Second-half Tiger surge overtakes Wildcats
March 8, 2022 at 10:14 p.m.
Second-half Tiger surge overtakes Wildcats
By Will Fehlinger-
LHS had a goose egg in its scoring column and the Tigers were not getting anything done defensively as well, trailing the Wildcats 15-0. Lawrenceburg slowly crept back in the game, but FC still led 23-11 at halftime.
Just under three minutes to go in the third, the Cats' lead remained in double digits at 30-19. The Tigers then outscored FC 26-9 to shock the raucous Wildcat fan base and move to the regional with a 45-39 victory.
A steal and conversion by Logan Rohrer with 2:14 left in period three had the Tigers within two possessions at 30-24, their best position since the 3-minute mark of the opening period. Brant Ertel picked up his third and fourth fouls and after a turnover, coach Mark Foster concernedly called timeout with his team up four. The score stayed at 30-26 heading into the final quarter.
Lawrenceburg began bodying up and trapping the Wildcat ball handlers near midcourt and the results had to be pleasing to Tiger coach Brad Cutter. FC committed another turnover, nearly had an over/back call and finally watched 6-foot-8-inch senior Jackson Bobo take an outlet in for a two-handed dunk that made it a one-point game.
A Bridger Bolos drive across the paint put FC up 32-29 but sharpshooting sophomore Logan Ahaus tied the game on a triple with 4:10 to go. The game-long comeback was complete.
Senior Chad Cox joined Ertel with four fouls when he was called for a charge at the other end. Bobo then rebounded a missed 3 by Ahaus and dropped it in for a 34-32 Tiger lead. Cox hit two charities to tie things up again.
There were just seven made threes in the game, though a trio of those came in succession over a 30-second span. First it was Ahaus with his third of the contest, then Cox on the opposite end; Garrett Yoon splashed one for LHS, his only field goal putting his team up 40-37 with 2:01 left. Cox missed an answer, and FC was forced to start fouling in the final minute to gain possessions. Five of eight shooting from the line was enough to give the Tigers their first sectional crown since moving up to Class 3A.
As LHS was busy turning the ball over or missing point-blank shots, the Cats shot out to a 9-0 edge after one complete. Ertel scored twice, Cox hit from mid-range and Bolos added three points. In three sectional games last week, the Cats' defense allowed six total points in the first quarter and just 29 in the first half.
Following an Ertel 12-footer to start the second, Jace Lee accepted passes from Ertel and Bolos and finished both times for the 15-point cushion. Rohrer was fouled on a 3 attempt, finally putting LHS on the board with 2-of-3 accuracy. At 15-6, Bolos scooted in from the baseline for two, then passed ahead to Austin Hill for two off a steal.
The Tigers continued to struggle but did get a 3-point play out of Rohrer with seven seconds left in the half. Eli Butt one-upped him by turning an Ertel pass into a corner three and drawing a foul, all with .8 on the clock. The rare 4-point play put FC up 12 at the break.
At 5:15 of the third, two Bobo FTs made it a single-digit game at 26-17. Rohrer added a lay-in. Baskets by Ertel (2nd effort) and Lee (reverse on the baseline) were answered by a Dahya Patel 3-pointer.
There was even scoring across the board for both sides, Ahaus' 11 and Bobo's 10 pacing LHS and Cox closing his stellar career with a team-high 9 – just half his scoring average. Bolos, JD Stokes and Hill are also headed to graduation. The Tigers have a date with Evansville Bosse Saturday at Washington's Hatchet House.
This was the eighth championship try since Brookville and Laurel consolidated in 1989. The Greyhounds of 1988 remain the last team in the county to win a sectional.
Scoring
L (20-7) – Patel 9 (3), Bobo 10, Yoon 3 (3), Ahaus 11 (3 3s), Rohrer 9, Ashton Craig 3
FC (18-6) – Hill 2, Cox 9 (3), Butt 6 (3), Lee 7, Ertel 8, Bolos 7
FC wins round one and two
The Batesville Bulldogs and Wildcats faced off in round one of the 2022 sectional last Wednesday, FC having been ousted by BHS in each of the last three tournaments.
