DANVILLE – Athens' Lady Golden Eagles had to reach deep down inside to take home the Danville Lady Hawks’ Thanksgiving Classic championship for the second straight year against the Fairview Lady Aggies.
Last year, Athens was in command for much of the contest and won 66-50.
It was a different story Wednesday night at Wayne Bowling Gymnasium. It came down to four free throws by center Alexis Woods in the final 28 seconds to seal it for the Golden Eagles by the final of 63-57.
Woods had some huge help in the final period from Olivia Patton who scored twice from 3-point range, and hit another field goal and a free throw when the game went down to the wire.
In the rematch, Fairview played very well throughout the night, just affected by a few mistakes that were the difference in handing Athens its first loss and seeing a four-game winning streak come to a stop on Thanksgiving Eve.
Both teams were sluggish in scoring during the first with Fairview ahead 9-8. Then the Lady Aggies started to connect from long range. A three from Taylor Yeager with 4:08 left in the half gave Fairview a 21-13 lead, its largest at the time.
The first half ended with Fairview up 28-24 by getting a three from Jada Golden and free throws from Abby Schnittker in the final 1:46 to put them into the lead and try to get some breathing room.
A free throw with 2:15 left by Yeager in the third sent the Lady Aggies to a 39-33 spread. Athens was able to answer and got the lead at 41-39 to complete an 8-0 run on a jump shot.
Fairview had plenty of time to answer. Yeager banked in a three as time ran out and the Lady Aggies were in front 42-41, with a wild fourth period waiting to happen.
A three by Patton with 3:37 to play snapped an even score and Athens led 51-48. The Golden Eagles never trailed for the rest of this battle.
Fairview was down 58-55 and with the ball with less than 1:40 to go, but committed a turnover and fouled Patton. Patton made one of two to raise the lead to 59-55.
A basket from Yeager closed it to 59-57 at 0:46, then Woods hit two from the line, making it a 61-57 lead with 28 seconds showing. Following a Fairview miss, she clinched the seventh win of the season for the Golden Eagles and finished the championship with 19 points. Patton and Tionna Moore scored 13 points each with the Golden Eagles going into celebration, knowing they were given a challenge for 32 minutes vs. a determined Fairview team.
Yeager scored 19 for Mary Hartline's Lady Aggies, who are 7-2. Golden added 11, Schnittker had nine, Taylor seven, Mckinna Yearwood five and Maci Yeager scored four.
The Lady Aggies reached the championship by defeating Danville in the semifinal in the early afternoon 56-50. Yeager scored 20 for Fairview followed by Taylor with 15 and Schnittker eight. Jolee Cole popped in 16 for Danville, who lost for the first time on the season.
Athens toppled Jackson-Olin 61-51 in its semifinal to set up the rematch.
Jackson-Olin went home with the third-place trophy by a 75-66 shootout over Danville after the game was tied at the half at 40-40.
Brewer won fifth place by routing West Morgan 57-26 with Priceville getting past Holly Pond in the seventh-place game 52-48.
In the last two years, Fairview has posted six wins in the Lady Hawks' Classic against two losses, both coming to Athens in the championship round.
The Lady Aggies defeated Decatur, West Morgan and Danville, three programs from Morgan County.
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