Sports
Fairfield Union Storms Back To Eliminate Athens
By: Nick Komjati
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The winningest Lady Bulldogs team in Athens history saw their season come to an end on Tuesday night to the hands of the Fairfield Union Lady Falcons. Fairfield Union took advantage of a strong second half to defeat Athens 42-37.
Athens came out of the gates swinging, scoring 16 points in the first quarter and forcing seven Lady Falcon turnovers. Despite a small run by Fairfield Union, the Lady Bulldogs still held on to a 26-15 halftime advantage. Athens received the majority of their offensive production in the first half from Dominique Doseck and Olivia Harris, each of whom tallied eight points in the first 16 minutes.
But, as soon as the teams came out for the second half, it was the Lady Falcons' time.
Sophomore Courtney Bernard sparked the Fairfield Union run with a lay-in followed by a quick steal and a bucket all in a matter of seconds. With the momentum on their side, the Lady Falcons kept rolling, hitting easy shots and taking advantage of Athens mistakes and turnovers.
Doseck, who pulled Athens from a fourth quarter deficit against the Jackson Ironladies a week ago, went cold in the second half, scoring only on two free throws to end the game with just 10 points.
The only real offensive bright spots for Athens in the second half came from Hannah DeBruin on easy layups. She finished with a game-high 12 points, but it was not enough to Athens to weather the second half storm.
After outscoring Fairfield Union by 11 in the first half, the Lady Falcons punched back, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs by 16 in the second.
“They started to score on us and chipped into our lead,” Coach Wayne Horsely said. “We got a little bit rattled.”
With this win, the Lady Falcons advance to face West Holmes in the Regional Final game with a chance to play in the State Final-Four in the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus. For Athens, the season comes to an end, but Coach Wayne Horsely is proud of what his team accomplished over the course of the year.
“They’ve accomplished a lot and had a great season,” he said. “Only two other teams in Athens history have made it as far as we did and nobody else has won 22 games. Unfortunately it had to come to an end tonight, but we’re proud of the young ladies. They’re great people and great students.”