Fairfield's boys basketball team, behind the clutch shooting of junior Peyton Jones, held on to defeat Milford Wednesday, 35-33, in a first-round playoff game held at Hamilton.

With the score tied at 33, Jones fired off a shot with just over 3 seconds to go from near the top of the key. The ball slid in and the Indian fans and players went gonzo. After a timeout and several inbound plays by Milford, Fairfield hung on and clinched the win.

"We did a good job at executing late," said Fairfield coach DJ Wyrick. "Peyton had the hot hand, so we wanted to isolate him and let him go make a play. Really good players find a way to make a play in that situation … and that is exactly what he did."
 
The Indians next play St. Xavier at 5 p.m., Saturday, at Xavier University's Cintas Center in the OHSSA District Final. St. X was an overwhelming semifinal victor over West Clermont, 70-32. Tickets can be purchased at www.ohsaa.org/tickets. Adult tickets are $10 and students are $5.

"X is a team we are very familiar with," said Wyrick. "We did a lot with them in the offseason. They are very physical, very disciplined. They will play very hard, and we have to be ready to compete for 32 minutes."

Wyrick hopes The Tribe and Indian fans from the community show up Saturday at Cintas.

"It is awesome to go back in play at the Cintas Center," said Wyrick. "Historically, our community and student body have done a great job coming out to support us and giving us an advantage with that support. I hope they are there Saturday and root us on to the regional semifinals."

Senior Jakye Akbar led Fairfield scorers with 14 points, followed by Jones with 13 and senior Riley Cunningham with 8. Jones led both teams with 3 assists. Cunningham led both teams with 7 rebounds, while sophomore Cooper Ross had 6.

Additional photos can be found at fairfieldindians.com/galleries.