The Fayette boys snapped an eight-game losing streak on Friday with a 47-44 win over Class 3 Linn, the sixth seed, in the seventh-place game of the Harrisburg Tournament.

After trailing for three quarters, the Falcons, seeded eighth, rallied back to take their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by senior Carmelo Hockaday just nine seconds into the fourth period. The lead would change thrice over the next three and a half minutes until Fayette could knot the score.

With 2:40 left to play, seniors Ben Wells and Chase Allen-Jackman connected on a long pass, reminiscent of the four years the two spent together as quarterback and wide receiver on the football field. Wells rifled an inbound pass from the baseline to Jackman inside the opposite 3-point line. Jackman then scored a contested layup and was fouled in the process. He sank the bonus free throw to tie the game at 43 apiece.

A minute later, sophomore Kaleb Friebe sank the go-ahead bucket to give Fayette the lead for good.

Linn inched back, converting one of two free-throw chances to cut the lead to one point with 1:32 left. It would mark the Wildcats’ final basket of the game.

Linn had a chance late, but turned the ball over with 13.6 seconds left, then fouled to stop the clock. Jackman sank both free throws to give Fayette a three-point lead. He then made a steal in the final seconds to clinch the win for the Falcons.

After falling behind 13-8 in the first quarter and 27-20 at halftime, the Falcons rallied to win the third quarter 13-8 and the fourth 14-9.

“Gotta give Linn credit. They came out scoring well,” said Fayette coach Jon Bishop. “We didn’t honestly want to change much in regards to offense or defense. We were doing some good things. We did want to come out stronger in the third, so we did change our approach for the second half. I was so proud of our work ethic. Kaleb did a heck of a job digging in the final seconds to get a tip on the ball for Chase’s steal to finish the game.”

Jackman led Fayette with 13 points and seven rebounds with two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots on the night. He finished perfectly from the line, sinking all five free-throw attempts. 

Jackman scored 42 points in three games during the weeklong event, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament team. Nineteen of those points game against fifth-seeded Centralia in the consolation semifinals on Thursday.

Wells finished the night with eight points in his first game back after being sidelined with an injury. He added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a team-high three blocks.

Malakai Graves added eight points with a 3-pointer in the second quarter to keep his team in the game. The senior also pulled down four rebounds, made one steal, and dished out two assists.

Freshman Payton Oeth, who has earned a position in the starting lineup, scored eight points, including a reverse layup in the fourth quarter to give Fayette an early one-point lead. He followed it up 20 seconds later with a steal, which he then turned into a layup.

Friebe led the Falcons with six steals on the night and scored four points with three rebounds and three assists.

Overall, Fayette made eight of 11 shots from the line. Linn converted four of five in limited opportunities.

The Falcons fell 70-39 in the first round to top-seeded Fulton, which eventually won the tournament. Fayette then lost to fifth-seeded Centralia, 57-39, in the consolation semifinals.

Fayette returned to the court with a Lewis & Clark Conference game at state-ranked Salisbury on Monday, losing 69-27. The Falcons’ final home game of the season was scheduled for Tuesday against state-ranked Westran after the Advertiser had gone to press.

The Falcons close out the season with a four-game road trip starting with a conference bout Monday, February 6, in Paris.