The Davis County Mustangs defeated the Fairfield Trojans 60-50 on Tuesday night, February 10th, in a game originally scheduled for December 13th that was postponed due to weather.
Payley Poe dominated the boards with a school-record 18 rebounds while also contributing seven points, six steals, and two blocks in what head coach Matt Zeitler called a critical performance for the Mustangs’ victory.
Game Recap
Davis County jumped out to an 11-3 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter, but Fairfield stormed back behind balanced scoring from five different players to trail just 15-11 after one quarter. Four different Mustangs scored for Davis County in the opening period.
Fairfield’s Lauren Martin caught fire to start the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, giving the Trojans their first lead of the game at 17-15 with 6:47 left in the half. However, Davis County responded with a run fueled by Paylin Lawson, Halle Husted, and Culee Smith to take a 25-18 lead with 4:29 remaining. The quarter ended with both teams tied at 28-28.
Lauren Martin opened the third quarter scoring for Fairfield to put the Trojans up 30-28, mirroring her second quarter start. But the Mustangs answered with Husted scoring four points, Smith adding four, and Nadia Zmolek chipping in two as Davis County built a 40-32 advantage with four minutes left in the period.
Fairfield seized momentum with defensive pressure and energy, taking the lead back at 41-40 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter. The Trojans scored on consecutive possessions with baskets from Elliott Ward, Vanessa Kessel hitting a three-pointer, Lauren Martin adding two, and Emma Metcalf scoring two off a steal in the full-court press. However, Poe hit a shot at the buzzer to give Davis County a 46-43 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Mustangs extended their advantage to 50-43 early in the fourth quarter before a Kessel drive and layup at 5:44 cut the deficit to 50-45, stopping a Trojan scoring drought. Davis County regained rhythm to build a 56-46 lead with 2:59 remaining, and Fairfield was unable to mount a comeback. The Mustangs closed out the 60-50 victory.
Davis County Individual Stats
Davis County was led by Halle Husted’s career-high 27 points along with four rebounds, one assist, and three blocks. Culee Smith recorded 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Payley Poe’s school-record 18 rebounds included 10 offensive boards to go with seven points, six steals, and two blocks. Paylin Lawson added six points, two rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block. Nadia Zmolek contributed two points, two rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block.
Off the bench, Hayden Humphrey scored four points with one rebound, Mayson Utt had three points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal, and Morgan Schultz grabbed one rebound with one steal.
Fairfield Individual Stats
Fairfield saw Lauren Martin post a career-best 13 points, including nine in the first half. Vanessa Kessel recorded 10 points, three assists, and four rebounds. Elyse Setterstrom had five points and 10 rebounds. Emma Metcalf added six points and two assists. Anna McAvan and Faith Jones each scored four points. Maddy Martin contributed three points, Haylee Eklund had two points, Elliott Ward scored her first varsity points with a basket, and Lenora Felt added one point and three assists.
Team Statistics
Davis County shot 20-54 from the field (37.0%), went 0-10 from three-point range (0.0%), and connected on 20-25 free throws (80.0%). The Mustangs pulled down 41 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, dished out 11 assists, recorded 18 steals, added seven blocks, committed 19 fouls, and turned the ball over 24 times.
Fairfield put up one of their best offensive performances of the season, but they struggled greatly from the free throw department going 8-25 (32%) on free throws.
Coach’s Comments
Davis County head coach Matt Zeitler praised Poe’s dominant performance and the team’s defensive adjustments.
“Hayley Poe was an animal on the boards the whole game and I think she set a school record with those 18 rebounds. She also had at least six steals, scored seven points, and was just the critical factor to us winning that ball game. She was it,” Zeitler said. “The reason we were getting points is because of her. She was kicking it back out and getting assists off those kickouts.”
Zeitler emphasized Poe’s impact went beyond the stat sheet. “Poe was tremendous the whole game in all aspects of it. She had her hands on balls they tried to throw that were deflected—probably had 10 deflections. Husted doesn’t get those 27 points without Culee Smith and Poe setting her up and creating opportunities.”
Zeitler highlighted the competitive defensive effort between his two standout guards. “Smith and Poe were on a crash course to see who could get the most steals. That kind of competitive energy on defense is exactly what we need.”
The Mustangs made a critical adjustment at halftime that turned the tide when Fairfield seized momentum in the third quarter. “We changed our defensive pressure after halftime and got a lot more aggressive,” Zeitler explained. “When they made that run to take the lead in the third quarter, we had to respond. We told our girls to put the pressure on them and play aggressive, and they did exactly that.”
While acknowledging the opponent’s improvement throughout the season, Zeitler noted his team’s ability to execute when it mattered most. “Fairfield has vastly improved from where they were previously, but we were able to take control when we needed to, especially in that fourth quarter.”
Zeitler couldn’t help but marvel at Smith’s all-around performance. “Culee’s stats just blow my mind,” he said, reflecting on her 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. “That’s the kind of complete game that makes everyone around her better.”
Fairfield head coach Brian Witzenburg saw positives despite the loss.
“I thought we played hard the entire game, giving us opportunities to be in the game. Big thing that we’ve got to focus on is making free throws. We missed 17 free throws,” Witzenburg said. “I thought we went pretty deep into our bench and got a lot of young kids some good minutes! It was also good to see Lauren hit some big shots and lead us in scoring!”
Fairfield volunteer coach Pat McAvan provided additional perspective on the Trojans’ performance.
“Offensively we were efficient when we did not turn it over. We attacked the rim and played through contact as well as we have all season,” McAvan said. “We did not take advantage of all our opportunities. We struggled to rebound against a long, athletic team. We also missed too many free throws. There were a lot of fouls. In the second half they converted more of their free throws than we did.”
McAvan highlighted Lauren Martin’s strong play and the team’s improved depth. “Lauren is playing her best basketball of the season. She is shooting with confidence and was the beneficiary of some great ball movement. Our depth was on display all night. The bench is now producing on top of providing great energy. That is a credit to their hard work in practice and in JV games. With the win last night, our JV finished 11-6.”
Looking Ahead
Fairfield closes the regular season at 4-15, matching the win total from the previous two seasons combined, and locked into fifth place in the conference—their best conference finish since 2021. The Trojans now prepare for their first regional substate game on Saturday, February 14th, at Washington for their third meeting of the season with the Demons.
Davis County closes their regular season at 15-6, their best season since 2013, and they finish tied for second in the conference with a 10-4 record. The Mustangs prepare for a third rematch with Centerville as they host the Redettes on Saturday, February 14th for their first regional substate game.
