Fairview's Bryson Fletcher (42) takes a shot from the line. / Norman Bush
HANCEVILLE – The Fairview Aggies fought their way to a tight 56-53 win over the Mobile Christian Leopards in the Buffalo Wild Wings Christmas Challenge Wednesday night in Tom Drake Coliseum on the campus of Wallace State. The Aggies did it thanks to their shooting from the 3-point and free-throw lines.
The Aggies got off to a fast start in the game and ended the first quarter with a 20-8 lead. Thanks to some big baskets from Leopard guard Jordan Wilson late in the second quarter, Mobile Christian fought back to make it a game and trailed by just four points at the half. Wilson was one of the Leopard’s leading scorers, finishing with nine points and six rebounds.
The two teams continued to trade baskets in the third quarter with neither being able to seize the momentum. The Aggies’ offense knocked down nine shots from 3-point range and rode their hot shooting throughout the second half. Fairview’s Truman Boyd led the game with four makes from beyond the arc and finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds. Two more of those deep shots came from guard Luke Yarbrough who finished with a team-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds.
Fairview led 42-39 going into the fourth quarter and the game only got closer from that point. Mobile Christian’s Jeffery Griffin was a handful for the Aggies in the paint, and he was able to keep the Leopards in the game late. Griffin went for a game-high 23 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
With just less than a minute left to play, Boyd put in a layup that gave Fairview a 53-51 lead, but that bucket was quickly answered by two free throws from Wilson, tying the game with 50 seconds to go.
Fairview held the ball and drained some of the clock before forward Bryson Fletcher drew a foul and went to the free-throw line with 19 seconds left. Fletcher got one of the two free throws to drop and gave the Aggies a 54-53 lead. On the next possession, Fairview’s Austin Turner was fouled bringing in a rebound and went to the line with seven seconds remaining and a one-point lead. Turner knocked down both free throws to give his team a three-point lead with time for the Leopards to get off one last shot. Wilson missed a deep shot at the buzzer and Fairview held on for the 56-53 victory.
Clutch free-throw shooting late in the game and a good performance from the 3-point line moves the Aggies to 7-4 on the season.
The tournament continues today and tomorrow, with Cullman taking the court now. Thursday’s brackets will be determined by today’s games.
Thursday, Dec. 21
- 11 a.m. – Mortimer Jordan vs. Colbert County (girls)
- 12:20 p.m. – ‘Traditional’ bracket consolation (boys)
- 1:40 p.m. – ‘Wingin’ it’ bracket consolation (boys)
- 3 p.m. – ‘Boneless’ bracket consolation (boys)
- 4:20 p.m. – ‘Traditional’ bracket championship (boys)
- 5:40 p.m. – ‘Wingin’ it’ bracket championship (boys)
- 7 p.m. – ‘Boneless’ bracket championship (boys)
Coach Branch Whitlock and the Aggies will be back in Tom Drake Coliseum for a game against the Tanner Rattlers at 5:40 p.m. Thursday.
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