Fairmont's high school girls basketball team entered the weekendranked No. 10 in the Division I state poll.
Twinsburg and Canton McKinley might beg to differ.
Fairmont put a scare into No. 5 Twinsburg on Saturday and beatNo. 2 Canton McKinley late Sun-day night at the Classic in theCountry invitational in Berlin.
Against Twinsburg, which beat Fairmont 55-42 in the D-I titlegame last season, the Firebirds took a 28-24 lead into halftimebefore falling 56-49.
Against McKinley, the Firebirds led by as many as 21 beforewinning 52-41. The loss was just the second regular-season defeatfor the Pups since December 2009. The Pups also lost last Thursday.
'Our kids really came out focused,' Fairmont coach Tim Cogansaid. 'They didn't want to lose two games there.
'Our kids were really unselfish. It was a huge team effort. Thisis great for us and gets us back on the map.'
The Firebirds led the Pups 45-24 entering the fourth quarter.
Fairmont junior Chelsea Welch held Ameryst Alston -- the reigningMs. Basketball and an Ohio State recruit -- to 15 points on 3-of-12shooting. Alston, who entered averaging 26 points, had three athalftime.
Fairmont, which doesn't have a senior on the roster, also enjoyeda significant height advantage. Fairmont has three players who stand6-foot-2 with sophomores Makayla Waterman, Kathryn Westbeld and EmmaHavener. McKinley's tallest player is 5-10.
Westbeld led Fairmont offensively with 23 points and added 12rebounds in an otherwise balanced scoring attack.
On Saturday, McKinley had snapped Princeton's 41-game regularseason winning streak with a 59-53 win. Princeton was ranked No. 3in the state.
'We're still a work in progress,' McKinley coach Pam Davis toldthe Canton Repository. 'I expect our veterans to lead the way andshow the way to our young kids, and we're inconsistent. ... Rankingsare subjective. It all comes down to the last eight games of theyear.'
Extra points: Centerville and Springboro's hockey teams arejoining together for a Pink Out fundraiser game at 8 p.m. Friday atSouth Metro Sports.
Activities include a 50/50 raffle, donation cards that will betaped to the glass and ribbon cookies for purchase. Proceeds benefitthe American Cancer Society.
Tickets are $3, and kids 12 and under are free.
