Lady Eagles advance to Regional semifinals

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  • Braden Bossier (#34) crashed the paint Tuesday night against China Spring.
    Braden Bossier (#34) crashed the paint Tuesday night against China Spring.
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The Fairfield Lady Eagles earned their shot at unfinished business Tuesday night, advancing to the 4A Region 1 and 3 Semifinals with a 61-31 quarterfinal victory over China Spring.

This is the second straight season the Lady Eagles will be featured in Regional weekend, having advanced to the Regional finals in 2019. In 2020, the squad will have a chance to bust into the State Tournament field, beginning with a Regional semifinal showdown against Yates Friday night.

Having defeated China Spring in the regular season, 64-45, the Lady Eagles once again looked like a State-level unit in the first quarter of the postseason matchup. The squad’s terrorizing pressure defense was the catalyst, as the Lady Cougars couldn’t score a bucket in the first three-plus minutes of the contest.

Jada Clark was everywhere on fast breaks, early, setting the tone for the game. The senior caught passes in perfect position on the wing, gliding in for layups both easy and contested. She totaled 10 points in the quarter, part of a 23-point barrage on the opposition. The Lady Eagles ended the first with a 17-3 advantage.

The second quarter also belonged to Fairfield, with the roster stretching the court with timely jumpers. Both Jarahle Daniels and Shadasia Brackens connected from three, and Te’yalla Simpson hit the final three field goals in the half to open up a 35-14 lead.

A lay-in by Braden Bossier and a floater in the lane by Breyunna Dowell opened up the second half, part of a game clinching run in the third. The scoring was spread out the quarter, with six different Lady Eagles getting on the scoreboard. Clark ended the period with a back-to-back layups and a 47-21 lead.

The fourth was more of the same, though the Lady Cougars made the squad work for it with several hard fouls.

With the win, the team will return to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum at Sam Houston State University, the site of the 2019 Regional semifinals. The game against Yates begins at 6:15 p.m. Friday evening.

In last season’s Regional final four, the Lady Eagles defeated Silsbee in the Regional semis, 81-65. Dowell was on fire in the 2019 matchup, putting up 27 points for Fairfield. Clark and Bossier also had nine apiece in the victory.

The team advanced to the Regional finals, where they fell to Hardin-Jefferson, 64-40. Dowell scored 13 in the defeat.

Yates (24-5) soundly defeated Brazosport in their Regional quarterfinal matchup, 95-65, led by a three-point barrage from junior guard Abigail Shackelford. The Lady Lions are currently riding a 16-game winning streak.