FAIRVIEW — As Lizzie Garrison walked off the floor shortly following Fairview’s 52-48 win over Holly Pond, she couldn’t help but soak up the scene with those around her.

The junior sported a million-dollar smile, Taylor Ann Yeager and Jada Golden shared a hug that resembled two best friends having the time of their lives and even coach Mary Hartline seemed on the verge of tears.

And why not?

The Aggies built an eight-point lead late in the fourth quarter, survived the Broncos’ final assault and held on to down their county rivals for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

Icing on the cake? It was Joe Shults Night.

Garrison, who’s seen her share of ups and downs during her time with the varsity squad, was almost at a loss of words after the victory.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s really emotional for me, because I do not think we’ve beaten them since middle school or earlier than that. For us, it’s nice to know we can finish games and play like a team. This is really awesome.”

Added Hartline: “This is huge for us. We knew we had the potential to beat some strong teams. They’re No. 1 in the county. They’ve just been to two state finals. It’s a huge deal. I’m so proud of the girls. We’re still young, so these type of games always seem to happen. I really can’t describe how happy I am.”

The two teams traded blows through the first three frames before two treys by Yeager and Garrison extended the Purple and Gold’s advantage to five points entering the final stanza.

Scott Adams’ squad wasn’t done, though.

Down 48-40, the Broncos made their move. Kaitlyn Stephens sank two free throws, Meg Gambrill swished a 3-point shot and Melissa Clingman connected on a layup to cut their deficit to just three. Stephens was then flagrantly fouled on the ensuing possession and made another free throw to trim Fairview’s lead to two.

However, the Aggies forced a turnover and Garrison drilled two clutch shots from the charity stripe to make it a four-point game with just eight seconds on the clock.

Game over.

Ice water in her veins.

“I just blocked out everything and everyone around me,” Garrison said. “Just me, the ball and the goal. I knew I’d make them, too. You’ve got to have confidence in yourself in those spots.”

Abbi Taylor was a star for the Purple and Gold, collecting 17 points and hauling down 14 rebounds. Yeager (10 points), Ashley Latham (eight), Garrison (seven), and Golden and Dalys Mullican (five each) rounded out the scoring on the night.

Gambrill tabbed a team-high 15 points for the Lady Broncos, who made just 7 of 34 attempts from behind the arc. Stephens (13), Horton (10) and Clingman (seven) also scored. Abby Gambrill drained a 3 for the Class 3A No. 10 Green and White, which fell to 14-8 on the season.

Fairview (10-13) defeated its second ranked team in a week after taking care of 5A No. 8 Lawrence County last Friday.

“I think we’re playing the best basketball we’ve played so far this year,” Hartline said. “This is the time to start doing that.”

With county and area tournaments right around the corner, Garrison couldn’t agree with her coach more.

“We’re ready to take it all,” she said. “We want to go all the way in county and area.”

Varsity Boys

% Holly Pond 73, Fairview 47: The 3A No. 1 Broncos played the part on Thursday night, opening up a 32-9 first-quarter lead en route to a ho-hum victory over the Aggies.

Holly Pond (18-3) received double-digit contributions from Austin Smith (13), Bailey Smith (12), Nathan Duke (11) and Drew Jones (11). Pressure, pressure and more pressure resulted in several Fairview turnovers early in the contest, essentially putting any hope of winning out of reach.

“I told our guys that I was proud of how they came out and played with all this activity going on tonight,” coach Mitch Morris said. “It could have been distracting, but we didn’t let it get to us. We were sharp.”

While there was a game to be to decided, both Morris and Aggies’ coach Kurt Knight were thrilled with the turnout inside Joe Shults Gymnasium to honor the Cullman County legend. The Purple and Gold wore red socks to pay homage to the late Shults in the matchup.

“He was a staple of the community for many, many years,” Morris said. “My dad, uncle and older cousins played against him. I know exactly who he is. Just a great individual.”

Added Knight, who donned a red tie in remembrance of Shultz: “It’s really wonderful to give back to somebody that means just everything to people around here. We gave everything we had for them tonight. I was proud of how we got after it. Holly Pond’s got a really great team.”

Other Bronco contributors were Cody Jones and Matt Cahoon, seven points each; Landen Walker, five; Dylan Basenburg, four; Jed Hardman, two; and John Phillips, one.

Austin Fletcher poured in 14 points for Fairview, while Tyler Yearwood nabbed 10 points and 10 rebounds. Dylan Smith (seven points), Kyle Knop (five), Jackson Smith (four), Austin Harris (three); and Seth Lancaster and Caleb Chambers (two each) rounded out the scoring for the Aggies.