Written by Mark Braam
Call them champions!
Fairfield won the Southwest 3 District title Sunday evening at University of Cincinnati’s Fifth-Third Arena, defeating Walnut Hills 55-52 in a game that went down to the closing seconds before a winner could be declared.
Free throws were crucial. Junior Deshawne Crim nailed four of them in the closing moments, first hitting two to tie and then go ahead with 16 second remaining, then hit another two free throws with 5.6 seconds left. A desperation 3-pointer by Walnut Hills fell short, and the Indians went wild with joy, swarming the court as the buzzer sounded.
The win was Fairfield’s first district championship since 2012, when it reached a state semifinal.
Fairfield, 22-4, next plays 17-7 Huber Heights Wayne at Xavier University’s Cintas Center at 6 p.m. in the regional semifinals. Tickets are available at www.ohsaa.org/tickets
The Indians beat Wayne, 71-70, on December 23.
These photos and more can be seen and downloaded at bit.ly/FFBHoopsDistrictChamps
