Seniors lead Wildcats back into win column
February 16, 2022 at 7:40 p.m.
Seniors lead Wildcats back into win column
By Will Fehlinger-
Bridger Bolos, Chad Cox, Austin Hill and JD Stokes were front and center before the tip and each filled their usual roles as the Cats outlasted a 13-win Charger crew.
Apart from a 26-19 lead late in the first half on a pair of Brady Morehead free throws, FC didn't gain more than a two-possession advantage until the last five minutes of the game as CCA hung around.
Junior Brant Ertel scored all nine of his points in the final nine minutes-plus, including a tying kiss off the glass late in the third. With time running low, Cox gathered in a loose ball in the backcourt and hurried down the lane to beat the buzzer and make it 35-33.
An Ertel drive put the hosts up four as the fourth got underway. A Hill follow-up bucket with his off hand had FC up 39-35 under the 6-minute mark and started a key 8-0 run by the home team. Cox got to the hoop for two and the Chargers were forced to call one of their three fourth-quarter timeouts. At 42-35, Ertel kicked one out to sophomore Eli Butt for a triple and 10-point lead.
On another big possession, FC missed a pair of three-point attempts, but Ertel got the board and finished to make it 47-37. CCA got within five at 1:14, though elected not to foul as Ertel closed the night's scoring with a left-hand goal.
Stokes got the Cats on the board early with a pair of lay-ins. A 4-4 game, the Chargers proceeded to grab the lead and hold onto it for most of the first quarter. Led by their own seniors, CCA opened a 15-11 edge as Christian Woods (6-foot-5) and guards Christian Flowers and 6-6 Elijah Mattingly each hit triples. Cox scored seven straight toward FC's total, then laid one in to tie the game at 15 after a Bolos jumper.
Mattingly put CCA in front before Cox took a Jace Lee pass on a back cut for the slam dunk. After a Charger timeout, Butt landed a transition 3 for the 20-17 lead. With 2:42 left in the half, Cox swiped a ball at midcourt and slammed it home to make it 24-19. Back-to-back offensive fouls were whistled against the Cats, negating one Ertel basket.
Down by seven, the guests strung together the tying points with Mattingly adding two goals. The answer came in the form of Cox's 3-point play. Seconds later, Woods dunked in two ahead of Hill's rebound basket. Mattingly scored from distance and added a 2-point jump shot as CCA briefly led 33-31.
Cox's 22 led all scorers while Woods and Mattingly had 17 and 14, respectively, for the Chargers.
The much-anticipated FC-Connersville matchup is Friday at Spartan Bowl. CHS is 5-0 in the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference; a Spartan win would ensure at least a tie for the league title. FC would need to win and hope for another loss for both Connersville and Lawrenceburg in order to be co-champs.
Scoring
CCA (13-7) – Chambers 2, Mattingly 14 (2 3s), Flowers 9 (3), Woods 17 (3)
FC (16-3) – Bolos 2, Stokes 4, Ertel 9, Cox 22 (3), Hill 4, Butt 6 (2 3s), Morehead 2
Cox sets school mark in border win
ROSS, OHIO – With 5:07 remaining in the first half last Tuesday at the Ross Rams' gymnasium, a loud and protracted cheer could be heard from the visiting bleachers.
FC's Cox had just taken a pass from Ertel on the left wing and deposited himself into the FCHS record books with a 3-pointer that gave him 1,169 career points – one better than Class of 1998 graduate Wes Cox. Just before the start of the second half, the Rams' athletic director allowed Cox to pose for a picture with FC athletic director Denny Dorrel and head coach Mark Foster (see photo) while also presenting the FC senior with a game ball.
Cox was held scoreless in the opening frame but started the second quarter off right by taking a lob from Bolos and completing a 3-point play. Ahead 15-9, the Cats doubled up the Rams when Ertel found Bolos for a triple. Cox scored in transition to make it 20-9.
Ertel continued an unselfish stanza by dishing to Hill for a deuce at 6:32. Cox's milestone three had FC up 25-12; by half it was 28-16, a lead that stayed the same by game's end – 57-45.
