WINNSBORO – The Fairfield Central boys and first year head coach Jonathan Durant were at home on Tuesday in hopes of gaining their first Region 4-3A victory against a tough Camden team. Camden led most of the way, but the Griffins kept it close and took a lead in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs bounced back and went home with a 52-49 win.
Montraivis White (2) splits the double team | Joe Seibles
“That loss was tough,” Durant said. “We just didn’t execute down the stretch, didn’t get the stops we needed. Defensively we’ve got to be better, we’ve got to rebound better at the end of the day.”
Both teams traded a pair of threes in the first quarter, but Camden edged out a slim 16-10 lead at the end of one. Melvin Peay and Will Barber both had a trifecta in the first period. The Griffins played lock-down defense in the second, and only two Bulldogs made their way onto the scoreboard.
Fairfield had sliced the Bulldogs lead to just three points by halftime, and in the third quarter both teams held even. Camden led 38-35 going into the fourth, but Melvin Peay nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 5:30 left in the game.
The game was tied up at 47-47 with 1:37 left, but Camden went on a 5-2 run and took a 52-49 lead with .04 seconds left on the clock. Will Barber heaved up a last second prayer shot but it bounced off the front rim.
“This team is a group of fighters,” Durant said. “We’ve been batting adversity. We know the odds are stacked against us, but we’re a group of fighters, we’re ready for anything, for any team that comes in here and keeps fighting, that’s one thing I love about this team.”
FCHS: 10-11-14-14 – 49
CHS: 16-8-14-14 – 52
FCHS: Eli Hunter – 13, Melvin Peay – 13, JR Edmonds – 12, Will Barber – 7, Montravis White – 2, Jordan Boyd – 2.
CHS: #0 – 17, #1 – 13, #5 – 8, #12 – 8, #10 – 4, #20 – 2.