Cats dominate Franklin County tourney, set school mark
December 28, 2021 at 10:29 p.m.
Cats dominate Franklin County tourney, set school mark
By Will Fehlinger-
According to athletic director Denny Dorrel, the two games that fell the Wildcats' way at the 2021 holiday tournament capped the first six-game winning streak in school history. This tops five-game rallies, the latest that came early in the 2005-06 and 2015-16 seasons.
The host team put three players on the all-tournament team, including the most valuable player in senior Chad Cox, and had little trouble with Seton Catholic in the morning (66-50) and Hamilton Heights in the championship (68-52).
Fiery shooting led FC to the title as the Wildcats canned 16 triples on the day, led by eight and six out of the respective hands of all-tourney members Brant Ertel and Bridger Bolos. Ertel and Cox paced the Cats in rebounding while Bolos collected 13 assists and 5 steals at the tourney.
Championship
A 3-point play for all-tourney choice Luke Carroll had Heights within 23-21 midway through the second period. But by halftime, FC had stretched its lead to 40-25 with a powerful 17-4 run.
Bolos found junior Jace Lee in the corner for three and later hit a mid-range jumper. Cox finished the next two FC possessions with a pair of dunks and when Lee passed to Ertel for a side 3-ball, Huskie head coach Chad Ballenger needed a full timeout at 35-23.
In the last minute, Cox added fast break points and assisted Ertel on another bomb. The senior went into the locker room having bagged 19 first-half tallies.
The Wildcats stayed hot as the second half unfolded. Bolos fed fellow senior JD Stokes for a bucket and a Cox-Lee combo made it 44-27. Lee then led Stokes for two and Cox earned an assist to Lee to give FC its biggest advantage at 48-30. Later in the frame, Cox scored in transition before finding Bolos behind the arc twice in succession for a commanding 58-36 spread. The lead was 18 going into the fourth.
Mark Foster's men didn't let up with eight minutes remaining. Lee drove in for two and a loose-ball field goal by Ertel, followed shortly by a Stokes slam, kept the margin north of 20 points. Late in the game, Cox scored in the lane and Ertel's basket earned Bolos another assist.
FC got off to a sluggish start in the nightcap despite Stokes' six early points making it 6-4. Hamilton Heights went on an 8-0 run; Isaac Tuma hit a three and Carroll finished off a break. Foster had seen enough and called time to let his charges know it.
Cox took charge with FC's next six points as Heights led 16-12 after the first frame. Cox then buried his lone 3 of the day and gave FC the lead off a pass from Austin Hill. Bolos quickly converted a steal to make it 19-16. Cox hit a long two at 4:49 and Bolos' two foul shots briefly put the lead at 23-18.
The unselfish second half by Cox still had him leading all scorers with 23; Stokes and Bolos each netted 12 and Ertel put in 10. Carroll scored 19 for the Huskies while Tillman Etchison added 16.
FC welcomed Muncie Central Tuesday (result not available at press time) before a 10-day hiatus ends with a trip to Union County Jan. 7.
Scoring
FC (6-2) – Ertel 10 (2 3s), Bolos 12 (2 3s), Cox 23 (3), Stokes 12, Lee 9 (3), Hill 2
HH (3-5) – Carroll 19 (2 3s), Etchison 16 (3), Tuma 8 (3), Maddox Bohland 2, Braden Kinder 4, Evan Williamson 3 (3)
1st Round
The Wildcats never trailed in the tournament opener, only seeing the Seton Catholic Cardinals out of Richmond come within a couple possessions in the first half.
It was 6-0 within the opening two minutes as Bolos drained a 3-pointer and Cox swept in for a deuce. Stokes traded field goals with Tristian Washington ahead of another quick 6-0 flurry by the hosts. Stokes hit a follow-up basket between a 12-footer and putback by Cox. After a Washington three, SC coach Josh Jurgens asked for time.
Mason Harvey, a 6-foot-7-inch Cardinal sophomore who represented Seton on the all-tourney team, stepped out for a 3 to make it 14-10. In seconds, the lead was back to seven as a Cox to Lee to Stokes combination netted two and JD's successful foul toss. This sparked a 7-0 FC run as Cox fed Hill for a left-hand layup and Bolos assisted Cox on an inbound play.