The first quarter score resembled that of a baseball game with Franklin County leading 4-2. Batesville added five more points in the second frame while FC added four. The teams went into halftime with the Wildcats on top 10-7.
The third quarter was another low-scoring affair with both squads putting up just six points each. The fourth frame began with the score 16-13 in favor of FC.
Cox added four points and Bolos added a point from the free throw line to put the Wildcats on a 5-0 run to begin the final frame. The Bulldogs then went on a 6-0 run with Thomas Raver leading the way with a basket and free throw. Stokes got in on the action and hit two shots in a row, giving FC a 25-18 lead. With time running out, BHS sent the Cats to the line to keep the pace moving. The Cats hit six of their eight freebies to close out the game with a 33-25 win.
Cox had 16 to lead FC and Stokes added 8. Raver's 8 notches paced the Bulldogs.
Friday's matchup for round two was a showdown with the Greensburg Pirates, the 10th-ranked team in the final Associated Press 3A poll coming fresh off a victory over the host and 9th-ranked Connersville Spartans.
The Wildcats got the scoring started in the matchup with Ertel sinking a two-pointer. Lee made his way to the line for a pair and Ertel closed out the quarter with another deuce. FC led after one period, 6-4.
The second quarter saw the Pirates pull ahead with Colin Comer and Ki Dyer scoring for Greensburg. Down by four points, Cox hit from the lane and then from downtown on the next possession, putting the Cats back up by one. Ertel and Cox both hit shots again before the half, to send FC into the locker room up 15-11.
The third frame saw Cox and Ertel both keeping a hot hand while the Cats went on an 8-0 run. Comer hit before the quarter ended and FC led by 10 after three rounds.
The final frame saw FC press on the gas and put up 25 points. The Cats went 11-for-14 from the free throw line – Bolos six of those - in the fourth quarter to seal a commanding 51-35 victory. The Wildcats defeated Greensburg twice this year – average winning margin of 21 – after dropping the previous 24 matchups.
Cox went for 22 points and Ertel posted 13. Comer's 16 led the Bucs.
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LHS had a goose egg in its scoring column and the Tigers were not getting anything done defensively as well, trailing the Wildcats 15-0. Lawrenceburg slowly crept back in the game, but FC still led 23-11 at halftime.
Just under three minutes to go in the third, the Cats' lead remained in double digits at 30-19. The Tigers then outscored FC 26-9 to shock the raucous Wildcat fan base and move to the regional with a 45-39 victory.
A steal and conversion by Logan Rohrer with 2:14 left in period three had the Tigers within two possessions at 30-24, their best position since the 3-minute mark of the opening period. Brant Ertel picked up his third and fourth fouls and after a turnover, coach Mark Foster concernedly called timeout with his team up four. The score stayed at 30-26 heading into the final quarter.
Lawrenceburg began bodying up and trapping the Wildcat ball handlers near midcourt and the results had to be pleasing to Tiger coach Brad Cutter. FC committed another turnover, nearly had an over/back call and finally watched 6-foot-8-inch senior Jackson Bobo take an outlet in for a two-handed dunk that made it a one-point game.
A Bridger Bolos drive across the paint put FC up 32-29 but sharpshooting sophomore Logan Ahaus tied the game on a triple with 4:10 to go. The game-long comeback was complete.
Senior Chad Cox joined Ertel with four fouls when he was called for a charge at the other end. Bobo then rebounded a missed 3 by Ahaus and dropped it in for a 34-32 Tiger lead. Cox hit two charities to tie things up again.
There were just seven made threes in the game, though a trio of those came in succession over a 30-second span. First it was Ahaus with his third of the contest, then Cox on the opposite end; Garrett Yoon splashed one for LHS, his only field goal putting his team up 40-37 with 2:01 left. Cox missed an answer, and FC was forced to start fouling in the final minute to gain possessions. Five of eight shooting from the line was enough to give the Tigers their first sectional crown since moving up to Class 3A.
