One night after a disappointing loss to Burlington, the Fairfield boys basketball team delivered an inspired performance to defeat Centerville 64-50 on Tuesday, January 6th. The victory improved the Trojans to 2-6 on the season, while the Big Reds fell to 6-2.
Game Plan
Heading into the game, Fairfield head coach Nate Perkins knew his team would face a significant challenge in Centerville’s Malachi Rice, who was averaging nearly 39 points per game through the first five games of the season.
“Obviously, you want to try to limit what he’s able to do. He goes out and he takes a lot of shots per game. He’s looking at somewhere between 25 and 30 shots a game, and we’re going to do our best to try and control those and limit them to one opportunity,” Perkins said before the game. “He scores about 30-plus per game. Other than that, they have one other guy in double figures. We’re really looking to make sure that we kind of control that some. Make sure that any looks he’s getting are difficult.”
Perkins referenced the previous night’s defensive success.
“Down in Burlington, we took their leading scorer and limited him to five points where he was averaging 18. So we’re capable of playing good defense. We just have to make sure that we are doing it on everybody and not just the guy that’s the focal point,” Perkins said.
Game Recap
The first quarter was dominated by Malachi Rice, who scored 19 of Centerville’s 20 points as the Big Reds took a 20-19 lead. Eli Zillman led Fairfield with seven points, with all five Trojan starters contributing to the team’s first 11 points.
Fairfield’s defensive adjustments proved decisive in the second quarter. The Trojans held Rice to just four points and limited the entire Centerville team to nine points in the period. Offensively, Fairfield exploded for 20 points, with Axl Starr hitting two big three-pointers and Zillman adding six points. Starr capped the quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Fairfield a commanding 39-28 halftime lead.
The turning point came just over halfway through the third quarter when Rice left the game and did not return. He finished with 27 points but couldn’t lift the Big Reds without additional support. Fairfield extended their lead to 55-42 after three quarters, winning the period 16-14.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans maintained control to secure the 14-point victory. Ethan Bisgard fouled out with 3:49 remaining, but the lead was well out of reach by that point. Parker Reid provided a highlight for Fairfield, scoring his first career varsity points on free throws in the fourth quarter.
Fairfield Stats
Starters:
Eli Zillman delivered a season-high performance with 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block while shooting an efficient 7-of-9 from the field. Axl Starr bounced back from a scoreless performance against Burlington to score 13 points (including three three-pointers), grab 10 rebounds, dish out two assists, and record one steal on 5-of-8 shooting.
Brock Atwood added 11 points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal. Ethan Bisgard contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, along with six rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block—more than doubling his output from the previous night’s four-point performance. Drew Myers recorded a season-high eight assists to go with two points, five rebounds, and one steal.
Bench:
Rowan Kness added two points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal. Spencer McCready contributed two points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal. Nolan Smith chipped in two points, one rebound, and one assist. Parker Reid scored his first career varsity points with two free throws in the fourth quarter.
Jeremy Parker, Chase Countryman, Henry Konczal, and Luke Thornton also saw playing time.
As a team, Fairfield shot 25-of-60 from the field, 6-of-16 from three-point range, and 8-of-15 from the free-throw line. The Trojans grabbed 43 rebounds, passed out 18 assists, gathered 10 steals, committed only nine turnovers, and were called for 18 fouls.
Coach’s Perspective
Perkins was thrilled with his team’s bounce-back performance.
“I was extremely pleased with our overall effort. We came out and played hard all 32 minutes and didn’t back down. For us, that is a major step in the right direction. We executed better offensively and shared the basketball, which is something we have to do to be successful,” Perkins said.
The coach detailed the defensive strategy that limited Rice’s impact.
“Our strategy was to take it quarter by quarter and run guys at him that would make him work for every bucket he got. I thought Brock and Spencer made life really hard for him,” Perkins said. “If he gave the ball up, once he did, our objective was to not let him get it back and make their other players have to make plays. Then crash the glass on every missed shot.”
Perkins praised the contributions from Axl Starr and Brock Atwood.
“It’s great to see a couple of seniors playing hard and being successful. They are capable guys who work hard and are great teammates. Their contributions are big, and when they play the way they did tonight, we can win games down the stretch,” Perkins said.
He also highlighted the development of Rowan Kness.
“Rowan is really starting to become more comfortable with the ball. He can be a threat offensively and does a good job when he’s out there. He’s really worked hard on playing with confidence, and even though it doesn’t always show up in the points column, his contributions are huge for us to be successful,” Perkins said.
Looking ahead to Friday’s game against Mount Pleasant, Perkins anticipated another physical contest.
“It will be a tough physical game. Fairfield and Mount Pleasant have had some great ones over the years. They will come ready to go. Both teams are looking for conference win number two, so I think it will be a great night for SEC basketball,” Perkins said.
Player Perspective
Eli Zillman credited momentum shifts for the victory.
“A lot of the game came down to momentum. We came out of the second quarter semi-strong, but when I had that putback dunk, that really brought a spark and momentum to the team. We kept pushing from there,” Zillman said. “Coach gave us a great quote that was ‘if you are given an inch, take a mile,’ and we kept attacking on that.”
Zillman emphasized the significance of Friday’s matchup with Mount Pleasant.
“I think Mount Pleasant is a bigger game compared to this since they are in our conference. And let’s be honest, Fairfield and Mount Pleasant have always had it out for each other. Who ever wants to lose to Mount Pleasant? I believe if we take this momentum to Mount Pleasant, we’ll be in for a good time,” Zillman said.
The Trojans (2-6) will look to carry their momentum into Friday’s conference showdown against Mount Pleasant.
