Lady Raiders Pull Away from Fairfield Central

Chalexius Ruff (14) goes up for the block. (Photo/Joe Seibles)

Chalexius Ruff (14) goes up for the block. (Photo/Joe Seibles)

WINNSBORO (Dec. 13, 2016) – The Fairfield Central girls had an off-again, on-again flirt with a win over Keenan Monday night.

After a slow start, the Griffins rallied in the second and third quarters to take a brief lead, but fell 48-33 when the Raiders dominated the fourth.

Point guard Jamaria Sampson led the team with 14 points and six takeaways, sparking the Griffins when they needed it.

“We concentrated on the defensive end and Jamaria got us started offensively,” Fairfield Central head coach Amelia Miller said. “We just tried to attack and got on the free throw line a lot, but we lost our poise in the fourth quarter, making young mistakes.”

The Griffins (1-4) were missing veteran Jameka Henderson because of sickness.

Keenan started the game on a 13-1 run before Sampson put in the first basket for the Griffins with 37 seconds left in the first quarter. Logan McDaniel ended the period with a basket to give the Raiders a 15-3 lead at the first quarter buzzer.

Sampson and Tamesha Woodard opened the second with 3-pointers. Chalexus Ruff got a basket to cut Keenan’s lead to 15-11 about two minutes into the period.

From that point both teams answered shot for shot until Sampson hit a second 3-pointer with 32 seconds left that cut Keenan’s lead to 24-21 at the half.

Within a minute of starting the second half, the Griffins were poised to take control of the game.

Ruff sank a 3 of her own to even the score at 24. After Taleeah Collier missed on two free throws, Sampson picked up a loose ball and took it to the net to give Fairfield Central its first lead of the game at the 5:18 mark of the third.

The Griffins took the lead again on Woodard’s second 3 of the game with 2:53 to go in the third. Thirty seconds later, Brooklyn Woods drained a 3 to even the score at 29.

Fairfield Central tied the game at 31 when Sampson stole a ball and gave it to Collier for a layup at the 1:20 mark. Keenan’s Courtney Jones made it 32-31 at quarter’s end with a foul shot.

The Raiders would not relinquish that lead, firing off a 16-2 run throughout the final quarter. Only a pair of Sampson foul shots accounted for the Griffins’ fourth-quarter scoring.

“We’re going to try and get better and better game by game,” Miller said. “We’re just trying to get better, that’s all.”

 

Keenan 48, Fairfield Central 33

KHS: 15-9-8-16 – 48

FC: 3-18-10-2 – 33

Keenan

Jadiamond Hickman 13, Logan McDaniel 13, Courtney Jones 10, Woods 7, Taylor 2, Hammond 2, Hill 1.

Fairfield Central

Jamaria Sampson 14, Woodard 7, Ruff 7, Collier 3, Gray 2.

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