The Fayette boys wrapped up a Harrisburg Tournament in what proved to be a brutal experience for the young Falcons.

Fayette, seeded at the bottom of the boys’ field, lost all three games by a collective 100 points, including a cruel loss to top-seeded Hallsville, 94-32, in the opening round.

Fayette left the tournament after a 77-59 loss to Class 4 Fulton in the seventh-place game on Friday. 

“This was a tough week playing so many higher-class schools,” said Fayette coach Jon Bishop. “I believe our guys learned a lot this week, and we did improve in some areas.”

Despite the losses, Fayette did have a few bright moments. Forward Carter Vroman earned his first career double-double against Class 3 Linn in the consolation semifinals Thursday night. The sophomore scored 10 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with an assist and a steal.

Fayette had other notable double-digit performances throughout the week. Kaleb Friebe scored 18 points against Linn in Thursday’s consolation semifinal, then paced the team with 19 points against Fulton. The junior had eight points in the opener against Hallsville, for a total of 45 points on the week. 

Payton Oeth emerged as the Falcons’ only double-digit scorer against Hallsville. The sophomore led the team with 11 points. He added 15 points, six rebounds, and two blocks against Fulton to finish with two double-digit performances on the week.

It’s no secret that Fayette is struggling again this season. The Falcons have picked up just two wins so far. The first was a nine-point decision over Lewis & Clark Conference rival Paris. The second was against a higher-seeded Community team for seventh place in the New Franklin Tournament.

The Falcons entered the final three weeks of the regular season with a hellish three-game stretch starting against No. 1-ranked Salisbury on Monday and continued at Westran on Tuesday. 

Salisbury’s 81-27 victory was another step in the Panthers’ quest for a second straight Class 2 state title. 

Fayette hopes to return to the win column Wednesday at home against a struggling North Callaway (4-14) team that has lost 10 of its last 11 games. It will be the Falcons’ third game in an exhausting three days. 

Fayette’s schedule becomes more reasonable for the last seven games of the regular season. Only two of those seven teams currently have winning records. The Falcons host rival Marceline—so far winless on the season at 0-14—for Courtwarming on Feb. 9. The final game of the season before the district tournament will be played at home against Jamestown, currently 1-13 overall.

The Class 2 District 7 Tournament commences on February 19 at Glasgow. Seedings and schedules are yet to be released.