Raven Rivers (3) draws the foul going up inside Saturday against Eau Claire. (Photo/DeAnna Robinson)
WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Central Lady Griffins cruised to victory Saturday afternoon, defeating the Lady Shamrocks of Eau Claire 65-19 in a game that honored standout Lady Griffin Jada Martin for reaching the 1,000-point club and making the N.C.-S.C. All-Star game.
Martin is the second player in Fairfield Central’s history to reach the 1,000-point mark. The only other player in the elite club is none other than Fairfield Central assistant coach Amelia Miller. The All-Star game will be held on March 22in Myrtle Beach.
“Jada (Martin) is such a great student-athlete,” said Fairfield Central head coach Cedrick Simpson. “She’s everything a coach could want and she definitely deserves this award.”
The Lady Griffins controlled the game from the opening tip, jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter and not looking back.
Simpson’s high-pressure defense kept the energy level high for the Lady Griffins and reeked havoc on the Lady Shamrocks, as Fairfield finished the game with a team total of 23 steals, including five from Martin and five from fellow senior Raven Rivers.
High-intensity defense turned into easy offense as the Lady Griffins took a 27-7 lead into halftime, scoring in heaps on turnovers and transition buckets. The second half saw more defensive pressure from the Lady Griffins, as they switched to a full-court press in the third quarter.
Multiple steals and lay-ins stretched the Lady Griffins’ lead to 42-13 with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter. Tanise Davis reeled off five straight points, with a baseline floater followed by a deep three-pointer from the left corner. Chyna Moore sank a layup just before the third quarter buzzer to stretch the lead even further to 49-14.
The Lady Griffins would not yield their defensive stranglehold of the Lady Shamrocks, even in the closing minutes of the game; the Lady Shamrocks were held to just five fourth-quarter points as the game wound down to a 65-19 victory for Fairfield Central.
“This was another great team effort,” said Simpson. “We played well defensively and it paid off for us.”
Martin finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Lady Griffins improved to 5-1 in the region and are slated to take on Columbia High School on Wednesday, followed by another Saturday match with Keenan. Both games tip at 6 p.m.
FC: Jada Martin 19, Tanise Davis 12, Pearson 8, Rivers 8, Moore 7, Cloud 4, Jeter 3, Thompson 2, Woodard 2, H. Woodard 2. EC: Hall 7, Grooms 6, Davis 3, Keitt 2, Davis 1.
EC: Hall 7, Grooms 6, Davis 3, Keitt 2, Davis 1.
