FAIRMONT — In three of the four quarters in Friday’s Red Springs at Fairmont varsity basketball game, the difference between the teams was one point.

But the second quarter belonged to Saquon Singletary and the Golden Tornadoes, leading Fairmont to a 63-50 win.

Singletary, a senior forward, scored 10 of his team-high 13 points in the second quarter as the Golden Tornadoes held a 22-10 advantage in the period.

“We just moved the ball well and found the open man,” Singletary said. “We knew we could stretch the court because their 2-3 (zone) was easy to get through, so we just found the shooters.”

Singletary hit the first basket of the quarter after Fairmont held a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and two more Singletary baskets, along with two 3-pointers by Syn’Cere Southern, helped Fairmont to a 26-21 lead.

The Golden Tornadoes then finished the half on an 8-0 run over the last 1:25, with Singletary scoring the first two baskets of the run. Fairmont led 34-21 at halftime.

“That was big for Saquan,” Fairmont coach Montrell McNair said. “He’s been hitting that shot all year long; that medium-range shot is his, all day long. Once he started hitting them, we had to keep finding him, because he’s going to knock them down.”

“They beat us on the boards, they had second and third opportunities at the basket,” Red Springs coach Glenn Patterson said. “Just that little spiel right there, the last 2:40 of the second quarter, we went south. No rebounding, and then the combination in there, the shots just didn’t fall.”

Singletary only scored three points outside of the second quarter, but those were also in a big spot. Fairmont led by 17 twice early in the fourth quarter, but Red Springs cut the lead to 10 with 1:17 to play. Singletary drove inside for a layup, which he made, and was fouled with 59 seconds to go; he finished the traditional 3-point play.

“I just went up strong, just wanted to get the point and push the score up some more,” Singletary said.

Southern also had a breakout game for Fairmont, finishing with 12 points.

“This is his second game in a long time,” McNair said. “I felt like he stepped up, just played his game. He played a little more relaxed tonight, and that’s what I want him to do, play more relaxed, under control, and he’s a better player that way.”

Savonte McKeithan scored 10 points for the Golden Tornadoes.

Red Springs’ Corell Love scored 16 points and Brian Foulks added 13.

“(Fairmont) played, they played their game,” Patterson said. “We just couldn’t hit shots. We executed, and that’s what I’m focusing on because the bulk of these guys are coming back next year, but we just didn’t hit open shots.”

Fairmont led 12-6 with 2:01 left in the first quarter on the strength of five early McKeithan points, but Red Springs scored the last five points of the quarter to pull to a 12-11 gap after the first stanza.

A Kristopher Oxendine triple for Red Springs tied the score at 14-14 early in the second before Fairmont’s Singletary-led run gave the Golden Tornadoes their 13-point halftime advantage. Fairmont earned that lead by playing loose and unselfishly.

“That was the discussion after the St. Pauls game, was playing well as a team, moving the basketball, getting everybody involved,” McNair said. “I felt like against St. Pauls we didn’t share the ball enough, and we didn’t play as a team like we should.”

Red Springs scored two baskets in the first 1:05 of the third quarter to pull to a 34-25 deficit, before Fairmont slowly increased its lead to 14 by the end of the quarter, with a Cedreke Smith 3-pointer with 8 seconds left making it 46-32 going to the fourth.

Fairmont led 51-34 and 53-36 in the middle stages of the fourth before Red Springs’ 10-3 spurt, which included four points from Foulks and a triple by Noah Chavis, made it 56-46 with 1:17 to go. After Singletary’s 3-point play, Fairmont also got baskets from McKeithan and Khalil Alford in the final minute.

The game, a nonconference game between two Three Rivers Conference members, was played with conference play looming; Red Springs begins conference play next Friday and Fairmont the following Tuesday.

“It’s big; we’re just trying to take each win at a time, each game,” Singletary said. “A lot of people were doubting us, that we can’t win, so we’re proving everybody wrong.”

“I think that we’re going to be OK in conference,” Patterson said. “I’m glad we had an opportunity to play these nonconference games and play St. Pauls and Fairmont. They should be battle-tested and ready for conference play.”

The girls game was not played due to COVID-19 protocols with the Red Springs team.

Fairmont plays Wednesday at Lumberton. Red Springs opens TRC play against South Columbus Friday at home.