INDIAN LAND – The Fairfield Central Griffins bowed out of the Class 2A state basketball playoffs Saturday night, bumped off by the Warriors of Indian Land, 71-50.
The Warriors opened up a 22-14 first-quarter lead as the Griffins struggled with finding the bottom of the bucket. Open looks produced few results for the Griffins and the long ball just would not fall as Fairfield sank only five of their 29 3-point efforts.
As the first half drew to a close, Shadarius Hopkins lit the fuse on a brief rally that cut the Warriors’ lead from 14 down to eight before the horn. But the Warriors just could not be overcome, outscoring Fairfield 19-13 in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 52-38. Indian Land posted another 19 points in the final frame, while the Griffins, still unable to get the lid off the rim, were held to only 12.
Fairfield Central closes the books on the 2013-2014 season with a 19-8 record and a second place finish in Region III.
