Compton Walker puts up two of his 16 points against Columbia.
The Fairfield Central Griffins boys’ basketball squad held off a late run by Columbia High School Friday night to defeat the Capitals 62-51 in their region opener in Columbia.
The Griffins were powered by Daniel Maple and Keith Workman, who posted 19 points each, and Compton Walker, who put up 16.
The Capitals enjoyed an early lead, but Workman tied the game at 10-all on a layup and bonus shot with 4:35 left in the opening quarter. The Griffins led 15-10 in the final three minutes of the period, but the Capitals stormed back, tying the game at 17 apiece at the first horn.
In the second quarter, Cedric Hart came off the bench for the Capitals, providing them with the spark they needed to take a 29-27 lead into the half. In the third quarter, the Griffins held a narrow 36-33 lead with under three minutes to play, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Workman energized the Fairfield Five and gave the Griffins a 44-35 lead going into the final period.
A 3-pointer by Jared Young put the Griffins up 48-38 with 4:44 to play, and by the 3:03 mark Fairfield had stretched their advantage to 54-40. Columbia then put on a late drive while the Griffins went cold from the foul line, allowing the Capitals to close the gap to 56-51 with just over a minute to play. But the Griffin defense sealed the deal down the stretch, holding Columbia scoreless for the final 60 seconds.
The Griffins host Eau Claire Tuesday night following the girls’ game, which tips at 6:30.
FC—Keith Workman: 19, Daniel Maple: 19, Compton Walker: 16, Jalyn Davis: 4, D’Andre Belton: 2, Chanti Jones: 2. CHS—Marcus Praylow: 15, Gerald Snooks: 15, Thomas Allen: 8, Trinity Sells: 8, Cedric Hart: 2.
