By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Just go out and do something no Fair Grove team has ever done. No pressure, right?
Not for these Fair Grove Lady Eagles.
“These girls, I think they love that pressure,” said Fair Grove coach Jenny Talbert. “I think they just smile through it. They all love to win, but they really hate to lose. Whatever it takes, they’ll give it their all.”
There will be no shortage of smiles days around the Fair Grove community in the coming weeks. The Lady Eagles are bringing home the gold.
In a matchup of Top 5-ranked teams, Fair Grove overcame an early 14-point deficit and made the key plays down the stretch to beat El Dorado Springs 54-52 in the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown girls’ state championship game at Great Southern Bank Arena.
“Still at a loss for words,” Talbert said. “These girls, the whole team, they were resilient tonight.”
The victory gives Fair Grove – the school, not just the program – its first state championship in any team sport.
Before Saturday night, no Fair Grove team had even played in a state championship game.
“I don’t think we were under pressure,” said Fair Grove senior Kameron Green, who scored a team-high 18. “Everyone just kept telling us to have fun. We’re here, we’re the first Fair Grove team in the championship game. It’s a big deal. Everyone just poured in all their support.”
Fair Grove had to earn its first state championship all the way to the end. With Fair Grove ahead by two, the final minute was a wild sequence of tie-ups, turnovers, offensive fouls and chaotic scrambles for loose balls.
El Dorado Springs missed three shots in the final 35 seconds. Fair Grove reserve Abbey Green finally came up with the win-clinching play when she drew a charge with 1.3 seconds remaining as El Dorado Springs drove to the basket.
“It’s so fitting that something we’re not great at – but we’ve worked on – is taking charges,” Talbert said. “That was a huge moment at the end of the game. So proud of Abbey (Green) for taking that charge.”
Kameron Green’s basket with 1:16 remaining put Fair Grove ahead 54-52 and proved to be the game-winning score.
“The ending was a little nerve racking, but we knew we had to keep our heads,” said Fair Grove’s Ashton Bell, who scored 16. “We were down (14) in the middle of the game, so we just had to finish it off.”
The Lady Eagles were stuck in a big hole after El Dorado Springs built a 14-point lead early in the second quarter. El Dorado Springs star Macie Mays scored 18 of her game-high 28 in the first half.
“We got helter-skelter,” Talbert said. “We didn’t lose our heads, but we got a little too emotional at the beginning.
“And Macie’s a great player. We held her to 28 points. I think she had 42 the last time we played in the regular season. I guess that’s a job well done.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
But Fair Grove drew within 30-26 by halftime, sparking confidence for the second half.
“When we get in our groove, we play good defense,” said Fair Grove sophomore point guard Brooke Daniels. “You could just tell. After we got down, we were coming back. We had that intensity going on defense then it started translating on offense as well.”
Before the game, Talbert said she was in the stands watching the conclusion of the Class 3 boys’ state championship game. Fair Grove’s opportunity couldn’t come soon enough.
“Those boys were celebrating, and I turned to (assistant coach) Carrie Green and I was like, ‘Man, I want our girls to get to feel that,’” Talbert said. “Because they have worked so hard for this and their such good kids. They’re well-rounded, involved in all the sports and clubs, they make good grades. They’re just a really good representation of Fair Grove. The whole team is.”
El Dorado Springs (26-6 overall) was seeking its second straight state championship and third overall. The Lady Bulldogs were also out for revenge after Fair Grove beat them 61-58 on Feb. 6.
“As a group, nobody thought we were going to be here this year,” said El Dorado Springs coach Beau Swopes. “Look back at Nov. 1, nobody thought we could make it this far. We lost some big seniors who did a lot. This group comes in unproven and not a lot of scoring besides Macie. Game one was terrible, then all of a sudden we’re here at state and expected to win. It puts a lot of pressure on the kids, but we kind of fed off that the last couple of days.”
El Dorado Springs graduates two seniors: Mays, the team’s leading scorer (24.8 ppg), along with fellow starter Wriley Taylor.
“On one hand, there’s a hundred-some coaches who wish they were here right now and had the chance to play,” Swopes said. “I hate (losing), not for myself but for the kids. I hate that we couldn’t get our seniors another ring, or the freshmen their rings.
“That’s life. You get to that point where there’s something you really want, like a career choice or position, and you may work your tail off. But you’re not always going to get it. I think you’ll see some resolve in these kids and they’ll come back stronger in whatever they’re going to do.”
Fair Grove should be well equipped to defend its title next season, although they’ll graduate a big contributor.
Kameron Green, who led Fair Grove in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg) this season, surpassed 1,500 career points this weekend in leading the Lady Eagles to a state championship. She’s the lone senior on the team.
“I love this kid like she’s my own,” Talbert said. “It’s been an honor to coach her. She’s been an awesome leader.”
Fair Grove 54, El Dorado Springs 52
Fair Grove 12 14 14 14 — 54
El Dorado Springs 20 10 11 11 — 52
Fair Grove (28-4 overall) – Kameron Green 18, Ashton Bell 16, Emma Padgett 7, Camdyn Hart 4, Abbey Green 4,Brooke Daniels 3, Hannah Maxwell 2
El Dorado Springs (26-6 overall) – Macie Mays 28, Alexis Collins 9, Neely Schaaf 8, Tenlie Steward 3, AbiGayle Schmitt 2, McKinli Mays 2
