The Fayette Lady Falcons fell to Linn for the second time in a week, this time 63-40, for third place in the Harrisburg Tournament on Saturday.

Despite battling, illness stopped or greatly limited several Falcon players. Like many schools in the area, Fayette has been hit by the flu bug.

Linn forced several Fayette turnovers in the early part of the first quarter, but the Lady Falcons came back, scoring the final eight points of the period to come within two points, 16-14.

“It’s been a fun but challenging week. We’ve had a lot of kids in and out of practice, but our other kids stepped up, and I’m proud of how they fought against a tough opponent,” said Fayette coach Rachel Harding.

Linn regrouped at the quarter break and went on a 10-0 run, leading to a 33-19 advantage at the half.

The Lady Falcons came out strong in the third period, outscoring Linn 9-7. The final minutes again went to Linn, as they went on an 8-0 run, extending their lead to 51-29. Fayette played close to even with Linn in the final quarter but ultimately fell 63-40.

“Linn did a good job of turning us over, and we need to get better at transitioning,” Harding said. “We’ve got another hard week ahead. Hopefully, we feel better and come to compete against more good competition.”

Senior Oakleigh Hill led Fayette with 11 points, earning her a place on the All-Tournament Team. Freshman Eastin Hill added 10. Sophomore Paige Vroman was another bright spot, scoring eight points. All three players made two 3-pointers on the night.

Fayette, now 8-10 overall, traveled to former longtime Lewis & Clark rival Salisbury on Monday, falling 46-30. On Tuesday, the Falcons returned to Central State 8 Conference action at home against Russellville (10-9) after the Advertiser had gone to press. They stay home on Friday to host CS8 foe Eugene for the annual Courtwarming game.