Jada Martin goes in for the layup. (Photo/Joe Seibles)
WINNSBORO – Saturday night was a huge night for Lady Griffins basketball as the team took full control of first place in the Region III 2A division with a 52-42 victory over the Keenan High School Lady Raiders.
The win marks the fourth straight for the Lady Griffins, as the team tightens down for the final week of the regular season. Fairfield is now 15-4 on the season, sitting atop the division with an 8-1 record.
As per usual for the second half of this season, Fairfield left it all on the court Saturday night against Keenan, starting from the very first play.
Both teams dug in early defensively and held each other in check for most of the first quarter, but the Lady Griffins were able to secure an 8-6 lead going into the second quarter, where the momentum of the game changed as Fairfield began connected on their jump shots and turning good defense into good offense. Jada Martin found her touch from the floor and forced a couple of steals to help extend the Fairfield Central lead to double-digits.
Lady Raiders’ sophomore Bria Jackson bore the responsibility of matching up with Martin whenever Keenan would run man-to-man, but she also carried her team on offense, keeping Fairfield’s lead in check and manageable with her scoring.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Lady Griffins were up 29-17.
Playing with a lead is a familiar situation for the Lady Griffins and they have managed it well this season. The second half of the game was no different.
Fairfield came out in the second half with intensity and continued to force the Lady Raiders into bad shots on offense.
With the ball, the Lady Griffins were patient and smart, and of course, deadly from the outside. The team shot 47 percent from the field overall, a sign that the team knows where, when and how to score.
By the end of the third quarter, Fairfield was up 46-29 and the game was very much in full Fairfield control.
Even though the Lady Griffins only scored six points in the fourth quarter, the game was never in question as they went on to win by the final score, 52-42.
Martin finished the game with another standout stat line: 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals. She also shot 60 percent from the field.
Tanise Davis and Chyna Moore had 10 points each and Raven Rivers put up eight points. For Keenan, Jackson finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Dashelle Robinson had 11 points for the Lady Raiders and Demyra Rudder had 10.
The loss drops Keenan to 7-3, which is the third place position in the region, behind Columbia High School.
Fairfield is poised to receive a number one seed in the conference playoff bracket, which will be set following this final week of the regular season.
