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CIRCLEVILLE — What a difference a year makes.
On Feb. 1, 2024, Fairfield Union was sitting at 6-12 overall with zero hopes of winning any sort of championship.
Fast forward to a year later and the Falcons are clearly one of the best teams in the entire state of Ohio. They put an exclamation on that statement with a hard-fought 41-35 win at Circleville on Friday night, remaining unbeaten and claiming an outright MSL-Buckeye title.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“These girls refuse to lose,” Fairfield Union coach Keith Barr said. “I didn’t have to say a lot. They had the mentality that we’re not losing this game. They are a special group. They play for one another, and it’s not one person, it’s everybody and that shows.”
The Falcons (19-0, 11-0 MSL) used a relentless defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack to get the job done.
Defensively, they forced 24 turnovers and limited Circleville’s second chance opportunities. On the offensive end, they had to hold serve throughout much of the first half without one of their top scorers in senior Christian Thompson, who was in foul trouble.
But collectively, they scratched and clawed their way into a position where they could strike back. That’s exactly what happened in the second half as they took a lead late in the third quarter and never looked back.
“[The win] means a lot,” Thompson said. “To come off of last season that wasn’t as successful … It means a lot as a team. It’s definitely rewarding.”
The Falcons wasted little time getting on the board, thanks to a 3 from Maycee Martindill just 29 seconds into the action. But Circleville (16-3, 10-2 MSL) countered with a 5-0 run on the backs of Maddie Blakeman and Ally Thornsley, going ahead 5-3 with 3:57 left in the first quarter.
The rest of the first featured back-and-forth action. Fairfield Union went ahead 6-5 before the Tigers reclaimed the lead at 7-6, thanks to a bucket from Kaylee West, before they took a 10-9 lead into the second.
West dialed long distance with 4:13 left in the first half to push Circleville’s lead to 15-11. But the Falcons ripped off a 5-0 run of their own, courtesy of Martindill and Alexis Leith, to go ahead 16-15 at the 2:55 mark.
But the Tigers wouldn’t be denied the lead going into the break. Addison Edgington scored with just 6.8 seconds remaining to put Circleville ahead 21-20.
“We knew how we had to come out [of the break],” Martindill said. “We know the third quarter is always our best quarter. So we tried to push harder, even when we were down.”
That strategy worked wonders and it didn’t hurt to see Thompson back on the floor.
Taylor Smeck gave Fairfield Union a 23-22 lead with 6:40 to go in the third before Thompson went to work, hitting two free throws at the 4:30 mark and adding a bucket with 3:22 left, putting the Falcons in front, 27-23.
That three-point lead would stay intact until West scored with 50.9 seconds to go, finalizing a 29-28 count heading into the final eight minutes — where scores were hard to come by.
Thornsley nailed a triple with 3:21 left, forcing a 34-34 deadlock. However, Samantha Sattler knocked down two free throws on the other end, keeping Fairfield Union’s edge intact.
While the Falcons defense smothered Circleville in the final two minutes, the collective scoring effort continued as Martindill and Thompson closed out the game on a 7-0 run from the charity stripe — allowing Fairfield Union to seize the outright MSL championship and remain perfect.
“Last year, our bond wasn’t the greatest,” Martindill said. “So coming out this year, we knew that if we wanted to win games and be better, we had to build the bond first, so we could play well on the court.”
Statistically, Thompson led the Falcons with 11 points and nine rebounds while Martindill had nine points and four boards. Smeck added seven points and four rebounds, and Averey Cottrill added five points to the mix.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Circleville’s efforts were aided by Blakeman’s team-high 11 points alongside four rebounds. Edgington also had 11 points, and West finished with a balanced effort of eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
While the Tigers look to rebound on Tuesday at Chillicothe, Fairfield Union will wrap up conference play on Monday at Liberty Union.
Things are looking up, but the Falcons know there’s still work to be done if they want to continue placing checkmarks next to team goals.
“I think our team, everyone works so well together and everyone is always uplifting, no matter if you’re doing bad or good,” Smeck said. “Everyone is always supporting you.”
“Our mentality is always one game at a time,” Thompson said. “We’re not looking too far ahead, but I think we can get a state championship. I think we have the talent, the passion and the grind and everything we need. We just have to be able to execute.”
BOX SCORE
Fairfield Union: 9-11-9-12 — 41
Circleville: 10-11-7-7 — 35
Fairfield Union: 11-41 FG, 17-22 FT, 2-13 3pt., 25 rebounds (Thompson 9), 18 turnovers, 6 assists (Smeck 2). Scoring: Thompson 11, Martindill 9, Smeck 7, Cottrill 5, Leith 4, Sattler 4, Mitchell 1.
Circleville: 13-33 FG, 4-13 FT, 5-11 3pt., 22 rebounds (West 7), 24 turnovers, 13 assists (Sims-Ross 5). Scoring: Blakeman 11, Edgington 11, West 8, Thornsley 5.
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