Wildcats rise in rankings, 14th straight
February 8, 2022 at 9:08 p.m.
Wildcats rise in rankings, 14th straight
By Will Fehlinger-
The Tigers were held scoreless for the first 4:21 of the game until a 3-pointer by Gabe Warvel. Meanwhile, the Cats began imposing their will almost from the opening tip. FC pivot JD Stokes scored the first five points of the contest on a traditional 3-point play and another field goal off a Brant Ertel assist. The next two possessions brought a bucket for Ertel (Bridger Bolos dime) and an inbound lob from Bolos to Chad Cox for two. At 9-0, Hagerstown needed a respite.
Things didn't improve much from the hosts' standpoint. The Tigers cut it to 10-5 before Stokes found Bolos in transition and, following another steal, Cox rose for a dunk to put FC up nine again. Cox dished to Bolos for a 3-pointer in the final minute of the opening quarter and freshman Kaagen Kendall answered at the horn from distance to make it 17-10.
By halftime, FC had extended its lead to 30-17. Early in the second frame, Cox thrilled the visiting fanbase by going baseline and throwing one down. The senior then passed to teammate Eli Butt for a 3-point shot at 6:12 of the half.
A steal/hoop by Warvel sliced the FC advantage to 24-12 and a bucket for Mason Romack got Hagerstown the closest they'd be the rest of the time (28-17). Ertel found Stokes for a field goal in the final 10 seconds to answer.
Carter Jenkins opened second-half scoring to get the Tigers within 30-19. The Wildcats then made their next push as Bolos dumped one to Ertel, who proceeded to polish off a 3-point play. Bolos took a steal in for two more and HHS called timeout at 5:39.
Kadence Roman got three the old-fashioned way to make it 35-22, but over the course of the final 12-plus minutes, FC would double its offensive output for the 32-point rout.
Bolos connected with junior Jace Lee for a deuce and Ertel hit his lone three of the game to put FC up 40-22. Late in the third, Butt buried his second trey off an inbound pass and Ertel drained a shot from the elbow. With time running out, senior Austin Hill tipped in a Bolos miss and the lead was a commanding 23.
The Wildcat offense was a bit sluggish coming out in the fourth but that changed with just under six minutes left. Ertel took a Cox pass in for the and-one, his free throw making it 51-30. Ertel followed with four straight free throws.
A Bolos corner three made it 58-31 and he passed to Hill for two on the next trip down. Cox, inching closer to the FC career scoring record, put in the Wildcats' next six points. He attempted to break the mark – needing eight tallies – Tuesday at Ross, Ohio (result not available at press time).
Ertel had a game-high 17 points and Cox and Bolos added 15 and 10, respectively. Jenkins led HHS with 9.
FC #14 will visit Greenfield-Central Friday ahead of Saturday night's senior night against Central Christian Academy of Indianapolis.
Scoring
FC (14-2) – Stokes 8, Ertel 17 (3), Cox 15, Hill 6, Butt 8 (2 3s), Bolos 10 (2 3s), Lee 4, Tanner Weartz 2
H (6-11) – Warvel 7 (3), Kendall 8 (3), Jenkins 9, Romack 3 (3), Roman 5, Cole Tracy 2, Joey Auker 3, Braydon Favorite 1
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
The Tigers were held scoreless for the first 4:21 of the game until a 3-pointer by Gabe Warvel. Meanwhile, the Cats began imposing their will almost from the opening tip. FC pivot JD Stokes scored the first five points of the contest on a traditional 3-point play and another field goal off a Brant Ertel assist. The next two possessions brought a bucket for Ertel (Bridger Bolos dime) and an inbound lob from Bolos to Chad Cox for two. At 9-0, Hagerstown needed a respite.
Things didn't improve much from the hosts' standpoint. The Tigers cut it to 10-5 before Stokes found Bolos in transition and, following another steal, Cox rose for a dunk to put FC up nine again. Cox dished to Bolos for a 3-pointer in the final minute of the opening quarter and freshman Kaagen Kendall answered at the horn from distance to make it 17-10.
By halftime, FC had extended its lead to 30-17. Early in the second frame, Cox thrilled the visiting fanbase by going baseline and throwing one down. The senior then passed to teammate Eli Butt for a 3-point shot at 6:12 of the half.
A steal/hoop by Warvel sliced the FC advantage to 24-12 and a bucket for Mason Romack got Hagerstown the closest they'd be the rest of the time (28-17). Ertel found Stokes for a field goal in the final 10 seconds to answer.
Carter Jenkins opened second-half scoring to get the Tigers within 30-19. The Wildcats then made their next push as Bolos dumped one to Ertel, who proceeded to polish off a 3-point play. Bolos took a steal in for two more and HHS called timeout at 5:39.
Kadence Roman got three the old-fashioned way to make it 35-22, but over the course of the final 12-plus minutes, FC would double its offensive output for the 32-point rout.
Bolos connected with junior Jace Lee for a deuce and Ertel hit his lone three of the game to put FC up 40-22. Late in the third, Butt buried his second trey off an inbound pass and Ertel drained a shot from the elbow. With time running out, senior Austin Hill tipped in a Bolos miss and the lead was a commanding 23.
The Wildcat offense was a bit sluggish coming out in the fourth but that changed with just under six minutes left. Ertel took a Cox pass in for the and-one, his free throw making it 51-30. Ertel followed with four straight free throws.
A Bolos corner three made it 58-31 and he passed to Hill for two on the next trip down. Cox, inching closer to the FC career scoring record, put in the Wildcats' next six points. He attempted to break the mark – needing eight tallies – Tuesday at Ross, Ohio (result not available at press time).
Ertel had a game-high 17 points and Cox and Bolos added 15 and 10, respectively. Jenkins led HHS with 9.
FC #14 will visit Greenfield-Central Friday ahead of Saturday night's senior night against Central Christian Academy of Indianapolis.
Scoring
FC (14-2) – Stokes 8, Ertel 17 (3), Cox 15, Hill 6, Butt 8 (2 3s), Bolos 10 (2 3s), Lee 4, Tanner Weartz 2
H (6-11) – Warvel 7 (3), Kendall 8 (3), Jenkins 9, Romack 3 (3), Roman 5, Cole Tracy 2, Joey Auker 3, Braydon Favorite 1
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092