Ross pressure somewhat caught the guests napping as they owned a sizable 47-30 lead after Cox' layup with 4:55 left in the game. Wildcat turnovers aided in the Rams' 10-0 run that had Foster calling a full timeout at 3:51.
Bolos missed two free throws, but Stokes was there for the rebound and got back to the line where he sank both for a 49-40 lead. Ross got back within seven on two free tosses but would only get a late field goal in their comeback quest. Meanwhile, Cox completed a couple drives and Stokes had a putback.
FC kept it a double-digit lead from early in period two until midway through the fourth. Bolos' assist to Butt for three were the visitors' final points of the first half. Buckets for Bolos and Ertel helped the Cats to a 34-21 advantage when play resumed, and Bolos hit Cox for another trey and 37-23 lead. Another Bolos dime left Stokes as the beneficiary, ahead of a lay-in for Ertel. A Butt-Ertel combo had FC up 44-26 after three.
Lee opened the night's scoring by getting fouled on a putback and sinking 1 of 2 at the stripe. A pretty pass from Bolos to Stokes netted two before Bolos traded threes with Isaac Nunn. Lee and Ertel hoops made it 10-5 and Bolos connected on a jumper from the foul line at the first horn.
Cox led all scorers with 18, with Bolos putting in a dozen and Ertel 11. Nunn led Ross with 11.
Scoring
FC (15-2) – Stokes 8, Bolos 12 (2 3s), Ertel 11, Cox 18 (2 3s), Lee 3, Hill 2, Butt 3 (3)
R (11-10) – Richie Jackson 5, Nunn 11 (2 3s), Nathan Polk 8, Tyler Hood 5 (3), Aidan Brown 9 (3), David Desalvo Perez 7 (3)
Win streak halted by Cougars
At Greenfield-Central Friday night, Franklin County's record 15-game winning streak was snapped by the host Cougars. The Class 4A Greenfield squad improved to 12-7 with a 71-59 victory.
Cox led the way with 16 points and Bolos added 11 in the loss, FC's first defeat since the opening week of the season in November.
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Bridger Bolos, Chad Cox, Austin Hill and JD Stokes were front and center before the tip and each filled their usual roles as the Cats outlasted a 13-win Charger crew.
Apart from a 26-19 lead late in the first half on a pair of Brady Morehead free throws, FC didn't gain more than a two-possession advantage until the last five minutes of the game as CCA hung around.
Junior Brant Ertel scored all nine of his points in the final nine minutes-plus, including a tying kiss off the glass late in the third. With time running low, Cox gathered in a loose ball in the backcourt and hurried down the lane to beat the buzzer and make it 35-33.
An Ertel drive put the hosts up four as the fourth got underway. A Hill follow-up bucket with his off hand had FC up 39-35 under the 6-minute mark and started a key 8-0 run by the home team. Cox got to the hoop for two and the Chargers were forced to call one of their three fourth-quarter timeouts. At 42-35, Ertel kicked one out to sophomore Eli Butt for a triple and 10-point lead.
On another big possession, FC missed a pair of three-point attempts, but Ertel got the board and finished to make it 47-37. CCA got within five at 1:14, though elected not to foul as Ertel closed the night's scoring with a left-hand goal.
Stokes got the Cats on the board early with a pair of lay-ins. A 4-4 game, the Chargers proceeded to grab the lead and hold onto it for most of the first quarter. Led by their own seniors, CCA opened a 15-11 edge as Christian Woods (6-foot-5) and guards Christian Flowers and 6-6 Elijah Mattingly each hit triples. Cox scored seven straight toward FC's total, then laid one in to tie the game at 15 after a Bolos jumper.
Mattingly put CCA in front before Cox took a Jace Lee pass on a back cut for the slam dunk. After a Charger timeout, Butt landed a transition 3 for the 20-17 lead. With 2:42 left in the half, Cox swiped a ball at midcourt and slammed it home to make it 24-19. Back-to-back offensive fouls were whistled against the Cats, negating one Ertel basket.
