“We didn’t put the ball in the hole,” said Fairfield coach David Loper, whose team was striving for a second appearance in three years in a sectional championship game. “We knew that we’d have to shoot the ball well. We knew they’d play a zone, and we didn’t get many second or third opportunities either.”
Turpin’s starting lineup featured one player who stood 6-foot-1 and two who reached 6-0, but the Indians outrebounded the Spartans 29-25, an advantage negated by Fairfield’s inability to find the bottom of the net.
“We weren’t intimidated,” Loper said. “We didn’t rotate the ball to the backside, which was what we needed to do. (Turpin’s) got height. They’re well-coached.”
Turpin senior center Charlotte Kerregan scored a game-high 14 points, eight in the second half as the Spartans led by as many as 16.
Senior center Kennedy Roberts-Rosser came off the bench to share with sophomore guard Zahyra Bailey the Fairfield (15-9) scoring lead, each with eight points. Senior guard Brooke Spaulding pulled in a team-high seven rebounds.
Turpin (17-7) advanced to a sectional final matchup on Tuesday against Mason at East. The second-seeded Comets, who reached the state championship game last season, easily advanced with a 71-17 win over Amelia, the No. 24 seed, in Thursday’s opener.
Fairfield and Turpin both had trouble getting started before combining to score 16 points in the last four minutes of the first quarter. Bailey came up with a steal and layup with three seconds left to cut the Spartans’ lead going into the second quarter to 11-10.
Turpin opened the second period with a 7-0 run, taking advantage of a Fairfield scoring drought that lasted 5:05 before Journee Hicks scored on a putback of her own missed layup in traffic. She also sank an 18-foot jumper for the Indians’ other points of the quarter, leaving the Spartans with a 19-14 halftime lead.
Turpin had five fewer field-goal attempts than Fairfield in the first half, but sank one more, shooting 38.9 percent (7 of 18) to the Indians’ 26.1 percent (6 of 23).
The Spartans opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run, building a 29-16 lead.
“We had a good year,” Loper said. “We fought through some injuries. If we had shot the ball better or done some things a little differently, who knows?
“We had a good year,” he added. “The seniors did a great job leading the younger players, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Fairfield 10-4-4-12—30
Turpin 11-8-14-12—45
FAIRFIELD (15-9): Zahrya Bailey 4 0 8, Addie Kidd 0 2 2, Journee Hicks 2 0 4, Brooke Spaulding 3 0 6, Kelis Jones 0 2 2, Kennedy Roberts-Rosser 3 2 8. Totals: 12-6-30
TURPIN (17-7): Kaitlyn Workman 0 4 4, Olivia Hamilton 3 0 6, Ellie Holt 2 3 8, Savanna Hazenfield 2 0 5, Elise Schulok 2 1 5, Charlotte Kerregan 7 0 14, Lindsey Viel 1 1 3. Totals. 17-9-45
3-pointers: T 2 (Holt, Hazenfield)
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