Party like it’s 2017!
Fairfield added its first sectional trophy to the boys basketball collection in seven years, winning the Lakeland Boys Basketball Sectional championship Saturday night in a 50-39 final.
Fairfield led wire to wire, starting the game on an 8-0 run and never looked back. Carson Smith had five three-pointers in the game, two in the second quarter helping the Falcons to a 21-10 lead, and another banger to end the third had the Falcons up 13.
Smith finished with a game-high 16 points and Mitchell Miller had 13 points, including a unique 5-6 conversion from the free throw line in the first quarter after being fouled on two separate three-point attempts.
The win marks the 10th sectional title in Fairfield program history, and just the second in class 3-A, the other in 2017. Fairfield (19-6) will look to win just its second-ever regional title when it takes on Hammond Bishop Noll (20-7) in the one-game Triton Regional this Saturday. Noll has won 13 of its last 14 games, getting past Hanover Central, 44-42, in the Calumet Sectional championship.
Getting to Friday night was an impressive sight for Fairfield. The Falcons held West Noble scoreless for almost eight-and-a-half minutes to start the game in a 52-25 final. Back-to-back second quarter three-pointers from Brant Garber and Smith saw the Fairfield lead hit 18, and the advantage ballooned to as much as 30 in the second half. Miller finished with a game-high 16 points and Garber hit four three-pointers to end with 12 points. Smith added nine points in the win.
It’s barely March, but track season is already open. The unofficial start of the season in Indiana has a host of schools competing in the Hoosier State Relays, and both sides of the Fairfield program were at Trine University on Saturday competing in the qualifying rounds.
Fairfield had eight spots finish in the top five, led by three firsts for the girls. Natalee Lambright was tops in her heat of the two-mile, clocking 12:27.83, Jalyn Stofleth at 9-0 in pole vault with teammate Shelby Miller also at 9-0, Stofleth honors on attempts, and Madelyn Culp at 15-7.25 in long jump.
Claire Foust was fourth in high jump at 4-8, Culp sixth in the event also at 4-8 on jumps, and Culp was fourth in the 60-meter hurdles at 10.25.
The boys had a one-two in shot put, Nic Hofer winning at 50-2 and Ethan Hochstetler right behind at 48-5.5.