Fairfield rallies with big 2nd half to down the giants, 5-time defending champ Argyle
Like the old saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end.’
And for Argyle, the streak is over.
Trailing 25-11 at halftime, Fairfield, in its first state title game, stormed back to force overtime and then slayed the five-time defending champs, 40-39 on Saturday at the Alamodome.
Fairfield (34-4) wins its first title in program history while snapping Argyle’s 41-game winning streak in the playoffs.
Argyle (33-7) led 37-34 a minute into the extra period when Bailey Timmons hit 1 of 2 free throws and Rhyle McKinney knocked down a jumper.
But Fairfield tied it 20 seconds later on a 3-pointer from Jarahle Daniels.
Both teams stalled for the next two minutes, but when Argyle committed its 12th turnover of the game, Jada Clark drove hard to the basket, hit it and was fouled.
Clark made the free throw to give Fairfield a 40-37 lead with seven seconds left in OT, its only lead all night.
McKinney was fouled on the ensuing possession behind the 3-point line, but would only make her first two attempts. Argyle rebounded the third attempt and got two shots off until the buzzer sounded, sending Fairfield and coach Sally Whitaker into a frenzy.
There were only two ties, at 37, and 34 to end regulation.
Freshman McKinna Brackens rebounded an Argyle free-throw miss and made the game-tying layup with less than two seconds on the clock.
Brackens finished with a team-high 15 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
It was a tale of two halves as Argyle was on fire from downtown in the first quarter to own a 16-3 lead. Then it went into halftime leading 25-11. But Fairfield outscored Argyle 11-2 in the third quarter and 12-7 in the fourth.
Facing a 27-22 deficit after three, Braden Bossier’s jumper cut it to a 3-point game early in the final period. Kaylee Adams nailed a three to make it 29-27 and Brackens’ 3-point play cut it to 31-30 with 5:15 remaining.
McKinney, who scored a game-high 25 points, hit a short jumper to give Argyle a 33-30 lead with 4:40 to go while another Brackens’ layup made it 33-32 at the 2:08 mark.
After shooting 3 of 13 in the first half, Fairfield shot 10 of 21 after halftime. Argyle shot 9 of 19 and 4 of 15, respectively.
Argyle made all four 3-point attempts and got 10 points from McKinney to build up a 16-3 lead after the first quarter. Bailey Timmons extended the lead to 18-3 early in the second quarter.
Fairfield scored the next five points that forced an Argyle timeout.
Argyle then finished the half with seven of the next 10 points for the 14-point lead. McKinney had 14 at the break.
Timmons added six points and six rebounds for Argyle. Brooklyn Carl led the team with five assists.
Daniels had a game-high six assists for Fairfield, which beat Argyle in points in the paint (24-13), second chance points (11-4) and points off the bench (19-5). Bossier added 10 points and four rebounds.
Argyle was making its seventh straight appearance at state, which included a trip to the final in every year. A win on Saturday would’ve gave the program its sixth consecutive title, tying Class 1A Nazareth for the longest streak in UIL history.
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 9:59 PM.
