In a game that will be remembered for years, Fairfield held off a furious Van Buren County comeback to win 43-42 on Monday night, January 12th, securing their first home victory since January 2nd, 2024—ironically also against the Warriors—and their first consecutive wins since that same time period.
The victory improved Fairfield to 3-8 overall, while Van Buren County fell to 8-4 despite a heroic fourth-quarter rally led by freshman Adalyn Snowgren.
Hot Start for the Trojans
Fairfield exploded out of the gate, jumping to a stunning 13-0 lead with just 3:03 remaining in the first quarter. Faith Jones scored two points, Maddy Martin added two, and Vanessa Kessel drained back-to-back three-pointers before Lenora Felt connected on another three to force Van Buren County’s first timeout.
The Warriors’ only first-quarter points came from Marlee Mertens, who scored five. Elyse Setterstrom added four more for Fairfield to give the Trojans a commanding 17-5 lead after one quarter. The key to the hot start was Fairfield’s perimeter defense, which didn’t allow Van Buren County any open three-point attempts.
The second quarter saw both offenses struggle. Fairfield managed just four points while Van Buren County scored seven, leaving the Trojans with a 21-12 halftime lead. Fairfield’s defense remained strong, but their offense stalled after the explosive opening period.
Building the Lead
The Trojans pushed their advantage to a game-high 16 points in the third quarter, leading 31-15 on baskets from Emma Metcalf, Lauren Martin, Maddy Martin, and Vanessa Kessel. Van Buren County’s third-quarter scoring came entirely from the free-throw line, with Sophia Jirak going 1-2, Kayley Snowgren 1-2, and Adalyn Snowgren a perfect 6-6. The quarter ended with Fairfield ahead 31-20.
Dramatic Fourth Quarter
The final period was pure drama. Fairfield pushed the lead to 35-20 on a basket by Setterstrom, but Van Buren County slowly chipped away. Mertens scored two to make it 35-22, Lauren Martin answered with two for Fairfield, and then Adalyn Snowgren took over.
The freshman scored two to cut it to 35-24, hit a three to make it 35-27, and after an Aubrey Loeffler free throw brought it to 35-28, Adalyn scored four more points to make it 35-32 on an and-one three pointer. She then converted a three-point play to tie the game at 35-35 with 3:09 remaining.
Van Buren County had reached the bonus with more than half the quarter remaining, setting up the frantic finish.
Kessel responded with a basket at 2:43 to give Fairfield the lead back at 37-35. She added another layup at 1:43, and Metcalf scored on a fastbreak layup with 1:23 left to push the advantage to 41-35. Setterstrom made 1-2 free throws with 38 seconds remaining to make it a seven-point lead at 42-35.
Jirak hit a spot-up three with 30 seconds left to make it 42-38. Daphny Wells went 2-2 from the line to cut it to 42-40.
Final Seconds Drama
With 21 seconds left, Lauren Martin was fouled after Fairfield successfully broke Van Buren County’s press—the Warriors’ fourth team foul. After an Adalyn Snowgren steal, she raced down the court herself and made the layup to tie the game at 42-42 with 12 seconds remaining.
On the inbound, Fairfield got the ball to Faith Jones, who was immediately fouled by Adalyn Snowgren. The freshman appeared unaware that one more foul would put Fairfield in the bonus for automatic free throws.
Jones, who hadn’t scored since the first quarter and had missed her last five free throws, stepped to the line. She missed the first but made the second to give Fairfield a 43-42 lead. The Trojans called timeout.
Van Buren County got the inbound pass to Adalyn, who sprinted into the paint and passed to Marlee Mertens in the corner. Mertens hesitated and passed to Kayley Snowgren at the top of the key, attempting to replicate her game-tying shot against Central Lee earlier in the season.
Kayley’s shot went through the net—but it was a split-second too late. The clock had already expired, giving Fairfield the 43-42 victory and ending a two-year home winning drought.
The Warriors had erased a 16-point deficit to tie at 35-35, fell behind 42-35, came back to tie at 42-42, and were a heartbeat away from a dramatic game-winner. They had 20 points through the first three quarters, then finished with 22 fourth-quarter points in their attempt to come back and win the game.