As LHS was busy turning the ball over or missing point-blank shots, the Cats shot out to a 9-0 edge after one complete. Ertel scored twice, Cox hit from mid-range and Bolos added three points. In three sectional games last week, the Cats' defense allowed six total points in the first quarter and just 29 in the first half.
Following an Ertel 12-footer to start the second, Jace Lee accepted passes from Ertel and Bolos and finished both times for the 15-point cushion. Rohrer was fouled on a 3 attempt, finally putting LHS on the board with 2-of-3 accuracy. At 15-6, Bolos scooted in from the baseline for two, then passed ahead to Austin Hill for two off a steal.
The Tigers continued to struggle but did get a 3-point play out of Rohrer with seven seconds left in the half. Eli Butt one-upped him by turning an Ertel pass into a corner three and drawing a foul, all with .8 on the clock. The rare 4-point play put FC up 12 at the break.
At 5:15 of the third, two Bobo FTs made it a single-digit game at 26-17. Rohrer added a lay-in. Baskets by Ertel (2nd effort) and Lee (reverse on the baseline) were answered by a Dahya Patel 3-pointer.
There was even scoring across the board for both sides, Ahaus' 11 and Bobo's 10 pacing LHS and Cox closing his stellar career with a team-high 9 – just half his scoring average. Bolos, JD Stokes and Hill are also headed to graduation. The Tigers have a date with Evansville Bosse Saturday at Washington's Hatchet House.
This was the eighth championship try since Brookville and Laurel consolidated in 1989. The Greyhounds of 1988 remain the last team in the county to win a sectional.
Scoring
L (20-7) – Patel 9 (3), Bobo 10, Yoon 3 (3), Ahaus 11 (3 3s), Rohrer 9, Ashton Craig 3
FC (18-6) – Hill 2, Cox 9 (3), Butt 6 (3), Lee 7, Ertel 8, Bolos 7
FC wins round one and two
The Batesville Bulldogs and Wildcats faced off in round one of the 2022 sectional last Wednesday, FC having been ousted by BHS in each of the last three tournaments.
The first quarter score resembled that of a baseball game with Franklin County leading 4-2. Batesville added five more points in the second frame while FC added four. The teams went into halftime with the Wildcats on top 10-7.
The third quarter was another low-scoring affair with both squads putting up just six points each. The fourth frame began with the score 16-13 in favor of FC.
Cox added four points and Bolos added a point from the free throw line to put the Wildcats on a 5-0 run to begin the final frame. The Bulldogs then went on a 6-0 run with Thomas Raver leading the way with a basket and free throw. Stokes got in on the action and hit two shots in a row, giving FC a 25-18 lead. With time running out, BHS sent the Cats to the line to keep the pace moving. The Cats hit six of their eight freebies to close out the game with a 33-25 win.
Cox had 16 to lead FC and Stokes added 8. Raver's 8 notches paced the Bulldogs.
Friday's matchup for round two was a showdown with the Greensburg Pirates, the 10th-ranked team in the final Associated Press 3A poll coming fresh off a victory over the host and 9th-ranked Connersville Spartans.
The Wildcats got the scoring started in the matchup with Ertel sinking a two-pointer. Lee made his way to the line for a pair and Ertel closed out the quarter with another deuce. FC led after one period, 6-4.
The second quarter saw the Pirates pull ahead with Colin Comer and Ki Dyer scoring for Greensburg. Down by four points, Cox hit from the lane and then from downtown on the next possession, putting the Cats back up by one. Ertel and Cox both hit shots again before the half, to send FC into the locker room up 15-11.
The third frame saw Cox and Ertel both keeping a hot hand while the Cats went on an 8-0 run. Comer hit before the quarter ended and FC led by 10 after three rounds.
The final frame saw FC press on the gas and put up 25 points. The Cats went 11-for-14 from the free throw line – Bolos six of those - in the fourth quarter to seal a commanding 51-35 victory. The Wildcats defeated Greensburg twice this year – average winning margin of 21 – after dropping the previous 24 matchups.
Cox went for 22 points and Ertel posted 13. Comer's 16 led the Bucs.
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