Tiea Quanna Pearson (20) and Jada Martin (10) play the tough defense for the Lady Griffins.
The Lady Shamrocks of Eau Claire High School jumped out to an early 5-0 lead at home Friday night, holding the Lady Griffins scoreless for the first 3 minutes and 15 seconds of the game, but an explosive fourth quarter and a defense that racked up 21 steals lifted Fairfield Central to a 48-27 victory.
The Griffin defense put the clamp on the early Eau Claire run, keeping them off the board for the final 3 minutes of the opening quarter. Converting take-aways into points, the Lady Griffins officially took the lead with 2:14 to play in the period on a 2-point bucket by Tanise Davis to make it 6-5 Fairfield.
While the offense was sporadic throughout the second quarter, with the shooting percentage dropping through the floor, the Lady Griffins’ defense kept them out front. By the 3:28 mark, Fairfield Central held a 15-9 edge, but the Lady Shamrocks stayed on their heels with critical foul shooting to cut the lead to 15-13 at the half.
Eau Claire tied the game at 15 early in the third, and with 5:28 to play had nosed out front, 18-15 on a 3-pointer from Samari Davis. But the Lady Griffins found their groove, and with 4:53 left in the period had retaken the lead, 19-18. Timely steals by Chelsea Seibles and with Raven Rivers working the inside angle, the Lady Griffins held a narrow 25-20 lead going into the final chapter.
With 4:52 left in the game, the Lady ‘Rocks were on the move, cutting the Griffin lead to 28-24. But Seibles, back on the court after a breather, came in to lead Fairfield’s defense in the final 4 minutes, converting steals and Shamrock turnovers into critical points. The Griffins outscored Eau Claire 21-7 in the final frame to seal the region win.
Fairfield hosts Keenan Tuesday night in a region rematch. Tip is at 6 p.m.
FC—Christian Thompson: 10, Chyna Moore: 4, Chelsea Seibles: 7, Jada Martin: 5, Tiea Quanna Pearson: 4, Raven Rivers: 10, Tanise Davis: 4, Patrice Jeter: 4.
EC—Samari Davis: 3, Shabreccia Jones: 6, Deidra Davis-Johnson: 7, Jasmine Grooms: 2, Shavon Hall: 6, Alexis Robinson: 3.
