Basketball Recap: Kaylah Thornton Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Lakota West

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Fairmont had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They took down Lakota West 50-36. Given Fairmont's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 18th, while Lakota West is ranked 102nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Kaylah Thornton

Steals

02/22/25 vs Lakota West	6
02/18/25 vs Beavercreek	2
02/12/25 @ Kings	7
02/08/25 @ Miamisburg	4
02/05/25 vs Springfield	3
+ 15 more games

Fairmont's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaylah Thornton, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds. Thornton is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last 20 games she's played. Janiyah Hargrave was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 14 points and nine boards.

Fairmont smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive matches.

Fairmont's victory bumped their record up to 22-2. As for Lakota West, their loss dropped their record down to 14-10.

Looking ahead, Fairmont will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Princeton at 5:00 p.m. Fairmont is on a five-game streak of home wins, Princeton a five-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the court. Lakota West does not have any more games scheduled as of now.