Free-throw scoring leads Whiteoak past Fairfield

MOWRYSTOWN — After three quarters, the host Whiteoak Lady Wildcats were tied with the Fairfield Lady Lions in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference battle. In the fourth frame, the Lady ’Cats were four points better, leading to a tough 38-34 win over their Highland County rival, Thursday evening at WHS. 

Being a game where each team had some issues putting points on the board, the two teams were tied after each of the first three quarters played, with the first frame ending in an 8-8 tie, followed by a halftime score of 16-16. The third quarter ended with a 25-25 score, but in the final eight minutes Whiteoak outscored Fairfield, 13-9 with six of those 13 points coming from the free-throw line. 

For the game, Whiteoak (4-2, 6-2) finished 14-of-21 from the free-throw line, while the Lady Lions (3-3, 8-4) were 9-of-18, including a fourth frame where they were 1-of-4. WHS in the fourth was 7-of-13 in their free-throw attempts.

“Making free throws at the end,” Whiteoak head coach Tirrell Cumberland said when speaking about keys to the victory. “We can do a better job of keeping our composure, and we tend on getting mixed up in things instead of playing basketball, but I think with the girls, we go through situations in practice every day. I looked up at the board, and I said to them ‘what does this remind you of?’ and they said ‘situations’ because we go through those. 

“We are a young team, so we aren’t used to being in these kinds of dog fights, and we have to get used to them because there are going to be plenty more to come.”

Speaking of free throws, the game began with Whiteoak senior Kyra Boyd sinking a total of four free throws on two trips to the line with the first 2:22 of the game, going 2-of-2 on both trips for a 4-0 Lady ’Cats lead. 

Fairfield’s first points were also from the free-throw line with sophomore Addison Cannon sinking one of two free-throw attempts, and later at the 4:13 mark of the quarter, senior Rilee Quickle drained a 3-pointer for a 4-4 score. 

WHS responded with a basket from freshman Ella Howard, only to see the score tied 6-6 following a put-back basket in the paint from Cannon with 3:15 left in the opening quarter. Howard put WHS back in front with a basket, but the score finished tied at 8-8 in the first with two free throws made by Quickle with 36.9 left on the clock. 

Both teams added another eight points in the second quarter for the aforementioned 16-16 score after two frames were complete, but it was Fairfield starting the second strong with a jumper by Isabelle Hale, followed later with a free throw made by junior Vivian Henninger. The junior then drilled a 3-pointer with 4:51 on the clock for a 14-8 Fairfield lead. 

WHS came back with 4:05 left in the second with a bucket from Howard, followed at the 1:12 mark with a basket in the paint from Boyd. WHS tied the score at 14 when Howard sank two free throws for a 14-14 score 38.3 seconds before halftime. 

Fairfield regained the lead with a bucket by Henninger, but a jumper from Taelyn Shriver tied the score at 16.

Each team added nine points in the third frame, leaving the score tied at 25 after eight more minutes of in-game action.

Whiteoak’s scoring in the third consisted of points scored by Chanel Captain, Jillian Lucas, Peyton Gobin and Howard, who made a 3-pointer. Fairfield’s nine points were scored by a Quickle 3-pointer, Henninger, Cannon and Meri Jackson. 

WHS won the fourth frame at 13-9, with their lead being as much as seven points in the final quarter, and they even trailed early in the fourth frame by two points. 

Whiteoak took the lead for good with 4:53 on the clock in the fourth following a three-point play by Boyd for a then-30-27 lead. 

WHS also had fourth-quarter scoring from Miley Walker, Lucas, Howard and Webster. Fairfield in the fourth quarter had points scored by Hale and Cannon. 

“We started staying in front and stopped reaching,” Cumberland said of their improved play in the fourth quarter. “I hate to see how many offensive rebounds we gave up throughout that game. I think staying in front and not reaching were solid defensively.” 

Fairfield final scoring saw Cannon lead with 11 points, making four two-pointers and three free throws. The Lady Lions had eight total points scored by Quickle, followed by seven scored from Henninger. Other final scoring totals included Hale with five points and Jackson with three points. 

“We just have to do the little things. Bunny shots and free throws killed us tonight,” FHS head coach Jennifer Blue said. “(In the fourth) we started to get into foul trouble and (Whiteoak) started going to the line, and that was the difference. Most of their points came from the line, and that was the difference in the game.”

Team totals for FHS included eight two-pointers, three 3-pointers, and they were 9-of-18 from the free-throw line. 

WHS was led by Howard with 13 points off three two-point baskets, one 3-pointer and she was 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. 

Whiteoak also had 10 points from Boyd with two two-point baskets, and she was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. WHS also had final scoring totals that included: Walker (1), Captain (2), Lucas (6), Gobin (2), Shriver (2) and Webster (2). 

The Lady ’Cats’ totals included 10 two-point baskets, one 3-pointer and they were 14-of-21 from the free-throw line. 

“Any win is good, but it wasn’t a great win,” Cumberland said. “I’m not thrilled with the performance. It was sloppy, we didn't play well and a lot of our games have been like this. We have a lot of things to clean up, but if I am going to be on one end of a sloppy game, I’d rather be on this side.”

In the two-quarter JV game, Fairfield defeated Whiteoak 13-7. Addison Cannon led with five points for FHS, and her teammates had final scoring totals of Brya Fauber (4), Landyn Hodson (2) and Corrine Tolle (2). Whiteoak’s JV team was led by Libby Webster with four points, followed by Peyton Gobin (2) and Taelyn Shriver (1). 

Whiteoak now stands at 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SHAC Div. II standings. Fairfield is now 8-4 overall and 3-3 in the SHAC Div. II standings. 

Next for Fairfield is a SHAC contest on Monday, Jan. 12 at home against the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs (2-5, 3-9). 

“We are home Monday for Military Night,” Blue said. “We can take from this game that we battled hard, but we’ve got to do the little things, and that’s what we are going to work on.”

Whiteoak is scheduled to play next Monday, Jan. 12 on the road at North Adams (5-1, 6-2) in SHAC action. 

“We have three tough games coming up with North Adams on Monday, Ripley on Wednesday, and Thursday we have Williamsburg, so we have three this coming week,” Cumberland said. “It is going to be a tall task on all three, and not a single one of those games will be easy, and we’ll have to show up.”

BOX SCORE
FHS     08 08 09 09 — 34
WHS    08 08 09 13 — 38

WHITEOAK (38) — K.Boyd 2 (0) 6-7 10, M.Walker 0 (0) 1-1 1, C.Captain 1 (0) 0-0 2, J.Lucas 2 (0) 2-2 6, P.Gobin 0 (0) 2-2 2, T.Shriver 1 (0) 0-0 2, E.Howard 3 (1) 4-6 13, L.Webster 1 (0) 0-3 2. TOTALS: 10 (1) 15-21 38. 

FAIRFIELD (34) — I.Hale 2 (0) 1-2 5, R.Quickle 0 (2) 2-2 8, V.Henninger 1 (1) 2-4 7, A.Cannon 4 (0) 3-6 11, M.Jackson 1 (0) 1-4 3. TOTALS: 8 (3) 9-18 34.