Sophomore Braxston Koehl puts up the winning shot in the West Frankfort Redbirds 55-52 defeat of the Fairfield Mules on Friday in Eldorado.

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The ability to dig out of things comes in handy these days. The West Frankfort Redbirds proved themselves adept at digging out of a huge hole Friday morning. Sophomore Braxston Koehl’s desperation 3-point  heave with no time remaining gave the West Frankfort Redbirds a 55-52 win  over the Fairfield Mules. The game was the opening game for the Redbirds in the 2012  Eldorado Holiday Tournament.

It was all Fairfield in the first half. The Mules took advantage of an anemic West Frankfort offense in building an 11-point first quarter lead. By half-time, the Mules led 27-16.

Senior Trenton Easley prepares for a fourth quarter drive toward the basket.

But, by the end of the third quarter the “Birds had cut the double digit lead to 37-35 and had momentum on their side entering the final eight minutes of regulation. Zack Fort was 3 of 3 behind the arc and added a field goal as well with an 11-point third quarter outburst to lead the comeback.

In the final quarter, both teams had leads and chances to put the game away. The final two minutes were hectic for both teams. Koehl’s 3-point shot tied the game at 8 with 2:12 left to play. Senior Trenton Easley’s acrobatic reverse lay-up gave the Redbirds a 52-50 lead with 1:44 left.

Redbird cheerleaders pump up the crowd in between the first and second quarters of Friday’s game.

After mistakes by both teams, Fairfield added a bucket with 3.8 seconds remaining that seemed to send the game into overtime.

However, the Redbirds inbounded the ball, putting it into the hands of Koehl. He crossed the half-line and let go of a shot between the half-line and the three-point arc. It went through the net as time expired to cap off the comeback win.

Koehl was mobbed by teammates and cheered by West Frankfort fans sitting directly behind the winning goal. at Duff Kingston Gymnasium.

The team mobs Braxston Koehl after his game-winning shot.

Scoring for West Frankfort: Fort 15, Easley, 14.Koehl, 11, Keller 6, Dunning , Korolenko 4.The Redbirds were out-rebounded 31-26 by Fairfield. Dan Dewerff’s club was 12 of 21 from the free-throw line. West Frankfort was called for 16 turnovers on the game.