The Fayette boys took a big step on Friday night, winning this season’s Central State 8 debut in a hard-fought game against Linn on Homecoming. It also marked Fayette’s first win in front of hometown fans this year. And it couldn’t have come on a more festive night as the Falcons celebrated Courtwarming before a boisterous crowd.

The game started early due to bitterly cold temperatures and extreme winter weather forecasted for the weekend. But the cold didn’t dampen the spirits of those who made it to the Falcons’ gym. Fayette coach Brandon Friebe said the rowdy fans helped spur his team to victory.

“You have people in the stands who are encouraging these guys, and their energy is high. They hear the roar of the crowd when something good happens, and it amps them up,” Friebe said. “The student section was fun tonight. I give them a lot of credit for showing up and helping our guys push through the mistakes. The crowd was great tonight. We are thankful for everyone who was here. They certainly added an atmosphere that was fun to play in tonight.”

The Fayette girls set the tone in the early game with an 18-point win. Keeping the spirit alive, the Falcon boys won the tipoff and quickly jumped out to a 9-2 run in just under three minutes. They ratcheted their lead up to double digits late in the opening quarter, but Linn found its footing, scoring the final seven points of the period, including a 3-point buzzer beater by Nash Tyree, to cut the margin to just three points.

“Our full court defense lapsed,” Friebe recalled. “We didn’t rotate to the weak side. When the ball got reversed, our guys were out of position. We hang our hat on being a high-pressure team, defensively. Tonight, we had to get back and play defense in the half-court.”

Both teams traded blows throughout the second quarter, with the Wildcats tying the game twice. Fayette finally regained the lead on a bucket by sophomore Blake Braden in a highly welcomed return after a lengthy bout of illness.

“Before he got sick, he’d been playing some of his best basketball all year,” Friebe explained. “He had limited minutes tonight to get him back into the flow of things and make sure he was truly healthy. He did a fantastic job of coming off the bench, and it didn’t bother him at all. He was a source of energy for us when we needed a spark. We’re grateful that he’s back in the fray with us.”

Braden finished the night with 12 points, one of four Falcons to score in double figures. His go-ahead basket with 43 seconds left in the first half would put Fayette in front for good as the Falcons took a 36-30 lead into halftime.

Fayette has a track record of coming out flat in the third quarter. Those lapses have cost the Falcons in close games all season. Friebe was cognizant of that fact during the mid-game break.

“At halftime, we reminded them that historically, we’re not a great third-quarter team. They came out in the third quarter, and their energy was good.”

Fayette scored three quick points coming out of halftime, but then gave up five, allowing the Wildcats to whittle the lead back down to four points.

“Give credit to Linn. They came out and punched us in the mouth a little bit,” Friebe said. “During a timeout, we talked about how we needed to clean things up and to stop playing not to lose. I think that’s when we flipped that switch and came out defensively and had some big stops. I give a lot of credit to our guards who found Payton [Oeth] in that stretch.”

Fayette answered with eight straight points in less than a minute, scored by four different players. The Falcons outscored Linn 19-12 in the third period, breaking their third-quarter curse and taking a 55-42 lead into the final quarter.

Despite going 2-for-7 from the line in the fourth quarter, the Falcons fended off a late surge from Linn to win just their second game of the year, 56-46.

“The reality is, we did a lot of things we still need to clean up. The sign of a team that’s getting better is a team that can play imperfectly and still figure out a way to win. That’s what this team has struggled with at times,” Friebe said. “We by no means played a perfect game, but I feel our guys did one important thing tonight that they haven’t done before. That was keeping their chin up and focusing on the next play. It was overcoming adversity.”

Senior Payton Oeth, who, moments after the game was crowned Courtwarming King, led his team with 18 points after Friebe challenged him to have a big night in the paint. He responded with a double-double against a tall Linn front court.

“He played a heck of a game tonight. We’ve been asking him to be more physical. To take the game to his opponents. Tonight he did that,” Friebe said.

Junior Colten Cross tallied 15 points, driving in and drawing fouls and sinking nine of 14 shots from the free-throw line.

“There are very few players who are better at getting to the basket,” said Friebe about his starting point guard. “He does a fantastic job. Right now, we’re just trying to get him to finish a little stronger. Regardless, he is still one of the best players on the floor and something that keeps our pulse stable.”

Senior Charles Alexander sank one of the team’s two 3-point baskets to round out four scorers in double-figures with 12 points. He also converted three of four attempts from the line.

“I’m so proud of him. He’s getting to the point where he’s making adjustments in game without having to be coached to do it,” Friebe said. “His basketball IQ right now is really, really good. Everybody is starting to see what kind of a player he can be. He’s a good shooter, but when he’s at his best, is when he’s distributing the basketball. Tonight, he was really the calming force for us when we needed to pull the ball out and run some clock. I’m so proud of how he’s grown as a player.”

For Linn, Gus Peters led all scorers with 25 points, 17 of which came in the second half.

Fayette and Linn are developing somewhat of a rivalry in the young conference. Fayette holds a 4-1 record over Linn dating back to 2018 and beat the Wildcats twice last season, once in regular-season play and once in the Harrisburg Tournament.

Both teams have struggled to find the win column after playing competitively this season. Fayette is now 2-12 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Linn opens CS8 play 0-1 and 3-12.

Both teams entered the Harrisburg Tournament this week. Fayette drew the eighth seed and was set to face Class 4 behemoth Blair Oaks in the first round Tuesday night after the Advertiser had gone to press. Linn was seeded seventh, scheduled to play second-seeded Hallsville.

“Our goal every time we enter the gym is to get one percent better. That doesn’t change with Blair Oaks,” Friebe said about next week’s gauntlet. “We know they’re a Goliath of a team. Our goal is to go out and be competitive and win two games in that tournament.”

Following their third tournament week of the season, the Falcons return home on Feb. 2 to kick off the final stretch of the regular season against longtime rival Salisbury.