Fairman leads Jaguars into PIAA quarters

By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com
Survive and advance.
That’s the name of the game this time of year.
And the Thomas Jefferson girls basketball team knows that from experience.
The Jaguars found a way to survive and advance by fending off a relentless Woodland Hills squad to secure a 39-34 triumph in the second round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs Wednesday night at Peters Township.
“Unless this thing would have busted wide open and went into a complete transition without set defensive and offensive plays, that’s about the only way this game could have went at a higher score,” TJ head coach Lisa Fairman said. “Both teams pride themselves on defense and, quite honestly, I feel it was our defense that won us the game. It gave us transition points when we were stuck a little bit there with their zone.”
In addition to its stingy defense, TJ (20-7) relied a ton on the play of sophomore guard Graci Fairman, who scored 17 of her game-high 20 points in the second half of the victory.
With 43.5 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 34-34, Fairman hit perhaps her biggest bucket of the game on an off-balanced layup that put TJ ahead by two.
A travel call with 24.2 seconds on the clock allowed the Jaguars to regain possession and, a few seconds later, Woodland Hills’ Kayla Walter was called for an intentional foul.
Fairman hit 1 of 2 free throws before Maddy Trainer added a pair from the charity stripe to seal the win.
“I just wanted to try to get the job done and do anything I could to help us survive and advance,” said Graci Fairman, who netted all but four of the Jaguars’ second-half points.
“I tell all my players, this is what you play for. You can’t look back and wish I could have or would have, you have to leave it all on the court,” Lisa Fairman said. “I told (Graci), ‘You have to believe in yourself because the team believes in you. Play with the confidence that I know you have.’
“She did that, making a couple of key baskets in clutch situations when they were guarding Alyssa (DeAngelo).”

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