The No. 13 Indians (10-13) advance to face No. 3 St. Xavier (16-6) in the Division I district final at 5 p.m. Saturday at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. The Bombers have won seven of their last eight games.
Peyton Jones Game Winner!
— Aaron Blankenship (@fcsdathletics) March 5, 2026
Indians advance to the District Finals!
Fairfield vs St Xavier -Saturday 5pm Cintas Center#FairfieldPride #OneTribe pic.twitter.com/ty1PQ3vB5X
Fairfield had led by seven with about two minutes remaining on Wednesday before Milford’s pressure defense forced turnovers and helped the Eagles rally to tie the game late.
“We were feeling pretty good about it,” Fairfield coach DJ Wyrick said. “But we made some mistakes, missed some free throws and turned the ball over. They hit an open three and all of a sudden it became a game.”
With the score tied, Fairfield held the ball for the final possession before calling timeout to set up the decisive play.
Wyrick said the plan was clear — put the ball in Jones’ hands.
“We wanted to isolate him and get him going downhill,” Wyrick said. “We had a shooter in the corner if they helped, but if they didn’t help we wanted him to go make a play. He just rose up and made a good one.”
Milford still had one final chance, but Fairfield used a foul to drain a little clock before the Panthers missed a last-second attempt at the buzzer.
“When there’s that kind of momentum shift late in the game, it’s hard to stay locked in,” Wyrick said. “I’m proud of our guys for staying focused on what we needed to do.”
Jakye Akbar led Fairfield with 14 points, while Jones added 13. Riley Cunningham finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
Fairfield’s dramatic win was one of several postseason games across the area as teams continue their push toward district championships and regional berths.
Here are other district final games to keep an eye on Saturday:
Division I
Oak Hills vs. Lakota East
The Thunderhawks (14-9) have won three of their last four. They split a pair of regular-season games against the Highlanders (16-7). Tip is at 1 p.m. at Cintas.
Hamilton vs. Princeton
The Big Blue (14-9) have won four straight and five of their last six. They lost both games to the Vikings (20-3) during the regular season by a total of five points. Princeton has won five straight. Tip is at 7 p.m. at Cintas.
Lakota West vs. Fairmont
The top-ranked Lakota West Firebirds (22-1) take a nine-game winning streak into their district final into the district final against the Fairmont Firebirds (14-8). Tip is at 7 p.m. at UD Arena.
Division III
Badin vs. Tecumseh
The Rams have won 18 in a row and are playing their best basketball of the season right now. The Arrows take a 14-10 record into this district final that is set to tip at 1 p.m. at UD Arena.
Division V
Waynesville vs. Arcanum
The Spartans (20-2) have won 20 straight after starting the season off 0-3. Arcanum is 18-5. Tip is at 6 p.m. at Xenia.
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