2022-23 Fairfield Lady Lions Basketball Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
There has been a lot of turnover with the Fairfield Lady Lions basketball program since the last time they were on the court during tournament play last season.
Andy Wood is now the new head coach of the Lady Lions, taking over for Jeremy McGraw, who is now an athletic director at East Clinton High School, and four of the five starters from last season have graduated, leaving room for a whole new group of student-athletes to earn their spot and build their team for the 2022-23 season.
“The kids had a tremendous offseason, thanks to assistant coach Josh Stackhouse,” Wood said. “He directed the team all summer, essentially, while I was in the process of being hired. The kids like and respect Coach Stack a ton, for very good reason.
“The team chemistry with this bunch of kids has been outstanding — all they want to do is win. They had a tremendous amount of success under the direction of Coach McGraw, and they are very hungry to continue to build on the success of the program from last season.”
During the 2021-22 season, the Lady Lions were second in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference (Division I), trailing only Eastern in the standings. The Lady Lions finished with an overall record of 20-4 overall and 10-3 in the SHAC.
FHS last season averaged 58 points per game and allowed 40.1 points per game, including the postseason. In SHAC competition (13 games), Fairfield averaged 59.8 ppg. and allowed 43.5 ppg.
Fairfield played in four postseason games last season with wins over Westfall (49-18), Oak Hill (51-31) and Adena (50-38). Their loss was in the district finals to Wheelersburg (49-42). Their three regular-season losses were against Eastern (twice) and Peebles.
Seniors for the Lady Lions for the 2022-23 season are Peyton Magee and Hailey Tolle, while the juniors are Faith Donley and Caitlyn Quickle. Sophomores on the varsity team are Kelsey Clark, Hannah Hamilton, Mya Hamilton, Jobey Hattan and Kassi Miller.
“Peyton was an All-Ohio performer last season as a junior and is Fairfield’s all-time assists leader, and she is undeniably our floor general. Faith Donley and Caitlyn Quickle are juniors who saw significant varsity minutes as sophomores, and both are tremendous all-around athletes as they excel in multiple sports,” Wood said.
“Jobey Hattan is a sophomore and one of the most tenacious competitors I’ve ever seen or coached. She, too, already excels at three sports at the varsity level. Hannah Hamilton, also only a sophomore, has an incredible basketball skill set and has the court vision of a seasoned point guard.
“Kassi Miller, a sophomore, is a lethal perimeter threat and solidifies our depth at the guard position, and finally, senior, Hailey Tolle,” Wood continued. “Hailey has not played since her freshman year, but you would never know it. She is an All-District soccer player and can run like the wind, and her impact has been both immediate and gigantic.”
Magee — who was an All-Ohio selection as a junior and as mentioned is the all-time assists leader at Fairfield — is the lone returning full-time starter from last season, where she averaged 8.5 points per game, with 4.9 rebounds per game, 2.9 steals per game and 4.9 assists per game. Last season, Magee scored 204 points in 24 games played, with 30 3-pointers, 117 rebounds, 70 assists and seven blocks.
Also back is junior Faith Donley, who came off the bench last season and had many big moments to spark the team. She played in 23 games, averaging 5.9 ppg, with 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.7 spg. As a sophomore, Donley scored 135 points and totaled 60 rebounds (27 offensive), with 38 steals and 35 assists.
Mya Hamilton played junior high basketball with Fairfield before transferring to Eastern High School as a freshman where she was a Division III All-Ohio honorable mention selection, as she averaged 11.7 points per game last season. She was also a second-team OPSWA All-District selection, and she was named to the All-SHAC team. This past offseason, Hamilton suffered an injury.
Due to graduation, the Lady Lions lost four starters from last season, including Emma Fouch, who was a 1,000-point scorer, and led the team with 15.8 ppg. She also had 4.1 rpg and many other accolades that led her to an All-Ohio selection. Also gone are All-District and All-SHAC honoree Madison Bronner (9.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), along with Braylynn Haines (8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Ella Newkirk (7.0 ppg, 2.9 apg).
