WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Central boys lost their season opener in a 59-57 overtime heartbreaker, but Friday the Griffins had their chance to avenge the narrow loss. The Griffins looked strong to begin the game but faded down the stretch, and Swansea capitalized for a 68-50 blowout victory.
Defense was the name of the game in the first quarter. Swansea struggled to hit anything in the first and missed three shots from the free throw line. The Griffins’ offense was not much better in the first, but after the first quarter they were up 8-6.
“I need my veterans to step up a little more; I got my underclassmen stepping up,” Griffins’ head coach Brian Sanders said. “They played good in the first half, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish and that’s what I keep telling my guys.”
Then in the second quarter, Fairfield went cold. They only put six points in the second, and the Swansea offense came alive. Keenan Coats blazed the Griffins for seven points in the second quarter, including a three pointer that gave the Tigers their first lead of the game.
Effix Miller had eight points in the second and finished with a game high 27 points.
“My hat goes off to him,” Sanders said. “He’s a guy that knows how to carry his team on his shoulders, he proved that in the first game. I think we did a little better than we did the first time shutting down, but he finds a way.”
Fairfield only sank one field-goal in the second, and their early lead had turned into a nine-point deficit by halftime. The Griffins struggled in the second half just to trim the lead to double digits, and Effix Miller scored 14 more points, including eight from the free throw line in the fourth to put the game away.
The Griffins will travel to Keenan for a Friday night matchup.
SHS – 6 – 17 – 22 – 23 – 68
FCHS – 8-6-21-15 – 50
Fairfield: Montraivis White – 11, Will Barber -6, Jalen Mazyck -9, Quay McBride – 15, Zachary Sease -6, Ladeveaux Ashford -3.
Swansea – Jalen Parrish – 4,Keenan Coats -15, Effix Miller -27, Thomas Lackey -5, Dayyan Felder -2, Jaquay Mills -2, Greg Williams -13.