FALKVILLE – Fairview basketball is moving right along, even without a permanent head coach.
Eddie Groves stepped down in the spring after leading the Aggies the last two years with Fairview winning the 5A, Area 13 title in February and hosting a sub-regional playoff game.
At the present time, Branch Whitlock is the acting coach for the Aggies. Whitlock has been on Bobby Meyer's staff at Cullman High School and was in charge of the Bearcats' freshman team the previous season.
The Aggies dealt with two games Tuesday in the Falkville play-day series, beating New Hope 46-32 and enjoying a 50-30 triumph against Falkville.
Helping Whitlock on the sidelines for the play days is Terrance Maze, Fairview's junior varsity coach last year, and Trett Hardman, a Fairview alumnus.
Fairview is experienced heading into the new season and waiting for the hire of its new coach.
Bryson Fletcher was sharp for the Aggies against New Hope, scoring 21 points, 14 in the opening half. Fletcher scored on three consecutive possessions in the half, lifting the Aggies to a a 17-14 lead.
A steal and layup by Fletcher upped the spread to 21-14 with Fletcher getting a three before the horn sounded; the lead grew to 10 points at 26-16.
Giving some support on the offensive side in the second half was returnee Truman Boyd. The 6'5" forward netted a couple of baskets, one from the top for three, and Fairview kept New Hope at arms length.
The battle with Falkville was nip and tuck for much of the first period, before the Aggies went on a 10-2 run in the final 8:00 to gain a 19-11 advantage at the break.
Grant Howard raised his performance level for Whitlock in the second half with nine points in the final 10:00. A steal and a layup pushed the lead to 38-24 with 8:20 to go.
Cameron Guthrie stepped out and landed a three to move the lead to 44-26 with 4:20 showing on the clock.
The largest advantage of the contest came at the conclusion, a 20-point difference when Boyd made two from the line with 14 seconds left, and Fairview finished Falkvile, 50-30.
Fairview outscored the Blue Devils 31-19 in the second half, producing 11 field goals, three treys and six free throws. Others that made contributions to the Fairview offense were Zane Miller, Clay Knop and Jacob Hill.
A decision on Fairview's coaching vacancy could be solved Thursday in the next meeting of the Cullman County Board of Education. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. inside the conference room.
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
