Key contributions from all eight Wildcats in the rotation helped host Franklin County to a 52-42 victory over visiting Muncie Central last Tuesday, extending the school record to seven consecutive wins. The final game of 2021 was 36-35 in favor of the home team midway through the fourth quarter, but 6-foot-5-inch senior JD Stokes polished off a stellar night with 10 of FC's 16 points down the last stretch.

Despite the Bearcats – coached by Ball State hall-of-famer Chandler Thompson – frustrating senior captain Chad Cox in the second half (1 point), his teammates picked up the slack and built a 35-31 lead at the third-quarter break.

Tied at 31, junior Brant Ertel fed 6-4 senior Austin Hill for a left-handed layup and the latter then coaxed a fifth Muncie foul. On the last possession of the frame, Ertel rebounded a Bridger Bolos miss and banked it off the glass ahead of the horn.

Only five points were scored over the next four minutes and four of those counted for the Cats of Delaware County. Stokes then got to the free throw line with the first of two and-one opportunities, though ultimately missing both charity attempts. The big man, from a Cox assist, made it 40-35 with 3:18 remaining in the contest.

Stokes was fouled on a rebound and sank both free shots. A Muncie turnover fueled by the quick hands of sophomore Eli Butt led to an Ertel lay-in and Thompson timeout at 2:16. The score was 44-35 after the 8-0 run.

After a Ja'lon Childress drive, Stokes' field goal gave Ertel another assist. The senior buried two FTs with 50 seconds to go for an 11-point spread. Malik Hasani's three made it 48-40, though FC closed out the win with 4 of 6 foul shooting.

Tim Arnold, a Richmond transfer, got the game's scoring underway with an early one-pointer. A short jumper by Hasani gave MC a 5-2 lead before the Wildcats surged for seven unanswered. Junior Jace Lee and Cox dropped in buckets and Bolos hit the first of his game-high three 3-pointers. Muncie called a full timeout with 1:54 left.

A transition hoop for Childress made it 9-8 and Bolos' two charities put FC up by three after one.

Childress netted two more on the break, but Cox did him one better by recording a block, gathering in the loose ball and getting up for a two-handed slam. An Ertel corner three, Stokes lay-in and two more Bolos treys later and FC had doubled up the Bearcats 24-12. A late three by Daniel Harris set the halftime score at 24-16.

Ertel opened the second half with a triple; Arnold answered with six points in a row and Harris made two FTs to make it 27-24. The next two trips put the Cats back up seven as Ertel passed to Stokes for two and Bolos hit a fielder. The see-saw then tipped in MC's favor as the Bearcats scored the next seven, four by Shoka Griffin and a 3 by Childress.

Stokes had a game-best 16 and Bolos added 15; Ertel chipped in a dozen. Childress (12) and Hasani (10) led Muncie.

FC will visit neighboring Union County Friday night. The Patriots, coached by Wildcat alum Alex McCool, were 3-4 to start the week. The next home game is Jan. 21 against conference foe Batesville.

Scoring
MC (2-3) – Arnold 7, Hasani 10 (3), Childress 12 (3), Harris 9 (3), Griffin 4

FC (7-2) – Cox 5, Ertel 12 (2 3s), Bolos 15 (3 3s), Stokes 16, Hill 2, Lee 2