The sixth-seeded Fayette Lady Falcons ended their season just under .500 at 13-14 overall after falling to third-seeded Marceline 55-32 in the first round of the Class 2 District 7 Tournament in Glasgow on Monday night.

It was the second time in a week that the two former conference rivals faced off. The first time Fayette was down a starter. On Monday, the Falcons were down two starters with the season on the line. Junior point guard Paige Vroman tore an ACL during the Harrisburg tournament at the end of January. On Feb. 17, senior guard Browyn Eubanks sustained a concussion in the final home game of the regular season against South Callaway. And while the Falcons came just two points shy of upsetting state-ranked Jamestown in the regular-season closer on Thursday, they just couldn’t find a way to stop Marceline on Monday.

“I think our girls battled really well against Jamestown. That game was fun. We moved the ball really well. Tonight I figured we would still be in the groove of things, and we were that first half,” said Fayette coach Rachel England.

In the first matchup against Marceline, Fayette played man-to-man defense. On Monday, Fayette played zone and held the Tigers’ leading scorer, sophomore Ella Moseley, to just six points in the first half.

“We tried to switch it up from the last time we played against them,” England said. “Tonight, we were primarily in zone. I think we handled it really well in the first half. But that third quarter really hurt us, offensively.”

Fayette made a good showing in the first half, trailing by just two points heading into the mid-game break. But Marceline dominated the second half to advance to the semifinals and send the Falcons packing.

Fayette opened the game fast, with sophomore Eastin Hill scoring a layup on the left side straight off the opening tip. After Tigers senior Emery Dodd answered with a 3-pointer, albeit two minutes later, Fayette added a transition layup by Hill to pull back in front as the teams battled through five lead changes in the first quarter. Marceline finished the period with a 7-2 run in the last 90 seconds, culminating with another three from Dodd near the top of the key with two seconds left, to win the first quarter 14-10.

The Tigers stayed in front, leading by as much as six points, but Fayette freshman Julia Young sank a jumper, sparking an 8-3 run through the end of the first half to pull within two points, 23-21, at halftime.

Coach England told her team at the break that Marceline was scared, and the plan was to dial up the pressure in the third quarter. “They already used three time-outs. Why not make him use two more with our defensive pressure? I knew we were going to start out with the ball, so as long as we scored that first possession and got a stop on the second one, they would be looking to call a time-out.”

It was a solid plan, but the shots weren’t falling. Neither team scored in the first two minutes until Marceline junior Sophie Lockwood ignited a Tigers run that would put them ahead by double digits by the end of the third period.

Fayette scored just four points in the third, all by Hill on a pair of free throws and the Falcons’ first field goal of the second half in the final minute of the third quarter.

“I think what hurts the most is that in the third quarter they were able to create a little separation,” England said. “We didn’t put up the numbers offensively that we wanted. Good teams like that take advantage of separation.”

And while Fayette was getting off plenty of shots, they simply weren’t dropping.

“We were getting good looks inside and outside, but they just weren’t falling,” said England. “That’s stuff we can’t always control. We talked in the huddles about focusing on what we can control and moving forward every possession.”

Things went from bad to worse for Fayette in the fourth quarter as Moseley found her rhythm, scoring 12 of her game-high 22 points in the final stanza.

“She’s only a sophomore, and she’s going to continue to get better. She’s very athletic and gets downhill really well. We just couldn’t defend her,” England said.

The Falcons, meanwhile, sank just two field goals in the last quarter. They had more chances at the line, but converted only three of 10 free throws. The Falcons struggled from the stripe, sinking eight of 20 free throws on the night.

Hill finished as the only Falcon in double figures with 16 points and made both of her free-throw attempts.

“Eastin had a great game. She played really solidly and confidently in her last game as a sophomore,” England said.

Young finished with six points, followed by junior Kennady Vroman with four.

The loss ends the careers of three Fayette seniors, Leah Thies, Eubanks, and Madison Ragain.

Thies was the only senior to play in the final game. Eubanks remained sidelined after suffering an injury in the final home game of the season, and Ragain did not play varsity, but was a constant source of energy on the bench.

“Maddie Raegan was an Energizer bunny on the bench for us. She’s fun to have. When she smiles, everybody smiles,” England said.

“Browyn was our defensive workhorse. She would always guard our opponents’ best players. She was always ready to put her nose down and get to work.

“We’re just so thankful that Leah decided to play this year. On senior night, she said she had no regrets about playing. And that’s all I could ask for. She had a couple of big games, especially that game against South Callaway. That was really her spark. I’m glad she decided to come back with us and had a good time.”

Fayette will return a strong cadre of underclassmen with varsity experience next year. Those include Hill and Rylan Roberts, who started all season as sophomores, along with Young and Kennady Vroman, who both moved off the bench into the starting rotation. Freshman Bergen Gregory also earned varsity time in the second half of the season.

“Obviously it wasn’t the season we wanted,” England said. “We faced a lot of adversity along the way. But I told them I think we’re already a step ahead of everyone else. If we keep our foot on the gas this summer and keep working toward November, I think we’re going to be good to go.”

Marceline now moves on to face another former Lewis & Clark Conference rival, Westran, in the semifinals tonight (Wednesday). The second-seeded Lady Hornets cruised to a 64-22 opening-round victory over seventh-seeded Slater.

In the opening game of the tournament, host team Glasgow, the fourth seed, survived an early defensive onslaught from fifth-seeded Salisbury to earn the Yellowjackets their 20th win of the season. They face top-seeded Harrisburg, who sat out Monday with a first-round bye, for a 6 p.m. tipoff in the semifinals. The winners will advance to the championship game on Friday night.