Fairfield rally ends Hartselle's year

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
HANCEVILLE - Hartselle found out in the Class 5A girls’ semifinal game at the Northwest Regionals that no lead is safe when you face No. 5 Fairfield.
Despite trailing by as many as 11 points, Fairfield rallied with a strong run in the fourth quarter for a 47-45 victory that ended Hartselle’s season at Tom Drake Coliseum on the Wallace State Community College campus.
Hartselle ended its season with a 19-14 record.
Katie Young led Hartselle with 16 points, while Alex Holmes added 14 in the final game of their high school careers.
Only six Hartselle players scored in the loss.
Young was named to the regional all-tournament team.
Jazmine Saxton led Fairfield with 15 points despite struggling from the field. She made just six of her 27 shots in the game, including only one of six 3-point attempts.
Kendra Watts added 14 points for the Purple Tigers.
Fairfield improved to 26-8 with the win. The Purple Tigers added a win over Russellville in the regional final to wrap up a spot in the Final 48 in Birmingham.
Hartselle limited Fairfield to just three points in the second quarter on the way to a 23-16 advantage at the half. But Fairfield kept chipping away at the lead in the second half.
Holmes, who scored 11 of her 14 points in the first half, was shut down by the Fairfield defense in the second half.
She finished 7-of-17 from the field in her final game in a Hartselle uniform.
Hartselle struggled at the free throw line, hitting just five of 12 from the line.
The game was tied twice late in the game - first at 42-42 and again at 45-45 in the final minute of play.
Young gave Hartselle a 45-42 lead with 1:39 remaining in the game when she scored on a jumper and added two free throws after being fouled by Amber Bennett. But Hartselle never scored again.
Watts scored with 36 seconds remaining and Saxton hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to seal the win.