Rashawn Brown had a game-high 25 points, including four highlight-reel dunks, as the 12th-seeded Warriors ran away from Fairfield 62-50.
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The Warriors (14-6) advanced to a 7 p.m. district semifinal Saturday against No. 9 seed Turpin at Lakota West.
Fairfield led 14-11 after the first quarter, but scored only five points in the second period to fall behind 30-19.
FHS coach Jeff Sims said the big deficit forced the Indians to play a different style in the second half, and the Warriors were more than willing to take advantage.
“If we could have stayed closer in the second quarter, we could have stayed in our 2-3 (zone),” Sims said. “But being down so much whenthey pulled it out, we had to come out. We got spread, and they are athletic. You don’t understand how long they are or how quick they are until you see it. We are athletic, but not as long and fast as they are.”
Senior Devin Turner led the Indians with 17 points. Fellow seniors Malachi Scenters had five points, Allen Caldwell chipped in seven and Steven Taylor added five in their final appearance for Fairfield.
The Indians only turned the ball over 13 times and shot 18-of-39 from the field, but the turnovers happened at inopportune times and regularly led to points for Winton Woods.
“When you look at the numbers it isn’t like we turned it over a ton, but when we did, they scored,” Sims said. “We also took some forced shots that led to easy baskets for them. We took some open shots, but they weren’t always good shots.”
Fairfield didn’t help itself by shooting 11-of-25 from the foul line, including 3-of-8 in the pivotal second quarter.
“We went to the rim, but we didn’t make free throws,” Sims said. “When the right guys go to the line, we shoot them well. We didn’t always have the right guys shooting them.”
The Warriors opened the second half with a six-point surge to go up 36-19. That ballooned to 47-25 when Brown went up the middle, dunking over three Indians at the rim.
A 6-foot-1 senior guard, Brown also had 25 points in a tourney-opening win over Lakota West.
“He is good,” Sims said. “(Winton Woods) have a number of guys who can play.”
The Warriors outscored the Indians 36-13 in the middle two quarters to snag a 47-27 lead entering the final stanza.
Leroy Walker had 15 points for Winton Woods, which shot 20-of 41 from the field. The Warriors outscored the Indians 18-6 in second-chance points and snared 10 steals.
Fairfield had a mild two-game win streak snapped, ending the season 9-15.
Fairfield 14-5-8-23—50
Winton Woods 11-19-17-15—62
FAIRFIELD (9-15): Devin Turner 6 2 17; Zavian Ricks 1 2 4; Colin Singer 3 1 7; Malachi Scenters 2 1 5; Allen Caldwell 3 1 7; DaShaun Simpkins 1 1 3; Courtland Smith 0 2 2; Steven Taylor 2 1 5. Totals: 18-11-50
WINTON WOODS (14-6): Demari Martin 3 0 7; Kendal Phillips 1 3 5; Raequan Prince 1 1 3; Leroy Walker 4 5 15; Rashaun Brown 8 8 25; Aaron Ward 2 1 5; De’Ron Young 1 0 2. Totals: 20-18-62
3-pointers: F 3 (Turner 3), W 4 (Walker 2, Martin, Brown)
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