Kettering Fairmont Firebirds girls’ basketball team drops first game of 2021-22 season

Kettering, Ohio – Saturday, December 4, 2021, the Kettering Firebirds girls basketball team traveled to Springboro to take on the Panthers. Fairmont entered the game undefeated with a 3-0 record after convincing wins over Troy (64-42), Hamilton (55-13), and Northmont (68-34). The Panthers entered the game 2-1 after wins over Lakota East (58-47) and Lebanon (50-37), and a loss to Beavercreek (48-42).

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Fairmont jumped out to a 3 point 1st quarter lead by outscoring the Panthers 16-13. But the Panthers turned the table on the Firebirds in the quarter with an 8 point margin, outscoring Fairmont 9-1. This gave Springboro a 2 point halftime lead with the score Fairmont 17 Springboro 22.

The Firebirds regained control o in the 3rd
quarter outscoring the Panthers by 3 points 10-7. But with the score Fairmont 27 Springboro 29, the Firebirds still faced a 2 point deficit going into the final quarter. In the 4th quarter, the Panthers eked out a 1 point edge outscoring the Firebirds 19-18 to secure a close 48-45 victory.

It seems likely that the Firebirds will look back on their 1 point second quarter when considering what they could have done differently to secure a victory. Kettering had two players who reached double digits in scoring. Senior Guard #15 Mallory Hullinger was the leading scorer for the Firebirds with 20 points. Despite the loss, to date, this was Hullinger’s highest point total of the season. Hullinger hit 6 of 12 from the field, making 2 of 6 3 point attempts. She also was perfect from the free-throw line hitting 6. Hullinger also contributed 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists.

With 10 points Sophomore Guard #14 Kenzie Roark was the Firebirds’ second highest scorer of the night. Roark shot 4 of 11 from the field, making 2 of 6 3 point attempts. Roark was 0-1 from the free throw line, but also contributed 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

The balance of Kettering’s scoring came from Junior Forward #10 Serena Baker 7 points, Senior Forward #21 Peyton wells 5 points, and Senior Guard #12 Mari Carter 3 points. Both Wells and Baker were significantly below their offensive point totals for the first 3 Firebirds games.

As a team, Kettering shot 31.15 from the floor making 14 of 45. They made 6 of 22 3 point attempts for a 27.3% success rate. The Firebirds shot 84.6% from the free throw line making 11 of 13 opportunities. The Firebirds had 20 rebounds, 10 on offense and 10 on defense, 11 assists, 10 steals, and 3 blocks.

The Panthers outshot the Firebirds from the floor with a 60.0% success rate making 15 of 25. The Panthers had 2 fewer 3 pointers than Fairmont hitting 4 of 12, but had a higher percentage with a 33.3% completion rate. The Panthers outscored the Firebirds at the line hitting 14 of 23 for a 60.9% success rate. The Panthers also had 16 rebounds, 16 on offense and 7 on defense, 10 assists, 9 steals, and 3 blocks.

The Firebirds will have another opportunity to beat Springboro when Springboro travels to Trent Arena on January 12, 2021. But right now they are looking to regain their winning ways when they take on the Springfield Wildcats Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at 7:30 P.M. The Wildcats are currently 2-1 after wins against Shawnee (51-15) and Benjamin Logan (38-33), and a loss against Centerville (58-35). Springfield’s December 4th game against Beavercreek was postponed, and they are scheduled to play Franklin on December 6, 2021, at 7:30 P.M. The Kettering v. Springfield game will be played at Fairmont’s Trent Arena, 3301 Shroyer Road, Kettering. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors (ID may be required) and $7 for adults. You can purchase tickets at https://events.ticketspicket.com/agency/5292c4d7-0074-4d06-ad13-6a61389a8deb/events/7dbea849-1632-4fb1-a233-b37f54f79757.