For the upcoming season, Wood described his team in three words … “athletic, feisty and coachable.” Those are three words that are huge for the Lady Lions because they had so much turnover from a year ago. With a new head coach and four new starters, Fairfield has a bit of an uphill climb early in the season as they work to get into a rhythm as a unit.
“We continuously address ball security as our primary point of emphasis — treating the ball, when in our possession, like it’s a newborn infant or puppy, handling it with extreme care,” Wood said. “Our expectations for the season … we were picked to finish fourth out of five teams in the preseason coaches poll, so we want to be playing our absolute best in February and hopefully March, hoping to make some noise in the tournament.”
As the season gets closer, Wood spoke about the conference and non-conference schedules for the Lady Lions, plus game some final thoughts before the season begins.
The non-conference games for Fairfield include: Piketon, Portsmouth Clay, Washington, McClain, East Clinton, Hillsboro, Rock Hill, Paint Valley and Blanchester.
“I would contend this is the best small-school basketball league in the state, for both boys and girls,” Wood said. “The kids and the towns in this league are consumed by and obsessed with the game, which explains why, perennially speaking, schools in the SHAC have performed so impressively in the postseason.
“Our non-league foes are brutal. The schedule includes 2022 Elite Eight participant East Clinton; the Lady Tigers of McClain, who are always well-coached; cross-county rival Hillsboro, who just hired a dynamite young coach; and Rock Hill, who won almost 20 games last year.
“In terms of wins and losses, I have absolutely no idea how things will shake out,” Wood continued. “There are so many unknown variables, largely because of the lack of overall varsity playing experience. However, we will be enjoyable to watch from a fan’s perspective. You will not feel cheated out of your price of admission while driving home after the game, no matter the outcome.”
Fairfield is scheduled to start the 2022-23 season Nov. 21 at home in a varsity-only game against the North Adams Lady Green Devils at 7 p.m.
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Andy Wood is now the new head coach of the Lady Lions, taking over for Jeremy McGraw, who is now an athletic director at East Clinton High School, and four of the five starters from last season have graduated, leaving room for a whole new group of student-athletes to earn their spot and build their team for the 2022-23 season.
“The kids had a tremendous offseason, thanks to assistant coach Josh Stackhouse,” Wood said. “He directed the team all summer, essentially, while I was in the process of being hired. The kids like and respect Coach Stack a ton, for very good reason.
“The team chemistry with this bunch of kids has been outstanding — all they want to do is win. They had a tremendous amount of success under the direction of Coach McGraw, and they are very hungry to continue to build on the success of the program from last season.”
During the 2021-22 season, the Lady Lions were second in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference (Division I), trailing only Eastern in the standings. The Lady Lions finished with an overall record of 20-4 overall and 10-3 in the SHAC.
FHS last season averaged 58 points per game and allowed 40.1 points per game, including the postseason. In SHAC competition (13 games), Fairfield averaged 59.8 ppg. and allowed 43.5 ppg.
Fairfield played in four postseason games last season with wins over Westfall (49-18), Oak Hill (51-31) and Adena (50-38). Their loss was in the district finals to Wheelersburg (49-42). Their three regular-season losses were against Eastern (twice) and Peebles.
Seniors for the Lady Lions for the 2022-23 season are Peyton Magee and Hailey Tolle, while the juniors are Faith Donley and Caitlyn Quickle. Sophomores on the varsity team are Kelsey Clark, Hannah Hamilton, Mya Hamilton, Jobey Hattan and Kassi Miller.
“Peyton was an All-Ohio performer last season as a junior and is Fairfield’s all-time assists leader, and she is undeniably our floor general. Faith Donley and Caitlyn Quickle are juniors who saw significant varsity minutes as sophomores, and both are tremendous all-around athletes as they excel in multiple sports,” Wood said.