Statistics
Fairfield
Vanessa Kessel led the Trojans with 12 points. Elyse Setterstrom posted nine points and 12 rebounds. Maddy Martin added seven points, Emma Metcalf contributed five points, and Lauren Martin chipped in four points. Faith Jones and Lenora Felt each scored three points.
Van Buren County
Adalyn Snowgren delivered a spectacular performance with 24 points, six rebounds, one assist, and three steals on 5-10 shooting from the field and 12-14 from the free-throw line. Marlee Mertens added seven points, four rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Sophia Jirak contributed six points, two rebounds, and two assists. Daphny Wells chipped in three points, three rebounds, and two blocks in her first game back after not feeling well the previous week. Kayley Snowgren finished with one point but impacted the game with four rebounds, one assist, six steals, and one block.
Aubrey Loeffler added one point and one rebound. Elli Daugherty and Ava Loeffler also saw action.
As a team, Van Buren County shot 10-37 from the field, 4-19 from three-point range, and 18-24 from the free-throw line. The Warriors grabbed 21 rebounds, distributed five assists, recorded 11 steals and four blocks, but committed 12 fouls and 25 turnovers.
Coaches’ Perspectives
Fairfield Head Coach Brian Witzenburg
Witzenburg was thrilled with his team’s first consecutive wins in nearly two years and their ability to protect the lead.
On the team’s energy and execution:
“Just a great energy tonight from our girls to start out with. Just kept the hammer down, and they really played well together. Communicated much better throughout the game. We still got things that we need to correct and clean up a little bit. But to get two wins in a row feels pretty good.”
On the fast start and resilience:
“Jumping out to a big lead in the first quarter just let us know that we have the confidence to be able to do things and move the ball. Well it’s a big confidence booster going forward. We knew at some point in the game they were going to make a run at us and they had a really good fourth quarter, and I liked our resilience to never give up the lead.”
On the offensive ball movement:
“Just that ball movement. Moving and making that defense shift and getting them out of position. Our ball movement was so much better offensively in the first half, we knocked down a couple shots and it kind of made them panic a little bit actually.”
On the aggressive defensive approach:
“The way we play defense, we’re pretty aggressive, and sometimes we get a little handsy and get a little out of control. But we want to make sure we are making them uncomfortable and that’s what we’re doing the last couple of games.”
Van Buren County Head Coach Randy Smith
Smith was frustrated with the start but proud of his team’s comeback, while also addressing several key moments in the final seconds.
On the poor start against Fairfield’s press:
“It was terrible. They came out in a 2-2-1 press and we got a plan for that. We’re going to see it on Friday night against Mediapolis. I mean, 2-2-1, we got to put Adalyn in the middle and she wasn’t going to the middle, she’s up front, so then we got three ball handlers with the two girls in front of them and nobody to throw it to except for them and we did that some.”
On the final possession:
“Marlee should’ve shot it.”
On the confusion about timeouts remaining:
“The thing was that the scorer’s table told us we only had one timeout and we had two. If I would’ve known that when Jones went to the free throw line for her second free throw, I didn’t want to take my last timeout then because I was afraid they may front us and not get the ball in bounds. Well, when you have two, you can take one and still have one in your back pocket. Then if they make the free throw, we already have something set up, because I really wanted to get the ball out of bounds and go and not give them a chance to get their defense set up. It is what it is. And the other thing is, if I just tell them to set a screen at half court for Adalyn and tell her not to give it up.”
On the foul to put Jones at the free throw line:
“She (Adalyn) committed that foul and that’s a freshman, we told them at the timeout, if we score, we don’t get a steal and foul, that was if we didn’t get a three-point play. Well, we got the three-point play and tied it. She thought we were still down by one so she committed the foul. I mean, if she doesn’t play like she did, we aren’t in it. So, I mean she brought us all the way back and she’s going to be a special player.”
Historic Night for Fairfield
For Fairfield, this victory represents more than just a win. It ends a nearly two-year home victory drought and gives the Trojans their first back-to-back wins since early 2024. The resiliency shown in protecting a lead against a furious comeback demonstrates growth and maturity for a program finding its footing.
For Van Buren County, despite the heartbreaking loss, Adalyn Snowgren’s 24-point performance showcased the emergence of a special talent who single-handedly brought her team back from a 16-point deficit. The Warriors’ ability to fight back twice in the fourth quarter shows the character of this team, even if they came up one second short of a miraculous victory.
