Fairfield Union pulls out one-point thriller over Aces on Thompson’s late 3-pointer

Amanda-Clearcreek freshman Taylor Evans attempts to keep the ball away from Fairfield Union defender Averey Cottrill during Saturday's Mid-State League-Buckeye Division game. The Falcons pulled out a 41-40 victory.
Amanda-Clearcreek freshman Taylor Evans attempts to keep the ball away from Fairfield Union defender Averey Cottrill during Saturday's Mid-State League-Buckeye Division game. The Falcons pulled out a 41-40 victory.

RUSHVILLE – Saturday’s game between visiting Amanda-Clearcreek and Fairfield Union was just one of those games where you knew it would go down to the wire.

Neither team could get into much of an offensive rhythm because of the physical play on both sides, and the referees seemed to be letting a lot of stuff go, and because of that, it turned into a grind-it-out type of game.

The Falcons seemed to be in control early in the fourth quarter when Elly Lewis scored to give her team a 37-30 lead, but as it turned out, it would be the last field goal Fairfield Union would make until Christian Thompson stepped up in the closing seconds.

The Aces had crawled their back into the game with outstanding defense in the fourth quarter. Megan Tooill made a shot to cut the deficit to 37-32, and then Amanda-Clearcreek connected on 8 of 12 free throws to take a 40-38 lead.

However, with the clock winding down, the Falcons worked the ball around the perimeter and found Thompson alone on the left baseline. She received the ball, squared up, and didn’t hesitate as she connected on a 3-pointer to give the Falcons a 41-40 lead.

Fairfield Union denied the Aces on a layup attempt at the other end, and then the celebration was on as the Falcons held on for a thrilling 41-40 Mid-State League-Buckeye Division victory.

The win was especially gratifying for the Falcons (8-9, 7-6) because they lost the first time the two teams met on a half-court shot at the buzzer from Emily Buckley.

Fairfield Union sophomore Christian Thompson shoots a 3-pointer from the baseline during the Falcons' 41-40 win over visiting Amanda-Clearcreek.
Fairfield Union sophomore Christian Thompson shoots a 3-pointer from the baseline during the Falcons' 41-40 win over visiting Amanda-Clearcreek.

Thompson, only a sophomore, admitted she has struggled with her three-point shooting, but she took the shot because she was open.

“I am not the best three-point shooter on the team, so I made sure there weren’t any other options open and when it came to me, I just shot it,” Thompson said. “The last time we played them, they beat us on a buzzer-beater and that was tough. We knew we had to come out and play as hard as we could and we had to trust each other and have confidence in each other, and that’s kind of what happened.”

Fairfield Union coach Ryan Montgomery said he wasn’t surprised that Thompson, who is a standout volleyball player, would not only have the confidence to take the shot but to make it as well.

“That is why (Thompson) is going to be a Division I college athlete one day because she is levelheaded and the moment wasn’t too big for her,” Montgomery said. go as hard as she can. It was great to see her have the confidence to shoot that shot at that moment. She has really stepped up her game during the last couple of weeks and it is a big reason why we are having success right now.”

The two teams battled to a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter before the Falcons were able to take a 23-21 halftime lead.

The physical play made it tough for either team to find any continuity in the second half, but the Falcons were able to make a few more plays to take a 35-30 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Falcons went stone cold from the field in the fourth quarter, and the Aces (11-9, 6-7) started making continuous trips to the free throw line to help them get back in the game. Freshman Taylor Evans and Buckley connected on 3 of 4 free throws each and Hailey Sowers went 2-for-4, and when the dust had settled, the Aces held a two-point lead in the closing seconds before Thompson nailed the game-winner.

“Because the game was so physical, it was a little frustrating because it’s hard to run your stuff, but I thought we did a nice job of playing through it,” Amanda-Clearcreek coach Tim Leist said. “These games are always physical. We are so evenly matched and the physical play does take its toll, but I was proud of the way we battled back in the fourth quarter.

“It was our third game in five days. We had the big emotional win over Bloom-Carroll and played again on Thursday, so I knew it was going to be tough tonight, especially with the way we beat them last time. It just came down to them making a few more plays than we did.”

Lewis led the Falcons with 12 points, Thompson finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Maycee Martindale added 10 points and Nicole Terry chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.

“Their defense was phenomenal and they kind of shut us down in the fourth quarter,” Montgomery said. “We got a little passive instead of keeping up with our aggressiveness, but when it came down to it, our kids trusted in each other and moved the ball until we got the best shot available and Christian did a great job of knocking it down.”

Buckley led the Aces with 12 points, including a 5-for-6 showing at the free throw line, and she had nine rebounds. Tooill had seven points, Kaylie Wilson and Rachel Weaver finished with six points each, and Evans chipped in five points, six rebounds and five assists.

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Fairfield Union pulls out one-point thriller over Aces on Thompson’s late 3-pointer