“I told the girls we needed to work the ball inside-to-out and then outside-to-in,” Fraker said.ĭespite the shooting problems, the Lady Panthers trailed by just one – 9-8 – at the end of the first quarter.Ī 6-0 spurt midway through the second period on field goals by Anna Poling and Ellie Carter and two free throws by Elaina Lahmers gave Fairbanks a 16-12 edge. “We got our legs underneath us later on and got some confidence.”įairbanks struggled with its three-point shooting in the first half, hitting just one from behind-the-arc shot during that time. “I was a little nervous at the start and I think the girls were too,” Fairbanks head coach Landon Fraker said. Sparked by a 13-4 run to close out the third quarter, Fairbanks continued to do the right things in earning a 49-37 victory over the Lady Spartans. However, once the Lady Panthers got settled down they were able to find their way offensively and defensively. It is amped up even a little more when it is the first game of the season.įairbanks got off to a little bit of a slow start Friday night in girls basketball action at Marion Pleasant. The opening minutes of a basketball game can be a little nerve-wracking for both coaches and players. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) Also pictured is Fairbanks’ Ellie Carter (24) and Pleasant’s Kayla Columber.
Fairbanks junior Elaina Lahmers (30) grapples with Pleasant’s Whitney Waddell (10) as both fight for possession of the ball.