At 21-10, Seton responded with a 7-point spurt of their own as the second quarter got underway; Harvey scored twice, and Dorian Hill pointed in transition. Bolos answered with a corner triple in front of two Harvey free throws.
This was essentially SC's last stand at 24-19 as a Cox bucket and Bolos' kickout three from junior Tanner Weartz produced another double-digit cushion. In a matter of about 70 seconds, Ertel caught fire with a trio of 3-pointers with Weartz assisting on the second. The lead was 38-23 with 3:21 left in the half. Late in the stanza, Ertel found Bolos for another trey and 41-25 halftime lead.
Cox scored in transition to open the new half. At 43-29, the Wildcats quieted all doubt with a 13-4 sequence. Stokes bucketed in the lane, then passed out of the paint for an Ertel 3-pointer. Ertel buried threes on FC's next two half-court possessions, the second on a Hill assist. They sandwiched a Cox hoop fast-break style. With 3:15 still left in the third, the scoreboard read 56-31.
Seton did go on a 12-point run as four different Cards scored. An inbound play to Cox stopped the streak and the FC leader soon dropped in four more for the Cats. Bolos and Lee gave the hosts their final points of the morning bout.
Cox had a game-high 20 points, with Ertel (18), Bolos (14) and Stokes (10) also in double figures. Harvey scored 14 for SC and Braiden Hogg added 12.
Scoring
SC (7-3) – Hogg 12, Harvey 14 (3), Hill 8, Washington 7 (3), Elijah Falcone 6 (2 3s), Andrew Warner 3 (3)
FC (5-2) – Cox 20, Hill 2, Lee 2, Ertel 18 (6 3s), Bolos 14 (4 3s), Stokes 10
Hamilton Hts 53, Triton Central 42
The Huskies won the second game of the slate, getting by Triton Central. Carroll had a monster game with 23 points and 15 boards while Tuma added 15 points. Josh Kemper of TC earned all-tourney. Seton edged Triton 51-50 in the consolation game.
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
According to athletic director Denny Dorrel, the two games that fell the Wildcats' way at the 2021 holiday tournament capped the first six-game winning streak in school history. This tops five-game rallies, the latest that came early in the 2005-06 and 2015-16 seasons.
The host team put three players on the all-tournament team, including the most valuable player in senior Chad Cox, and had little trouble with Seton Catholic in the morning (66-50) and Hamilton Heights in the championship (68-52).
Fiery shooting led FC to the title as the Wildcats canned 16 triples on the day, led by eight and six out of the respective hands of all-tourney members Brant Ertel and Bridger Bolos. Ertel and Cox paced the Cats in rebounding while Bolos collected 13 assists and 5 steals at the tourney.
Championship
A 3-point play for all-tourney choice Luke Carroll had Heights within 23-21 midway through the second period. But by halftime, FC had stretched its lead to 40-25 with a powerful 17-4 run.
Bolos found junior Jace Lee in the corner for three and later hit a mid-range jumper. Cox finished the next two FC possessions with a pair of dunks and when Lee passed to Ertel for a side 3-ball, Huskie head coach Chad Ballenger needed a full timeout at 35-23.
In the last minute, Cox added fast break points and assisted Ertel on another bomb. The senior went into the locker room having bagged 19 first-half tallies.
The Wildcats stayed hot as the second half unfolded. Bolos fed fellow senior JD Stokes for a bucket and a Cox-Lee combo made it 44-27. Lee then led Stokes for two and Cox earned an assist to Lee to give FC its biggest advantage at 48-30. Later in the frame, Cox scored in transition before finding Bolos behind the arc twice in succession for a commanding 58-36 spread. The lead was 18 going into the fourth.
Mark Foster's men didn't let up with eight minutes remaining. Lee drove in for two and a loose-ball field goal by Ertel, followed shortly by a Stokes slam, kept the margin north of 20 points. Late in the game, Cox scored in the lane and Ertel's basket earned Bolos another assist.
