Fairmont’s Ayden Cummings (3) drives towards the basket during Tuesday’s Robeson County Shootout first-round game against Dillon in Fairmont.
Fairmont’s Miah Smith (10) dribbles during Tuesday’s Robeson County Shootout first-round game against Dillon in Fairmont.
Fairmont’s Landon Cummings (10) dribbles past Dillon’s Jamarion Fling (2) during Tuesday’s Robeson County Shootout first-round game in Fairmont.
Fairmont’s Jaliyah Stephens (20) dribbles past Dillon’s Azyriah Ford (12) during Tuesday’s Robeson County Shootout first-round game in Fairmont.
FAIRMONT — The Fairmont boys basketball team may be the defending champions of the Robeson County Shootout, but that didn’t mean the Golden Tornadoes’ first-round matchup against Dillon Tuesday would be easy.
Fairmont had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to advance, beating the Wildcats 62-54, the Golden Tornadoes’ 11th straight first-round win in the Shootout.
Fairmont (5-2) will face Pinecrest in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Purnell Swett in a rematch of the 2023 Shootout championship game. Dillon (1-5) will face Purnell Swett in consolation-round play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fairmont.
Dillon led 43-37 going to the fourth quarter before Fairmont went on a 12-0 run; the Golden Tornadoes took a 44-43 lead when Caleb Daniels hit a 3 with 7:12 remaining, then completed their run with a Xavier Johnson basket at the 5:24 mark to go up 49-43.
The Wildcats cut the Fairmont lead to 54-52 with 2:02 left, but Fairmont answered with another run, an 8-0 stretch to go up 62-52 in the final seconds before a final Dillon basket.
Fairmont led 13-7 after the first quarter and 15-7 early in the second before a 12-0 Dillon run gave the Wildcats a 19-15 lead with 3:02 left in the half. Fairmont finished the half with a 12-4 run, taking a 26-23 lead on a Caleb Daniels triple just before the half expired.
Dillon outscored Fairmont 20-11 in the third quarter to take its 43-37 lead at the end of the period.
Daniels led Fairmont with 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Josiah Billings had 12 points with 21 rebounds and four blocks, Johnson had 11 points and seven rebounds, Xavion Pittman scored 11 points and Landon Cummings added seven points. Ayden Cummings had five assists and four steals.
Jamarion Fling scored 17 points with six rebounds for Dillon, Zamaurious Robertson had 10 points with six rebounds, Akeem Johnson scored nine points and Jazier Walker had eight points with seven rebounds.
Lady Tornadoes back in semifinals
The Fairmont girls basketball team opened its Robeson County Shootout title defense with a dominant first half en route to a 54-41 win over Dillon in Tuesday’s first round.
Fairmont (6-0) will face Pinecrest in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday at Purnell Swett. Dillon (5-1) will take on Purnell Swett in the consolation round at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Fairmont.
The Golden Tornadoes closed the first quarter on a 10-1 run to take an 18-6 lead after the period. Dillon used a 7-0 run to cut the Fairmont lead to 18-13, but Fairmont answered with a 9-0 run to take a 27-13 lead with 1:55 left in the first half, and two Golden Tornadoes baskets by Taniya Simms increased the lead to 31-15 at halftime.
Lyric McNair scored three straight baskets late in the third quarter for Fairmont to lead 44-22 going to the fourth.
Dillon cut the lead to 46-32 after a 10-0 run early in the fourth. Jaliyah Stephens scored four straight points for Fairmont to stretch the lead back to 18 with 2:02 remaining.
Simms scored 21 points with 17 rebounds and three assists to lead Fairmont. Stephens had 13 points for the Golden Tornadoes and McNair had eight points, five rebounds and four steals.
Treasure Davis led Dillon with 15 points and eight rebounds, Khwnylani McKinnon had 14 points and seven rebounds and Ayonna Lester had seven points and six rebounds.
