Wednesday’s Badin-Fairfield girls basketball game matched teams in desperate need of a win.

The visiting Rams had lost three straight and four of five after opening 6-2. The Indians had lost five straight and six of seven after getting off to a 3-2 start, but they were the team able to snap out of their slump. Senior guard Kaitlyn Mueller scored 17 points, junior guard Bria Spaulding added 15 and Fairfield (5-8) never trailed while surviving a whistle-filled game for a 63-55 win

“We have a lot of chemistry,” Mueller said about how the Indians have stayed together. “We motivate each other. We know we’re better than this.”

Discipline was the key to winning the neighborhood rivalry, Fairfield coach Dave Loper said.

“We made good decisions tonight,” Loper said. “That’s a good Badin team. We played a good team and stayed with the game plan. We have the talent to win games if we play disciplined. They know they can play the game. Maybe this will get us a little roll.”

Sophomore guard Casie Brandenburg scored 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and junior guard Torey Stang finished with 12 for Badin (7-7).

“(Fairfield) came ready to play, and we didn’t,” Rams coach Tom Sunderman said. “We’re in a funk right now. We’re not making progress. We’re not moving forward. We’re working on the same mistakes we worked on in November. We’re not aggressive. We’re back on our heels at both ends of the floor.”

A total of 55 fouls were called in the game.

Mueller led both teams with 11 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Indians their largest lead, 36-27, going into halftime. Fairfield led by as many as 18 points early in the fourth quarter before Badin closed the game with a 9-0 run.

Badin is scheduled to be off for a week before resuming Girls Greater Cincinnati League action against Kettering Alter next Wednesday in the first of three consecutive home games. Fairfield is scheduled to return to Greater Miami Conference play Saturday at Middletown at 2 p.m.