Mellott scores 15, but Valley falls to Fairfield in semistate semifinals

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Girls basketball

Photos by Makenna Strycker for RTCtv4

Fairfield 54, Tippecanoe Valley 33 (Saturday): Kaydence Mellott scored 15 points, but Valley lost to No. 7 Fairfield in a Class 3A semistate semifinal at LaPorte Saturday.

Lily Ault had six points, Gaby Gonzalez had four, and Molly Moriarty, Kelsey Cox, Chesnee Miller and Millie Scorsone scored two points each.

Photos by Makenna Strycker for RTCtv4

Moriarty had a team-high five rebounds and also tied Ault for team-high honors with two assists each. Ault and Miller had two steals each.

Fairfield led 25-12 at halftime and extended the lead to 39-16 after three quarters.

Valley lost to Fairfield for the first time since dropping a sectional quarterfinal game 52-43 on Feb. 7, 2012. Valley had eliminated Fairfield in the 2014-17 sectionals.

Photos by Makenna Strycker for RTCtv4

Fairfield went on to beat top-ranked and previously undefeated Twin Lakes 42-34 in the semistate final Saturday night. They will play Corydon Central in the state title game at 6 p.m. this Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Brea Garber led Fairfield with 20 points. Fairfield went on a 16-0 run covering the first and second quarters to build a 23-6 lead. They also started the second half on an 8-0 run.

Fairfield snapped Valley’s nine-game winning streak. Valley finished 22-4.