The Fayette County Tigers made a statement with their playoff-clinching 69-35 victory over Woodward Academy in the opening round of the Region 2-AAAA tournament Tuesday — they are a force to be reckoned with.

Fayette was dominant from start to finish, outrunning the overmatched War Eagles up and down the court and taking advantage of their superior talent to secure a spot in the state playoffs.

The game was essentially over by the end of the first quarter, with Fayette holding a commanding 24-3 lead.

Noel Johnson’s midrange jumper handed the Tigers their first double-digit lead, 14-3, with 2:06 remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers led by double digits the rest of the way.

Fayette’s offense continued to pour on the points in the second quarter, and its defense was relentless, making life miserable for offensively challenged Woodward in the first half, which concluded with the Tigers ahead by a whopping margin, 46-7.

The Tigers were on cruise control the rest of the way, easily ending Woodward’s season.

“We wanted to come out of the blocks early and set the tone and put pressure on them,” Fayette coach Andre Flynn said. “In a tournament, do or die, the longer a team hangs around, the chances of an upset increase. I’m glad we came out and played hard. I’m just proud of my guys for making the state tournament again.”

The Tigers’ offensive attack featured three players who scored in double figures: Johnson (a game-high 21 points), Brandon Boykin (11) and Addison Flynn (11).

Fayette was particularly deadly from the perimeter, hitting eight 3-pointers.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fayette’s convincing victory was its defensive play; Fayette limited Woodward to under 40 points, and it didn’t allow a single War Eagles player to score in double figures.

Corey Manning scored nine points to lead Woodward.

login to post comments