Crim scored a game-high 23 points, Kameron Sanders had 15, Ray Coney added 13 and the No. 1 seeded Fairfield High School boys basketball team ran away with a 74-50 Division I sectional victory over No. 26 Winton Woods at West Clermont.
“It’s good to relax, and it’s good to see our young guys execute and show the coach what they’ve got,” said Crim, who watched from the sidelines along with Fairfield’s other starters down the stretch.
The Indians held a sizeable 55-38 lead heading into the last eight minutes, and an eventual 13-3 run gave Fairfield coach DJ Wyrick enough conviction to rest his playmakers.
“That’s a very good sign when you can do that,” Wyrick said. “What I do love about those seniors when they are on the bench late like that is that they’re the biggest cheerleaders we have. So that’s really cool to see. Typically, you’ll have the guys who will lean back on the bench and relax, but they’re into the game and cheering for their teammates.”
Fairfield (20-4), which has won five in a row and eight out of its last nine, faces St. Xavier on Friday in the sectional finals at 6 p.m. at West Clermont.
Winton Woods, which beat Fairfield 62-50 in the postseason during the 2018-19 season, saw its season end while losing six out of its last seven games. But the Warriors came ready to play off the tip Monday night.
Winton Woods built an early 11-5 lead on a Nate Dawson bucket with 5:10 left in the first quarter. However, Fairfield battled back to tie it at 16-16.
“It’s the first-quarter jitters. You know how it goes,” Crim said. “I wouldn’t say we came out slow, we just didn’t come out as ourselves. We picked it up in the second half. We got motivated, and that got us back into it and locked in.”
Fairfield scored eight straight to go up 24-16 with 5:33 left in the second on a Kameron Sanders bucket. A pair of free throws by senior Javion Bostic pulled Winton Woods to within 25-23 two minutes later.
The Indians, who shot 28 of 55 (50.9%) from the floor, started to pull away after the halftime break.
The 13-3 scoring spurt to start the fourth sent Fairfield to its fifth straight victory.
“This all happens because of a lot of hard work and scouting,” said Sanders, a sophomore guard. “That’s what we work for — to be able to get our young guys, our scout team, in there and get some good minutes.
“We were able to make some good adjustments,” Sanders added. “We were just able to execute better and being able to trap. We got them off their game and did what we do best — that’s get out in transition and be who we are.”
Fairfield had 10 offensive contributors and got the typical double-digit rebound performance from 6-foot-7 senior Aamir Rogers, who had 11.
Bostic finished with 20 points to pace Winton Woods (9-14).
“First half, they came out and made a couple 3s and got some confidence early,” Wyrick said. “As the second quarter went on, our press started to get to them. Second half, we were really able to pick up the pressure — really start to turn them over. We cleaned up some of our rotations in the press, which led to some steals and points off turnovers. We were able to get it out and go. When we’re playing at that speed, we’re pretty good. I feel like that’s when we’re at our best.
“But our discipline is going to have to pick up,” Wyrick added, noting that St. Xavier will pose as the Indians’ first challenge of the postseason. “They’re going to be well prepared. They’re going to try and slow us down. They’re going to try and make us guard for extended periods. This is a game where it’s going to have to be a low-turnover game to win. Our shot selection has to be better, and we have to take smarter shots.”
St. Xavier handed Fairfield its first loss of the season on the road — 51-48 on Dec. 21.
“I feel like our depth has increased tremendously this season,” Wyrick said. “I feel like our sophomores have gotten a lot of confidence. What’s nice is that we’re not playing Crim and Coney and Aamir 32 minutes anymore because of our younger guys. So we’re getting those guys rested and more energy when they’re out there. Being able to play eight or nine guys has really helped us late in the season — especially right now.”
Girls Basketball
Lakota East 62, Lebanon 45
WEST CHESTER TWP. — Brooke Asher scored 20 points, Madison French added 17 and No. 2 seed Lakota East defeated No. 12 Lebanon 62-45 on Monday night at Lakota West to clinch its third straight sectional title.
The Thunderhawks (21-3) face Fairmont on Saturday at Princeton in the district finals. Emma Fohl chipped in with 12 points.
Lebanon (17-8), which was led by Maddie Mueller’s 14 points, had its five-game winning streak snapped to end the season.
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