FAIRFIELD — The Belt girls and Fairfield boys came away with cross-classification wins on Thursday night in games that came down to the final minute.
Belt girls 50, Fairfield 46
The Huskies, of the Northern C, led most of the first quarter, thanks to two triples from Aaliyah Gaylord. However, in the final 30 seconds of the opening quarter, Fairfield’s Emma Schenk stole the ball from Addison Urick and finished the break to give the Eagles an 11-10 lead.
Fairfield, of the Northern B, went on a short run, gaining a 17-13 lead but a Husky free throw followed by a 3-pointer from Urick evened the score. The Eagles finished the quarter on 5-0 run, capped by an offensive put back from Sienna Kline to go ahead 22-17 at the half.
Belt’s Kylee Permann opened the second half with a steal and fast-break score to get within three points. After finding themselves down by seven early in the third, Dezirae Goodman sank a triple that sparked a 7-0 run to even the score for the Huskies at 26. Fairfield finished the quarter on a 13-5 run and led 39-31 going into the fourth after a buzzer-beating 3 from Tarynn Stott.
Belt went on a 6-0 run in the first minute of the fourth to get back within two points, trailing just 39-37 and forcing the Eagles to take a timeout.
The Huskies took a 48-42 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Fairfield scored four unanswered points to make it a two point game and gained possession with 30 ticks left on the clock. They went for a 3 but the shot was no good. Permann and Urick each went 1 for 2 from the line to put the game away.
Fairfield boys 55, Belt 49
It was a scrappy first quarter as both sides crashed the offensive glass and scored second-chance points. Fairfield’s Eli Pitcher banked in a 3-pointer as the first quarter time expired to give the Eagles a 14-11 edge.
Both teams traded baskets for most of the second with neither squad building much of a lead. At the half, Fairfield held a narrow 23-19 advantage.
Things started heating up from outside in the third. Fairfield’s Pitcher put in a 3, then Belt’s Clayton Jassen answered with one of his own. The next Eagles' possession ended with a triple from Israel Perez, and that was again answered on the other end by another 3 from Jassen. After the third quarter, the Eagles led 41-36.
Belt trailed by 10 early on in the fourth, and began to press full court in attempts to cut into the deficit. Midway through the quarter, the Huskies got it down to 49-44 after a 3 from Jeremy Nebel. Nate Gill cut it to three with two minutes to go after an offensive rebound and putback.
Rylan Davison poured in a 3 to tie the game 59-59 with under a minute to go. Fairfield’s Deron Lear stepped up and scored a big basket to give the Eagles a two-point lead.
After the lead was extended to three, Belt had the ball with 17 seconds but a turnover handed it right back to the Eagles to ice the game.
