By GARY KAUFFMAN
News Sports Correspondent
When Fairfield and Jimtown have met the past few years, the scoreboard operator has an easy time of it.
Only once in the previous five meetings had one of the teams scored more than 40 points.
Tuesday's night's contest at Fairfield was no different, with the Falcons holding on to a 30-24 win.
Although Jimtown played strong in the beginning and end of the game, Fairfield controlled most of the middle with a strong defensive effort.
“Even though we struggled offensively, defensively we kept a strong work ethic," Falcon coach John Wysong said.
The Jimmies got off to a quick 6-0 lead by the 3:40 mark. It then took them more than 16 minutes to score their next six points and they had only 12 by the end of the third quarter.
Jimtown coach Randy DeShone credited Fairfield's defense with some of the problems, but said his team's own mistakes compounded the offensive struggles.
“During that stretch we had a lot of mental errors on offense," he said. "We missed a lot of open shots. And during the second and third quarters we were taking it to the hole but passing up shots."
Jimtown didn't make a single field goal during the second and third periods.
The Falcons, meanwhile, gained momentum on offense.
After trailing 6-0, the Falcons reeled off 11 straight points and took an 11-8 halftime lead.
Josh Brown opened the third quarter for the Falcons with a 3-pointer, then 30 seconds later drove to the basket for a layup to give Fairfield a 16-8 advantage.
Miles Kritzman finished up the third period by draining a 3 at :03 to put the Falcons up 23-12 heading into the final frame.
“Anything during that stretch is big," Wysong said. "Brown's 3 was real big. And Kritzman's 3 proved to be real big at the end."
It proved big because the Jimmies finally found their offense again in the final three minutes of the game.
After scoring only 15 points in the first 3-1/2 quarters of the contest, the Jimmies scored nine in less than two minutes starting at the 2:35 mark.
“I was real proud of our kids with the run they made at the end and the turnovers they forced," DeShone said. "That's not something we're real strong at yet."
The score was 25-15 when Shane Cook scored at 2:35. He followed that with another basket.
The Falcons tried several long passes to break Jimtown's pressure defense but they resulted in turnovers.
When the Jimmies' Nick Anglemeyer converted a three-point play at 1:18, the lead had been chopped to 25-22.
Just five seconds later, Brown stepped to the free throw line for the Falcons and drained both shots.
Cook answered with another basket with a minute remaining, but that was the end of Jimtown's socoring.
Fairfield sank three more free throws down the stretch to povide the final margin of victory.
“Our rebounding was a saving grace in the fourth quarter when they did miss," Wysong said.
The Falcons grabbed seven rebounds in the fourth, including two after Jimtown misses in the final minute.
Fairfield featured a well-rounded attack that had eight players scoring but none in double figures. Brown led the way with eight points.
“Everybody mattered," Wysong said.
Anglemeyer had nine points for the Jimmies.
“It was a great effort on both ends," DeShone said, "but we've got to get a little smarter."
Jimtown won a barnburner in the JV contest, 19-18.
Eric Smoker drained a 3-pointer with nine second remaining to give Fairfield an 18-17 lead. But Kasey Henkler drove the baseline for a score with a second left to give Jimtown the win.