“Jobey Hattan is a sophomore and one of the most tenacious competitors I’ve ever seen or coached. She, too, already excels at three sports at the varsity level. Hannah Hamilton, also only a sophomore, has an incredible basketball skill set and has the court vision of a seasoned point guard.
“Kassi Miller, a sophomore, is a lethal perimeter threat and solidifies our depth at the guard position, and finally, senior, Hailey Tolle,” Wood continued. “Hailey has not played since her freshman year, but you would never know it. She is an All-District soccer player and can run like the wind, and her impact has been both immediate and gigantic.”
Magee — who was an All-Ohio selection as a junior and as mentioned is the all-time assists leader at Fairfield — is the lone returning full-time starter from last season, where she averaged 8.5 points per game, with 4.9 rebounds per game, 2.9 steals per game and 4.9 assists per game. Last season, Magee scored 204 points in 24 games played, with 30 3-pointers, 117 rebounds, 70 assists and seven blocks.
Also back is junior Faith Donley, who came off the bench last season and had many big moments to spark the team. She played in 23 games, averaging 5.9 ppg, with 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.7 spg. As a sophomore, Donley scored 135 points and totaled 60 rebounds (27 offensive), with 38 steals and 35 assists.
Mya Hamilton played junior high basketball with Fairfield before transferring to Eastern High School as a freshman where she was a Division III All-Ohio honorable mention selection, as she averaged 11.7 points per game last season. She was also a second-team OPSWA All-District selection, and she was named to the All-SHAC team. This past offseason, Hamilton suffered an injury.
Due to graduation, the Lady Lions lost four starters from last season, including Emma Fouch, who was a 1,000-point scorer, and led the team with 15.8 ppg. She also had 4.1 rpg and many other accolades that led her to an All-Ohio selection. Also gone are All-District and All-SHAC honoree Madison Bronner (9.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg), along with Braylynn Haines (8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Ella Newkirk (7.0 ppg, 2.9 apg).
For the upcoming season, Wood described his team in three words … “athletic, feisty and coachable.” Those are three words that are huge for the Lady Lions because they had so much turnover from a year ago. With a new head coach and four new starters, Fairfield has a bit of an uphill climb early in the season as they work to get into a rhythm as a unit.
“We continuously address ball security as our primary point of emphasis — treating the ball, when in our possession, like it’s a newborn infant or puppy, handling it with extreme care,” Wood said. “Our expectations for the season … we were picked to finish fourth out of five teams in the preseason coaches poll, so we want to be playing our absolute best in February and hopefully March, hoping to make some noise in the tournament.”
As the season gets closer, Wood spoke about the conference and non-conference schedules for the Lady Lions, plus game some final thoughts before the season begins.
The non-conference games for Fairfield include: Piketon, Portsmouth Clay, Washington, McClain, East Clinton, Hillsboro, Rock Hill, Paint Valley and Blanchester.
“I would contend this is the best small-school basketball league in the state, for both boys and girls,” Wood said. “The kids and the towns in this league are consumed by and obsessed with the game, which explains why, perennially speaking, schools in the SHAC have performed so impressively in the postseason.
“Our non-league foes are brutal. The schedule includes 2022 Elite Eight participant East Clinton; the Lady Tigers of McClain, who are always well-coached; cross-county rival Hillsboro, who just hired a dynamite young coach; and Rock Hill, who won almost 20 games last year.
“In terms of wins and losses, I have absolutely no idea how things will shake out,” Wood continued. “There are so many unknown variables, largely because of the lack of overall varsity playing experience. However, we will be enjoyable to watch from a fan’s perspective. You will not feel cheated out of your price of admission while driving home after the game, no matter the outcome.”
Fairfield is scheduled to start the 2022-23 season Nov. 21 at home in a varsity-only game against the North Adams Lady Green Devils at 7 p.m.
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