first eight minutes of play, including Pitzer sinking three straight free throws on a single trip to the free-throw line.
“I told Jaelyn making three free throws in a row is one of the hardest things to do in a gym full of people,” Haines said. “I’m super proud of her, and rebounding the ball she was huge, tipping it out, and that is tough to do because Fairfield’s two big girls are really good.”
McClain held a 10-point lead when halftime arrived and opened the second quarter with two free throws from Weller, followed by a 3-pointer by Josie Crabtree with 5:06 left on the clock in the second quarter, with Crabtree finishing the game with five points.
Fairfield’s Magee scored the first points of the second frame for the Lady Lions by stealing the ball and taking it straight to the hoop with 4:35 left in the quarter, putting FHS within seven points of the Lady Tigers.
That deficit didn’t last long because McClain added to their advantage with a 3-pointer by Cierra Bolender, plus two points in the paint by Weller for a 12-point lead. McClain’s advantage went up to 15 points following a timeout when Pitzer sank a basket at the 2:26 mark of the quarter for a 28-13 lead.
FHS came back with points from Hailey Tolle, Fouch and Haines, while MHS had two points from Weller to make the halftime score, 30-20. Tolle wrapped up the game with eight points.
“I can’t say enough about Bri Weller’s defensive effort in this game and all season,” Haines said. “She worked extremely hard. I can motivate Bri, and that speaks to the type of kid she is, but all of our kids are motivated.”
McClain won the third quarter at 13-12, a frame where McClain held a 10-plus point lead for nearly the entire frame, and their lead went no fewer than nine points. McClain had points in the third from Weller, Pryor, Burchett and Stegbauer.
“Payton didn’t have her best game, but to come up with 11 points and have a couple big plays as the end is huge for us,” Haines said. “For a freshman to attack the basket like she did in the fourth quarter, that was huge for us.
“Emma also played big for us, and Kyla played some of the best defense of her career in this game. Josie and Cierra gave us big minutes when they came in. I was glad to see we were carrying over from practice, and our free-throw shooting was huge.”
Fairfield’s 12 points in the third were from Newkirk (two 3-pointers), Tolle (two 3-pointers) and Magee.
The game saw Fairfield total 13 two-point baskets, six 3-pointers and they were 8-of-16 from the free-throw line. McClain finished with 10 two-point baskets, four 3-pointers and were 22-of-26 in their free-throw shooting, shooting 13 free throws in each half.
“They (McClain) shot phenomenal from the free-throw line,” Hamilton said. “We lost by two and they made 14 more free throws than we did, so it is hard to win a game like that, but we have to adjust and stop fouling. Their free-throw shooting was the difference in the game.”
FHS totaled 24 turnovers, while McClain had 17 turnovers.
Next for McClain is a game Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Waverly in a non-conference matchup. Fairfield will play again Thursday, Jan. 9 at Peebles in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference game.