PITSBURG – The visiting Fairlawn Lady Jets used relentless full-court pressure from the opening tip to defeat the Franklin Monroe Lady Jets 58–18 in non-conference varsity girls basketball action at The Hangar.
“They are trying,” said Franklin Monroe first-year head coach Carrie Wood. “We have to control our turnovers.”
Fairlawn raced out to a 16–0 lead in the opening quarter before Franklin Monroe senior Ava Figel stopped the run with back-to-back free throws in the final seconds, sending the game to the first break with Fairlawn ahead 16–2.
The second quarter proved to be Franklin Monroe’s best stretch of the night, as the Lady Jets were outscored 16–10, heading to halftime down 32–12. Five Franklin Monroe players found the scoring column in the period: Peyton Buhl with three points, Alivia Addis, Avery Riffle, Figel with two points each, and Caydance Nichols with one.
Fairlawn took firm control after the break, winning the third quarter 19–4 and putting a running clock in place following a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in the period to make it 51–16. Freshman Avery Riffle accounted for all four Franklin Monroe points in the quarter, including a perfect 2-for-2 trip to the free-throw line.
“Avery hustles and gives heart,” Wood said. “She brings a lot of energy to our team, even as a freshman.”
The Lady Jets maintained their smothering press throughout the fourth quarter, outscoring Franklin Monroe 7–2 to close out the win.
“It’s going to take time, and kids that want to get out and play a little more basketball,” Wood added. “Two-hour practices five days a week is not enough.”
Riffle led Franklin Monroe in scoring with six points. One bright spot for the Lady Jets came at the free-throw line, where they shot 8-for-10 (80 percent). Figel was a perfect 4-for-4, while Riffle went 2-for-2.
Franklin Monroe’s junior varsity team earned praise after posting an impressive win over Fairlawn earlier in the evening.
“Our JV team plays with a lot of energy, a lot of hustle every single play,” Wood said. “They’re disciplined, and they look to score.”
BOX SCORE:
FAIRLAWN 58, FRANKLIN MONROW 18
FAIRLAWN – M. Miller 17, L. Clemons 16, C. Heath 11, C. Helber 4, K. Withrow 3, C. Helber 2, A. Barlow 2, R. Fiehelberger 2, A. Roush 1 – TOTALS 16 7-18 6
FRANKLIN MONROE – A. Riffle 6, A. Figel 4, A. Addis 2, K. Brandt 2, P. Buhl 3, C. Nichols 1 – TOTALS 5 8-10 18
3-POINTERS
Fairlawn 6 (M. Miller 4, L. Clemons 1, C. Heath 1)
Franklin Monroe 0
SCORE by QUARTERS
16-16-19-07 58 Fairlawn
02-10-04-02 18 Franklin Monroe
