The third-seeded Fayette High School girls survived a defensive onslaught from sixth-seeded Sturgeon in the opening round of the Class 2 District 7 Tournament on Monday night.

The game marked Fayette’s first district win since 2020 and sets them up for a rematch against rival Westran in the semifinals tonight (Wednesday).

Sturgeon was the host team and stepped onto its home court prepared to make a statement. Fayette coach Daryl Betts said he knew the Bulldogs were far better than their 9-16 record indicated. But the Lady Bulldogs’ defensive intensity seemed to surprise Fayette at first.

But the Lady Falcons were also prepared to serve up their solid defense with full-court pressing and handsy guarding.

“They’re scrappy,” Betts said reverently about the home team. “In districts, the game gets a little more physical. I told them we have to be ready to take some hits inside.”

Fayette took a quick five-point lead and went up 10-4 after five minutes of play. But Sturgeon tied the game with a 3-point shot by senior Brooklyn Dougherty, followed by a three-point play from sophomore Rylee West with two minutes left to play. The Bulldogs then nabbed the lead as a shot at the buzzer by senior Aydan Wilhite bounced around before finally falling through the net to go up 12-10 after one quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same, with six lead changes and a tie. Fayette emerged on top at halftime after junior Lasaydra Jackman drove in for a layup with a minute left in the half to put her team up 21-20.

“We didn’t rebound the ball great, and we didn’t shoot the three ball as well as we wanted to. But I thought we did a great job of pounding it inside,” Betts said.

The old axiom is that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. Defense from both teams was certainly the showcase throughout the game, especially in the second half.

Stingy and rigid defense by both teams meant that points were at a premium in the third quarter. Sturgeon outscored Fayette 10-8 to go up by one with eight minutes remaining. The lead changed hands four more times over a span of nearly five and a half minutes in the final stanza until Fayette took a one-point lead for good on a pair of free throws by sophomore Browyn Eubanks with 2:30 on the clock.

The fight continued for another half minute until the momentum swung heavily in Fayette’s direction. After a missed shot, Dougherty drove down the left sideline but was called for a charge, knocking Fayette senior Addison Powell to the hardwood.

“We had a missed basket down here. Then Powell goes over and does what a senior does, takes a charge,” Betts said proudly.

The offensive foul sent Dougherty to the bench with five fouls, ending her high school career.

A minute later, Betts called a timeout. The plan was apparently to run the clock, even though his team was only ahead by one point.

“We’re up by one. We don’t need another basket,” he explained. “We needed to be smart about what we’re doing with the ball. And we did a great job of that.”

Eventually, Sturgeon had to resort to fouling to stop the clock. With 42.4 seconds left, the Bulldogs sent Fayette’s leading scorer to the line. Junior Oakleigh Hill sank both free throws to make it a three-point game.

Fayette’s press slowed Sturgeon’s possession down the court. Finally, another loose ball ended up in the hands of Hill, who drove down for an uncontested layup to put the Falcons up by two possessions with five ticks on the clock.

“In the end, we got a layup and finished the game off,” Betts said.

The Falcons’ sideline erupted as the Fayette five walked off the court with their first district win since 2020. Fayette has struggled in the postseason in recent decades. The Falcons won the opening rounds in 2019 and 2020,, but failed to advance to the finals. Prior to that, they had not won a district game since 2008.

Fayette last reached a district final in 2006. It was their fourth-straight title game, but the Falcons lost to Westran to conclude the monumental Jessra Johnson era.

“That’s a big deal for us. And it gets a lot of weight off of our shoulders,” Betts said about advancing.

Hill finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Fayette to the district semifinal. She sank a 3-point shot in the first quarter and converted seven of 10 free-throw chances.

“Oakleigh was fantastic at the end,” Betts said. “She hit her free throws and that pull-up jumper. She did a great job.”

Junior KeBrea Fair added nine points as a dominant force in the paint. Sophomore Browyn Eubanks added four points, all crucial free throws in the fourth quarter, and had another outstanding defensive performance. Senior Maddox Wells, freshman Addy Gibbs, and senior Kay Sullivan each contributed two points.

“We played great,” Betts said after the game. “I felt like everybody contributed. Everybody tried to play their role well and do their best. And it showed.”

Wilhite paced Sturgeon with 15 points in the Lady Bulldogs’ final game of the season.

Fayette, now 19-8 overall, will seek its 20th win with a semifinal matchup against longtime Lewis & Clark Conference rival Westran tonight. Fayette lost both games against the Lady Hornets this season. The first was a three-point letdown in the New Franklin Tournament. The second was a lopsided loss in Huntsville while the Lady Falcons were shorthanded with injuries and illness.

“Now we get to rematch with Westran with full bodies and everybody ready,” Betts said. “We have to be ready for the box-and-one. We’ll have some things for that, and then we need to guard them better than last time.”

Westran began the season as an underdog after winning just six games a year ago. But the Lady Hornets are no longer surprising teams and have rightly earned their No. 2 seed. After a slow first half, they knocked off seventh-seeded Slater 69-31 to kick off the tournament Monday night.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight in Sturgeon. The winner will advance to the championship game Friday night against the winner of the semifinal game between fifth-seeded Harrisburg and top-seeded Salisbury.