FC got off to a sluggish start in the nightcap despite Stokes' six early points making it 6-4. Hamilton Heights went on an 8-0 run; Isaac Tuma hit a three and Carroll finished off a break. Foster had seen enough and called time to let his charges know it.
Cox took charge with FC's next six points as Heights led 16-12 after the first frame. Cox then buried his lone 3 of the day and gave FC the lead off a pass from Austin Hill. Bolos quickly converted a steal to make it 19-16. Cox hit a long two at 4:49 and Bolos' two foul shots briefly put the lead at 23-18.
The unselfish second half by Cox still had him leading all scorers with 23; Stokes and Bolos each netted 12 and Ertel put in 10. Carroll scored 19 for the Huskies while Tillman Etchison added 16.
FC welcomed Muncie Central Tuesday (result not available at press time) before a 10-day hiatus ends with a trip to Union County Jan. 7.
Scoring
FC (6-2) – Ertel 10 (2 3s), Bolos 12 (2 3s), Cox 23 (3), Stokes 12, Lee 9 (3), Hill 2
HH (3-5) – Carroll 19 (2 3s), Etchison 16 (3), Tuma 8 (3), Maddox Bohland 2, Braden Kinder 4, Evan Williamson 3 (3)
1st Round
The Wildcats never trailed in the tournament opener, only seeing the Seton Catholic Cardinals out of Richmond come within a couple possessions in the first half.
It was 6-0 within the opening two minutes as Bolos drained a 3-pointer and Cox swept in for a deuce. Stokes traded field goals with Tristian Washington ahead of another quick 6-0 flurry by the hosts. Stokes hit a follow-up basket between a 12-footer and putback by Cox. After a Washington three, SC coach Josh Jurgens asked for time.
Mason Harvey, a 6-foot-7-inch Cardinal sophomore who represented Seton on the all-tourney team, stepped out for a 3 to make it 14-10. In seconds, the lead was back to seven as a Cox to Lee to Stokes combination netted two and JD's successful foul toss. This sparked a 7-0 FC run as Cox fed Hill for a left-hand layup and Bolos assisted Cox on an inbound play.
At 21-10, Seton responded with a 7-point spurt of their own as the second quarter got underway; Harvey scored twice, and Dorian Hill pointed in transition. Bolos answered with a corner triple in front of two Harvey free throws.
This was essentially SC's last stand at 24-19 as a Cox bucket and Bolos' kickout three from junior Tanner Weartz produced another double-digit cushion. In a matter of about 70 seconds, Ertel caught fire with a trio of 3-pointers with Weartz assisting on the second. The lead was 38-23 with 3:21 left in the half. Late in the stanza, Ertel found Bolos for another trey and 41-25 halftime lead.
Cox scored in transition to open the new half. At 43-29, the Wildcats quieted all doubt with a 13-4 sequence. Stokes bucketed in the lane, then passed out of the paint for an Ertel 3-pointer. Ertel buried threes on FC's next two half-court possessions, the second on a Hill assist. They sandwiched a Cox hoop fast-break style. With 3:15 still left in the third, the scoreboard read 56-31.
Seton did go on a 12-point run as four different Cards scored. An inbound play to Cox stopped the streak and the FC leader soon dropped in four more for the Cats. Bolos and Lee gave the hosts their final points of the morning bout.
Cox had a game-high 20 points, with Ertel (18), Bolos (14) and Stokes (10) also in double figures. Harvey scored 14 for SC and Braiden Hogg added 12.
Scoring
SC (7-3) – Hogg 12, Harvey 14 (3), Hill 8, Washington 7 (3), Elijah Falcone 6 (2 3s), Andrew Warner 3 (3)
FC (5-2) – Cox 20, Hill 2, Lee 2, Ertel 18 (6 3s), Bolos 14 (4 3s), Stokes 10
Hamilton Hts 53, Triton Central 42
The Huskies won the second game of the slate, getting by Triton Central. Carroll had a monster game with 23 points and 15 boards while Tuma added 15 points. Josh Kemper of TC earned all-tourney. Seton edged Triton 51-50 in the consolation game.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092