FORT PAYNE – Fairview got control of the game in the final five minutes to get past Scottsboro 49-40 Thursday afternoon in the consolation bracket of the 16th annual Wills Valley Girls' Shootout at Fort Payne High School.
A steal by Jada Golden led to a pass to Taylor Yeager and a layup that sent Fairview ahead to stay at 37-35 at the 5:00 mark of the final stanza.
Fairview spent the closing seconds of the third period and a couple of minutes in the fourth before they used good defense and shot 75 percent from the line in the final quarter,
"We slowed it down in the final five minutes and also stepped it up and hit some free throws," coach Mary Hartline said afterwards. "We did a lot of good things in the fourth quarter, especially taking better care of the basketball."
Both teams began the contest very sluggish in the quest to score. An 8-5 lead by Fairview after the first was erased when Scottsboro went on an 8-0 run and took a 13-8 lead in the second when Tashay Evans connected on a three-pointer.
The Lady Aggies tied the game on a free throw from Maci Yeager with 1:15 left to make the score 15-15. McKinna Yearwood scored on a jumper following two offensive rebounds that put Fairview back in front 17-15.
With 26 seconds left, Scottsboro coach Derek Wynn got a technical foul for protesting an offensive foul against his squad. Taylor Yeager netted a free throw and Fairview was ahead at the break, 18-15.
Yeager tallied a basket with 2:05 to go in the third and Fairview held a 25-21 advantage. Scottsboro answered with two baskets by Janey Bradford as she drove by defenders, with one being a three-point play that moved them back on top.
The third ended with Scottsboro leading 31-28.
After the Yeager basket following the steal by Golden, 10 of the Lady Aggies' final 12 points were from the line. Fairview was 10-of-13 in the game's final four-and-a-half minutes.
That overcame a 3-for-9 effort during the first half from the line and a 5-of-9 showing during the third quarter.
Yeager scored 22, getting 16 in the second half for the Lady Aggies who are now 13-5 on the season. She had 11 during the critical fourth period.
Abbi Taylor tossed in nine, Yearwood added seven, Golden five, Abby Schnittker three, Daylia Dean two and Maci Yeager one.
Scottsboro fell to 5-9, suffering their second consecutive loss in the Shootout. The Lady Wildcats got 15 from Janey Bradford and eight by Jasmine Bradford.
Fairview outrebounded Scottsboro 38-29 with 25 defensive boards, nine by Schnittker who led the team with 11 rebounds.
"Abby is great on the boards," Hartline said. "She is one of the best hustle players on the team."
Fairview will close out the shootout at 12:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of the Helena-Vestavia game.
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