By GARY KAUFFMAN
A blistering third quarter propelled Fairfield to a 61-33 win over Prairie Heights in the first round of the Northeast Corner Conference tourney Tuesday night.
After a tepid second quarter, the Falcons outscored the Panthers 21-2 in the third period, limiting Heights to just two free throws.
"I may have been as hot at halftime as I have been all season," Falcon coach Steve Proctor said. "This is a mature team so we're on the same page on what we need to do, so they understood that. If one of them had given the speech they'd have been hot, too."
The motivational speech created the desired results.
Already up 31-24 at halftime, Fairfield reeled off eight straight points - four of them off of steals - before the Panthers scored a single free throw.
The Falcons then went on a 11-0 run, again aided by steals, before Heights' other free throw.
Prairie Heights committed 10 turnovers in the third, most of them forced by Fairfield's aggressive defense.
Fairfield had three players score in double figures, led by Haley Bechtel's 23. Emily Waits added 14 and Jaime Stack 13.
Bechtel was 5-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc.
"When she's on she shoots the ball really well," Proctor said. "She's the only kid who has a green light all the time."
Stack nearly had a triple-double, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals. She also dished out four assists.
“She's gotten more aggressive," Proctor said. "Her layup (early in the third quarter) kind of broke the game open, when she threw the ball away and then stole it back."
After a fast-paced, aggressive first half, Proctor felt his team's physical preparation was the key.
"We're in good condition, and conditioning played a big part in the second half," he said.
Fairfield made its first seven field goal attempts of the game, and went 9-for-12 for the first quarter to open a 21-14 lead. Bechtel scored 13 in the period.
The Falcons pushed the lead to 11 early in the second quarter but let the Panthers close the gap.
"We lost our mental sharpness," Proctor said. "We took things for granted, we allowed them to be the aggressors and we paid the price for that."
But he liked how his team responded.
"We've said that it's not about the things that happen to you but how you respond to them," he said.
Fairfield held a big advantage in rebounding, 27-12. The Falcons had 13 offensive rebounds.
Fairfield will host Churubusco in the second round of the tourney tonight at 6 p.m.
