McGill-Toolen 55, Fairhope 49: No. 4 Yellow Jackets sweat out road win

FAIRHOPE, Alabama - Rene Scott knocked down three of his four free throws while Paris Chambers hit two more in the final 47 seconds to help visiting No. 4 Class 7A McGill-Toolenleave Fairhope with a 55-49 victory Friday evening before a huge crowd.

"Our guys finished at the end when they had to and we hit some big free throws at the end of the game," said Yellow Jackets coach Phillip Murphy. "I love this team. They all work their tails off and it's just a fun group to be around. They do what you ask them to do and they play as hard as they can every time they are out on the court."
 
Charlie Ollis had 11 points to lead a balanced scoring effort for McGill (19-4, 2-1 Area 2). Nine different players produced points for the Jackets.

"It's that way every night," said Murphy. "It was a great team effort. We only have one player that's averaging in double figures and it's someone different that steps up every night."
 
For Fairhope (16-7, 0-4), it was another tough loss in the past four days after falling 40-39 to Spanish Fort on Tuesday evening at home. Andrew Miller led the Pirates with a game-high 12 points, while Jacob Champion, Philip Martin and Tevin Brownscored 10 points apiece.
 
The game was close throughout the entire contest. McGill led early 16-13 after the opening quarter and 29-23 at halftime but Fairhope had bounced back by the end of the third quarter to take a 42-39 lead. After a Brown 3-pointer, the Pirates led 47-41 with 5:47 left to play.
 
Just as quickly, the momentum shifted. McGill put together a 7-0 run to retake the lead at 48-47 with 4:09 left. Fairhope never managed to go ahead again.