Down by seven, the guests strung together the tying points with Mattingly adding two goals. The answer came in the form of Cox's 3-point play. Seconds later, Woods dunked in two ahead of Hill's rebound basket. Mattingly scored from distance and added a 2-point jump shot as CCA briefly led 33-31.
Cox's 22 led all scorers while Woods and Mattingly had 17 and 14, respectively, for the Chargers.
The much-anticipated FC-Connersville matchup is Friday at Spartan Bowl. CHS is 5-0 in the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference; a Spartan win would ensure at least a tie for the league title. FC would need to win and hope for another loss for both Connersville and Lawrenceburg in order to be co-champs.
Scoring
CCA (13-7) – Chambers 2, Mattingly 14 (2 3s), Flowers 9 (3), Woods 17 (3)
FC (16-3) – Bolos 2, Stokes 4, Ertel 9, Cox 22 (3), Hill 4, Butt 6 (2 3s), Morehead 2
Cox sets school mark in border win
ROSS, OHIO – With 5:07 remaining in the first half last Tuesday at the Ross Rams' gymnasium, a loud and protracted cheer could be heard from the visiting bleachers.
FC's Cox had just taken a pass from Ertel on the left wing and deposited himself into the FCHS record books with a 3-pointer that gave him 1,169 career points – one better than Class of 1998 graduate Wes Cox. Just before the start of the second half, the Rams' athletic director allowed Cox to pose for a picture with FC athletic director Denny Dorrel and head coach Mark Foster (see photo) while also presenting the FC senior with a game ball.
Cox was held scoreless in the opening frame but started the second quarter off right by taking a lob from Bolos and completing a 3-point play. Ahead 15-9, the Cats doubled up the Rams when Ertel found Bolos for a triple. Cox scored in transition to make it 20-9.
Ertel continued an unselfish stanza by dishing to Hill for a deuce at 6:32. Cox's milestone three had FC up 25-12; by half it was 28-16, a lead that stayed the same by game's end – 57-45.
Ross pressure somewhat caught the guests napping as they owned a sizable 47-30 lead after Cox' layup with 4:55 left in the game. Wildcat turnovers aided in the Rams' 10-0 run that had Foster calling a full timeout at 3:51.
Bolos missed two free throws, but Stokes was there for the rebound and got back to the line where he sank both for a 49-40 lead. Ross got back within seven on two free tosses but would only get a late field goal in their comeback quest. Meanwhile, Cox completed a couple drives and Stokes had a putback.
FC kept it a double-digit lead from early in period two until midway through the fourth. Bolos' assist to Butt for three were the visitors' final points of the first half. Buckets for Bolos and Ertel helped the Cats to a 34-21 advantage when play resumed, and Bolos hit Cox for another trey and 37-23 lead. Another Bolos dime left Stokes as the beneficiary, ahead of a lay-in for Ertel. A Butt-Ertel combo had FC up 44-26 after three.
Lee opened the night's scoring by getting fouled on a putback and sinking 1 of 2 at the stripe. A pretty pass from Bolos to Stokes netted two before Bolos traded threes with Isaac Nunn. Lee and Ertel hoops made it 10-5 and Bolos connected on a jumper from the foul line at the first horn.
Cox led all scorers with 18, with Bolos putting in a dozen and Ertel 11. Nunn led Ross with 11.
Scoring
FC (15-2) – Stokes 8, Bolos 12 (2 3s), Ertel 11, Cox 18 (2 3s), Lee 3, Hill 2, Butt 3 (3)
R (11-10) – Richie Jackson 5, Nunn 11 (2 3s), Nathan Polk 8, Tyler Hood 5 (3), Aidan Brown 9 (3), David Desalvo Perez 7 (3)
Win streak halted by Cougars
At Greenfield-Central Friday night, Franklin County's record 15-game winning streak was snapped by the host Cougars. The Class 4A Greenfield squad improved to 12-7 with a 71-59 victory.
Cox led the way with 16 points and Bolos added 11 in the loss, FC's first defeat since the opening week of the season in November.
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